Washington Bureau

Dodd Angered Over Efforts To Amend Nat’l Flood Insurance Bill

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chris Dodd has just lost his temper on the U.S. Senate floor amid anticipated efforts today by Florida senators and other Gulf Coast lawmakers to tack amendments concerning hurricane protection onto his national flood insurance program bill.

Florida Sens. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Mel Martinez, a Republican, and other lawmakers plan today and Thursday to seek to amend the bill today to add wind coverage or even a national catastrophic insurance fund.

But according to Hill sources, Dodd may have had a different target in mind with his floor remarks. Those sources said Republicans with energy industry ties are planning to try to amend the bill to allow drilling off Florida and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ease refinery permitting and take other coal- and oil-friendly measures.

“An awful lot of people are going to get hurt, and costs are going to go up!” bellowed Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, “because we can’t spend 24 hours here doing one thing – and that is deal with flood insurance!”

Dodd is chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee – which drafted the flood insurance renewal bill.

-- Billy House

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