Governor Whitman is an extremely capable executive. Throughout her tenure as New Jersey's governor, and as a county elected official, she has championed clean air and clean water, and has been, without question, the strongest proponent of open space in our state's history.
As New Jersey's Chief Executive, her leadership has left New Jerseyans feeling proud of their state and its natural resources, which I might add are cleaner, and more protected than ever.
Governor Whitman's effective stewardship of New Jersey's almost 130 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline has left our beaches pristine, and our waters among the cleanest in the nation.
And, as one might expect, in the most densely populated state in the nation, the preservation of undeveloped land has been a top public priority. Again, Governor Whitman rose to the challenge of combating urban sprawl, and implemented a state initiative to protect one million acres of open space.
She has also strengthened New Jersey's record in cleaning up hazardous waste, and has partnered with the EPA to actually clean up sites. She has made polluters pay whenever they could be identified and worked to implement a Brownfields strategy. Drawing on that experience, I am certain she will be an advocate for streamlining our nation's Superfund program, ensuring more effective expenditures and more accountability, and that there are more cleanups.
These are a few examples of her strong leadership. Through your close examination of Governor Whitman's record, I am confident that she will be dedicated to the health and safety of all our nation's citizens, a true advocate for our environment.
Finally, I have known Governor Whitman for years. I have proudly watched her as Governor handle every conceivable challenge. At every turn she has balanced competing interests in order to make decisions that have served New Jersey's best environmental and economic interests. She will do likewise for our nation.
Mr. Chairman, I urge your support, and that of your colleagues, of her nomination.