[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6284]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            THIS YEAR, EARTH DAY MEANS MORE THAN EVER BEFORE

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2001

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday, America 
celebrated its 31st annual Earth Day. In the past, Earth Day has been a 
day of both preservation and celebration. The day has symbolized our 
commitment to preserving the Earth's beauty for the enjoyment of future 
generations. This year, however, Earth Day means much more. This year, 
we are not using Earth Day as a catalyst for the creation of new and 
innovative ways to keep our environment clean and healthy. This year, 
we are not spending Earth Day talking about reducing air pollution and 
cleaning up the water we drink. This year, Earth Day is not a 
celebration of the environmental accomplishments of the past 31 years.
  Instead, this year, we are spending Earth Day toe-to-toe with the 
Bush Administration to simply maintain the status quo of our country's 
environmental policies. This year, we are spending Earth Day fighting 
against the special interests of oil and gas companies. This year, we 
are celebrating Earth Day with a return to the careless and unhealthy 
environmental practices of the 1970s. This year, Earth Day means more 
than it has ever meant before.
  In the first 100 days of President Bush's term in office, the 
Administration has sought to eliminate nearly every major environmental 
advancement of the past twenty years. Whether it is trying to drill for 
oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), failing to reduce 
the amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the air, or halting a plan 
to lower arsenic levels in drinking water, the Bush Administration has 
made it clear that it is not serious about protecting our environment.
  In Florida, we are facing the relentlessness of the oil and gas 
industries. As recently as last Sunday, the Bush Administration 
restated its plan to auction nearly six million acres off of the coast 
of Florida's Panhandle for the purposes of drilling for oil and natural 
gas. This is a plan that Floridians have both feared and rejected. 
Florida has maintained a position that any drilling will not occur 
within 100 miles of Florida's coast. While Florida's neighboring states 
have chosen to move forward with offshore drilling programs, the people 
of Florida have recognized the environmental dangers of offshore 
drilling and chosen not to move forward with any such program.
  Drilling off the coast of Florida's Panhandle could have devastating 
outcomes. Studies show that the cost of offshore drilling far outweighs 
the benefits. The potential for oil spills and life-threatening 
accidents is there. The construction of oil rigs, combined with 
continued drilling, will undoubtably disrupt the marine ecosystem that 
currently exists. One only has to look at pictures of an oil rig 
sinking off the coast of Brazil to recognize the real dangers of 
offshore drilling. Now, the Administration is seeking not only to 
destroy Florida's already delicate environment, but to do it against 
the obvious wishes of Florida's people and government.
  This year, we must view Earth Day as an opportunity to rally our 
troops and fight against the special interests that have been dictating 
environmental roll backs for the past 100 days. If the Administration 
will not fight against the oil and gas companies, then we must. We have 
a responsibility to recognize the role that we play in preserving our 
environment. If we do not recognize and accept this responsibility, 
then no one will.

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