President, Senate Democrats Stand Firm Against Anti-Environment Riders

WASHINGTON (April 9, 2011) -- Following is a statement by Scott Slesinger, legislative director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, on the budget agreement:

"President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and many senators deserve the American people's gratitude for standing firm against the 19 anti-environment riders pushed by the Republican leadership and the Tea Party extremists.

"Those riders would have blocked protections for public health, air, water and land, and they never should have been on the table to begin with.

"We will continue to review details of the budget agreement to determine the impact of the spending cuts."