Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to Mr. and Mrs. M. L., October 17, 1996

Congress of tfje fMnitrt States JjouSf of iftprrscntatitjts ©Hashington, DC 20515-2002 J£2ZZi-s9fflZ. October 17, 1996 Thank you for conveying to me your concerns about the environmental record of the 1 04th Congress. I share your concerns. The federal government clearly has a role to play in the area of environmental protection. However, I believe that environmental protection and economic development are not mutually exclusive goals. In 1 995 I supported legislation to lessen the burden which excessive federal regulations impose on our nation’s businesses. At the same time, I have not hesitated to vote against my party to protect laws and regulations essential to public health and safety. In May 1995 I was one of only 34 Republicans who voted against H. R. 961, a Clean Water Act reauthorization bill strongly supported by the Republican leadership, because I believed it would have weakened laws important to the Chesapeake Bay. I also voted to delete from an appropriations bill 17 legislative provisions restricting EPA’s ability to enforce environmental laws and regulations important to the Bay. I also supported important bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Safe Drinking Water Act. Moreover, I also fought to preserve funding for an important environmental clean up program at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County. The Chesapeake Bay is Maryland’s greatest environmental and economic resource. It is up to us — all of us — to protect it. Be assured that I will continue to give each environmental proposal to come before Congress the same thorough, independent, and multi-dimensional scrutiny it deserves. Sincerely, Robert L. Ehrnch, Jr. Member of Congress