Maria's Weekly Update

Maria's Weekly Update

Senator Maria Cantwell's Weekly Update for Washington State

Confronting Oil Companies on Record-High Profits

Big oil companies are making record profits at the expense of American jobs and a struggling economy. That's why I'm challenging oil companies to help bring families in from the cold. We also need to make sure consumers aren't being gouged. Last Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Bill First finally recognized the need for an investigation into gas price gouging—I've been saying we need to get to the bottom of high prices for months now. Recently released reports show that while America was struggling to recover from devastating hurricanes, ExxonMobil and Shell each pulled in nearly $10 billion in third quarter profits. With consumers expected to pay 30 percent more for heating oil, natural gas, and propane this winter, Congress needs to find out what's going on and get serious about reducing our nation's overdependence on fossil fuels. In the short term, I'm also challenging oil companies to act as good corporate citizens by helping seniors and low income families cope with high home heating costs. We need to make sure families don't have to choose between eating, heating, and caring for their health this winter, and I will continue fighting on their behalf.
Demanding Progress in the Hanford Cleanup Effort

Sixty-seven toxic waste tanks at the Hanford site are either leaking or suspected of leaking. With tank waste threatening the Columbia River , we can't afford to slash funding and miss deadlines—but that's exactly what's happening. The Department of Energy cut funding for Hanford tank waste cleanup activities by $89 million, or 22 percent, in its Fiscal Year 2006 request, and hasn't done nearly enough to fight for the paltry funding levels the administration did propose. All together, the administration cut $297 million from the Hanford cleanup budget. Underfunding cleanup efforts is short sighted and risky for the people of Washington state. A recent audit found that the Department will miss a September 2006 deadline for waste cleanup at Hanford 's C-Tank Farm, and noted that the project plan disregarded past experience and currently available data. The audit also found that the Department of Energy had not taken action to ensure that resources were available for the cleanup. Missing tank waste deadlines jeopardizes the entire cleanup effort. We need stay on track, and I will fight to make sure the cleanup gets the funding and support it needs.
Improving our Woefully Inadequate Indian Health Care System

Last week, when the Indian Affairs Committee passed a critical reauthorization of the "Indian Health Care Improvement Act," we took an important step toward closing the disturbing health disparity between Native Americans and the general population. Currently, American Indians rank at or near the bottom of nearly every health indicator when compared to the general U.S. population. Native Americans are nearly eight times as likely to suffer from alcoholism, more than six times as likely to contract tuberculosis, four times as likely to suffer from diabetes, and twice as likely to be in an accident. We have a legal and ethical responsibility to provide American Indians with access to health care. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act would help build new facilities, enhance tribal decision-making, and improve the recruiting, training, and retention of health professionals. This bill would also further streamline the Indian health care system, address the needs of often-overlooked Urban Indians, and place a new focus on preventative services. It would also expand behavioral health. Current behavioral and mental health services only deal with substance abuse, which is particularly alarming given that American Indians suffer from a suicide rate twice that of other Americans. We've been working on this legislation for several years now, and I will continue working to make sure it finally gets signed into law.
Honoring the Life of Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was a seamstress, a community organizer, an activist, and a leader. A hero of the civil rights movement, she was a trusted Congressional aide and a respected youth development expert. She was also the inspiring protagonist in a stirring American tale, refusing to stand up and give her seat to a white man on a Montgomery , Alabama bus. The citywide boycott inspired by her actions would last more than a year, but the full impact of those events would change a nation, last a lifetime, and reach far beyond. Rosa Parks has played a guiding role not only in the lives of countless individuals, but, over the last half-century, in the shape of our ever-evolving nation. Throughout it all, she has been a great American teacher. Her legacy reminds us that a lone person can affect great change, and that many people working together can achieve even more. If we are to honor the legacy of Rosa Parks, we must never rest in our pursuit of justice.

http://cantwell.senate.gov/updates/weekly_update.html