Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2643, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2643, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 26, 2007)

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Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida (Mr. Hastings), who has been an outspoken advocate for environmental justice for this great country and a strong supporter of Everglades restoration. So I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, our natural environment and clean neighborhoods are vital to the health of the folks that we represent back home. This bill, and the rule, contains much to recommend it to the American people. But I rise in support today because my community, the Tampa Bay area, will benefit greatly due to the new investments being made under the leadership of this new Democratic Congress.

See, our communities have suffered over past years while environmental agencies were infiltrated by industry lobbyists. That was a strategy of this White House, unfortunately. And some in past Congresses whittled away at environmental protections.

Well, we're going to begin to turn that around today and repair America's natural environment and the public health so we can breathe easier.

First, we will make new investments in clean air and clean and safe drinking water. We know that the rate of asthma in children is rising in America, and this bill will help our communities get back on track with enforcement of the Clean Air Act.

On clean water, the residents of the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg have benefited greatly over the years due to the Clean Water Act and the State Water Revolving Loan Program because my communities have been able to repair sewers, and in my hometown, clean up Tampa Bay and make it safer for swimming, boating, and fishing. But we have more work to do. The National Estuary Program portion of this bill will help, as the bill provides greater assistance to local communities to improve water quality in our national estuaries like Tampa Bay.

I also hope the committee will look favorably upon an amendment relating to the red tide that is affecting the physical environment of our coastal communities and causing respiratory ailments at a time when folks are trying to enjoy their vacation at the beach.

Urban communities like mine also need assistance in cleaning up toxic waste sites and Superfund sites. As a former county commissioner back home, I understand the value of cleaning up old brownfield sites so they do not remain as blights on the community. Oftentimes these polluted industrial sites are located in communities of modest means. So I salute the committee and Chairman Dicks for his commitment to environmental justice to ensure that environmental decisions do not adversely affect minority populations.

This bill also charts a new direction on global warming as well by increasing climate change scientific research, including attention to coastal communities to help us determine how we can best adapt to a warming planet.

This act and rule also provides long overdue funding for our national parks, including the beautiful Florida Everglades. Thanks to Chairman Dicks and the committee for stepping up our efforts to ensure that these valuable environmental resources are protected.

One final issue: this bill maintains the long-standing moratoria on oil and gas drilling off our beautiful gulf coast beaches. Now, I expect that the oil and gas lobby will take a run at this protection today, and I urge my colleagues to hold firm.

In Florida and in other coastal States, drilling threatens our environment, it threatens our health, and it threatens our economic livelihood. Instead of risking our critical coastline for short-term gain, the new Democratic majority is pursuing a long-term energy strategy by investing in energy conservation and alternative fuels.

Granting oil and gas leases and access to our coastline is not the solution to our energy crisis. The current leases that oil and gas companies exploit far off the coastline exist with the help of taxpayers. Allowing drilling closer to our coastline is simply a way for oil and gas companies to maximize their profits. Such actions will have no effect on either the cost of gas or on the future of our energy needs.

I urge my colleagues to beat back this scheme of the oil and gas lobby today, their attempt to kill a ban on coastal drilling that was enacted in response to a 1969 oil and gas bill that blackened 35 miles of California's coast.

Instead of drilling for limited resources, the country needs an accelerated program for alternative fuels, and Congress needs to investigate the oil companies' unseemly profits.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and the rule. I salute the leadership of Chairman Dicks, and I thank Ranking Member Tiahrt. This legislation will protect our environment and our public health and focus on renewable energy solutions that are vital to the State of Florida and the future of our great Nation.

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