Senate Proceeding on May 2nd, 2008 :: 0:23:19 to 0:32:02
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0:00:00 to 0:23:19( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sheldon Whitehouse

0:23:00 to 0:23:19( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: for a comment and a couple of d questions? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to commend the senator from rhode island for his extraordinary eloquence eloquent

0:23:19 to 0:23:39( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: and very insightful comment into some of the machinations behind closed doors that we have seen going on in this administration that just absolutely perplexes the mind that governmental agency ies

0:23:19 to 0:32:02( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Bill Nelson

0:23:39 to 0:23:52( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: that are set up for the purpose of serving the people and protect protecting the public and, in n indeed, the e.p.a. is supposed to be the environmental protection agency, that they go off on these

0:23:52 to 0:24:09( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: half-cocked ideological ideas, and the senator has said it so eloquent eloquently -- i wantue to thank him for it; i want to thank him for his leadership; i want to thank hmmm for calling the attention

0:24:09 to 0:24:28( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: to the -- i want to thank him for calling the attention to the hearing that's going to be held next week. and as the senator has speaking -- and i've been mesmerized by what he said -- just completely off

0:24:28 to 0:24:43( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the top of my head, i remember, for example, three years ago the e.p.a. decide ed that it was going to do a study in my state -- jacksonville, florida -- now, get this. you won't believe this.

0:24:43 to 0:24:59( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: it was going to expose toddle ers to pesticides to see what the effect was. and, of course, where do you think those toddle ers were going to be? they were going to be in a minority neighborhood.

0:24:59 to 0:25:15( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: it was going to be in a low-income neighborhood. and the e.p.a. had concocted this scheme that it was sending out these flyers, and in order to get a household to participate, it said, we want

0:25:15 to 0:25:35( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: you to participate in this study study. i can't remember the amount of money that they would pay. but they were going to give them a t-shirt. they were going to give them a certificate if they completed

0:25:35 to 0:25:52( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the process over several months. and they were given a camcorder that then, at the end of the study, if they successfully completed it, they would keep it it. and the study was, they were going to

0:25:52 to 0:26:08( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: put pesticides all over this house and see what the effects were on these toddle ers. this was the purpose of the study. i mean, you just couldn't believe it. i happened to discover it about the

0:26:08 to 0:26:27( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: same time that the chairman of the environment committee -- and she wasn't chair then; she was -- senator boxer was the ranking member -- and the two of us collaborated. we had a press conference.

0:26:27 to 0:26:47( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: we blew this thing sky high. as a matter of fact, now that it's coming back to me, senator boxer held up the nomination of the newly appointed e.p.a. administrator until he would finally relent and

0:26:47 to 0:27:02( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: say that he was not going to have this study study, before she would away the confirmation. and yet he tried to dodge and weave and not even answer the question. and, i mean, it just defies descriion.

0:27:02 to 0:27:28( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the senator senator from rhode island has given a number of examples, and that one just leapt to my mind. i want to give the senator from rhode island another example. in the little agency that i cher cherish

0:27:28 to 0:27:45( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: cherish so much, theational aeronautics and space administration, can you believe that one of the most distinguished and noted scientists in that institution of nasa -- dr. hansen -- little underlings in

0:27:45 to 0:28:11( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the p.r. department of nasa -- and i say "little underlings"; i don't remember what their job description was. but i think they were in their 20's. they had the audacity to go in and change the

0:28:11 to 0:28:30( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: wording on dr. ha dr. hansen's conclusions with regard to a climate change study study. and, finally, this came out and, ultimately, his -- his words were restored. another example. or, i'll give you

0:28:30 to 0:28:53( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: another example in that little agency. i mean, they've got an inspector general in nasa that's just running amok. and there was a theft of a $2 billion rocket design in the nasa computers, and he refused

0:28:53 to 0:29:15( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: to investigate it. and then when the rest of us went and tried to get him dis dismissed,is the buddy-buddy club wouldn't allowow him to be fired. i will a guff give you another example. this will

0:29:15 to 0:29:35( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: just blow your mind. for years the florida everglades have been on the endangered list in a list that is kept by the united nations, a list of the most environmentally endangered sites in the world.

0:29:35 to 0:30:00( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: a third-ranking department of state employee took it upon himself in a conference in new. mr. enzi:land to speak -- a third-ranking department of state employee took it upon himself in a conference

0:30:00 to 0:30:19( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: in new z zealand to speak on it -- trying to re restore the everglades to something what mother nature had intended. now, these, as, the senator was eloquently speaking -- these are things that just have

0:30:19 to 0:30:38( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: popped into my mind of what we have seen over and over and over again. mr. nelson: of the ideological rigidity, the excess excessive part partisan partisanship, when which when you combine the two,

0:30:38 to 0:30:53( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: they areethal to common sense and to protection of the public. and yet that's what we've seen. and then when some of us in our role of oversight capacity try to start change ing it and get accountability

0:30:53 to 0:31:12( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: and responsibility in the executive branch of government, then they won't do anything about it. the nasa ig n.a.s. i.g. -- the nasa i.g. is still there that third-tier department of state employee

0:31:12 to 0:31:29( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: is was still there until he finally re retired. and the e.p.a. administrator is still there. and so here we are. and so i just thank the senator for yielding, and i want to thank himth again

0:31:29 to 0:31:46( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: for his eloquence today. and i want to thank him for his service to our country and for his representing his state. mr. whitehouse: i thank my good friend from florida. i would close with the following

0:31:46 to 0:32:02( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: point, which my friend, senator nelson, the distinguished senator from florida, calls to mind, because of his extraordinarily distinguished service to our country. he was willing to put himself at great risk

0:32:02 to 0:32:17( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: in the extraordinarily challenge ing pursuit of becoming an astronaut for the united states of america america. i mean, talk about the best and the brightest. and and, as we know, from many tragedies,

0:32:02 to 0:34:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sheldon Whitehouse