[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      AFFIRMING THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to affirm the great work 
of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  In my home community of Buffalo, New York, we have seen the EPA's 
effectiveness firsthand. Thirty years ago, the Buffalo River was 
declared biologically dead and ecologically destroyed because of 
industrial dumping of toxic waste directly into the river bed. Today, 
the Buffalo River has been remediated and continues to show vastly 
improved water quality.
  The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, administered by the EPA; the 
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper; and our corporate partner, Honeywell, have 
invested more than $70 million to remove 67,000 truckloads of toxic 
waste from the Buffalo River.
  Today, the Buffalo River and adjacent land are helping to lead an 
economic and life-quality renaissance at the water's edge in Buffalo, 
New York.

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