Before I turn the microphone over to Senator Voinovich, I would like to make some brief comments.
First, I want to express my appreciation to the witnesses and all of our guests today for joining us here as we examine water quality and infrastructure issues in Ohio. This field hearing serves as an important opportunity to hear first-hand from community and elected leaders of the state about their concerns and suggestions.
Congress has been looking into ways to address the growing problems facing communities with wastewater problems for several years. In fact, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has held numerous related hearings in the past two Congresses, the most recent in March. I think it is appropriate that we are here in Ohio today for our first field hearing on the issue, because Ohio is a good microcosm of infrastructure issues in this country, with its mixture of urban and rural communities, industrial sectors and agricultural regions, and older and new treatment systems. It is my hope that the testimony we receive today will help the subcommittee achieve a better understanding of the complexities and needs of our nation's communities.
I would also like to share some thoughts about my host today, Senator Voinovich. Just as Ohio is a good location for this field hearing, Senator Voinovich is the right person to be helping lead Congress in this debate. With his successful experiences as a mayor and a governor prior to service as a United States Senator, George Voinovich is uniquely qualified to work within Congress to help our communities. True to this fact, Senator Voinovich has long advocated for additional federal attention and efforts to enhance available resources and improve state flexibility in administering wastewater programs. I commend him for his partnership in this cause.
With that, I would like to, once again, thank our witnesses for joining us here today. I look forward to an enlightening exchange of ideas and a healthy discussion on Ohio's wastewater needs.
Now, I turn to my good friend and colleague. Senator Voinovich?