National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that my bipartisan amendment has been included in this en bloc package.

There is a major problem in our country that Americans want us to address. It is a bipartisan issue related to contamination related from defense-related activities, and I want to thank the chairman of the committee for his assistance in working on this, as well as my colleagues, Congressman Cook and Congresswoman Hanabusa, for their work in helping to get this done.

Military bases and munitions storage depots and armament manufacturing facilities have left behind a multibillion-dollar legacy of required environmental cleanup.

Under my amendment, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and the Environment will be required to brief the Committee on Armed Services on initiatives being pursued to accelerate environmental restoration efforts.

In my district alone, there is a site that was contaminated by a Grumman in conjunction with the United States Navy. It was discovered over 40 years ago. It has contaminated groundwater, which is the sole source of drinking water on Long Island.

There are people that are trying to get these things cleaned up, but there is so much bureaucracy, so much red tape, so much finger- pointing, that we need to send a clear message from Congress that we need the executive branch to work together with us to accelerate this cleanup.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment will help get that done.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source