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Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 4, 2011
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation Energy Environment

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Mr. BENISHEK. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I appreciate my fellow freshman and colleague from Michigan for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Chairman, this is a simple amendment that addresses a growing problem with our friends at the EPA--their love of bureaucratic red tape. I represent a district with more Great Lakes coastline than any other. Shipping and ferries are a part of the Great Lakes heritage. The USS Badger continues this tradition, transporting travelers, cars, trucks, and equipment across Lake Michigan.

Don't be confused. This amendment does not make the Badger exempt from EPA regulations. The EPA will continue to regulate discharge limits and other requirements. It simply keeps in place the current regulations that recognize the Badger as a unique and historic vessel. Keeping the Badger operational means saving 1 million gallons in fuel a year from vehicles driving around the lake. Passing this amendment is simple and common sense. It allows a national historic place to continue to function on the Great Lakes.

I urge passage.

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