The Bush administration today defended its decision to allow oil and gas exploration in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska despite concerns that such activities could threaten the future of the polar bears.
The testimony came at a House hearing by a special panel on energy independence and global warming. Democratic Reps. Jay Inslee of Washington and Edward Markey of Massachusetts were among the lawmakers who warned of the consequences for polar bears.
The House today narrowly passed a bill designed to improve mine safety despite a veto threat from the White House. The vote was 214-199.
Here are debate excerpts floor speeches by Democrats George Miller of California, Tim Bishop of New York, Rush Holt of New Jersey and John Yarmuth of Kentucky.
President Bush today signed an executive order aimed at preventing the overfishing of two popular sportfish, the striped bass and red drum. He signed the order in St. Michael’s, Md., before beginning his own fishing trip.
“Striped bass range from the St. Lawrence River in Canada to the St. John’s River in Florida. … In the old days you could catch them up to 55 to 70 pounds pretty easily,” Bush said. “And what we’re trying to do is to make sure that the old days come back; that the striper is plentiful and that you can catch some good-sized ones, too — nothing like catching a big striper.”
Of the red drum, he added that previous federal and state efforts have proved insufficient at helping the species recover. “In the waters from North Carolina to the tip of Florida, the numbers are still too low,” Bush said. “And in parts of our gulf, we’re not sure of their status. So if you’re not sure of the status, we ought to be taking special precaution.”
Bush also made a stop at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland to discuss his efforts to protect migratory birds — the same topics he addressed in his weekly radio address before beginning his trip.
“My administration has supported the National Wildlife Refuge system. We’ve expanded some of the existing sites, we created 10 new ones, and we restored and improved hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat for migratory birds,” he said. “In other words, we recognize the refuge system is an important part of preserving our bird populations. And we’ve set a goal that by the time I leave office we will improve another 200,000 acres.”
The Senate yesterday voted 81-12 to clear the final version of a bill that would reauthorize water resource development programs of the Army Corps of Engineers. The House passed the measure, which the Heritage Foundation has criticized for being laden with pork-barrel spending, in August.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., was among the supporters of the legislation and defended it on the floor.
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