The Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008, which I have co-sponsored, is designed to attack the root causes of the current energy crisis, hold big oil companies accountable, and protect consumers from price gouging and excessive speculation.

Americans are hurting every time they fill up the family gas tank while big oil companies are reaping record profits. This has to change. We need a national energy policy now that puts consumers first, holds accountable anyone who would take advantage of our national crisis, and puts the United States on the fast track to energy independence.

Congress has a responsibility to take immediate action to protect the American consumer and small businesses that are seeing a larger portion of their basic income and profits dedicated to fuel and energy costs.

It is with great pleasure and pride that I join in the celebration this month of a landmark moment for democracies and free societies worldwide: the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and the end of the British Mandate of Palestine.

May 14, 1948 (5th day of the Jewish lunar month Iyar/May 8, 2008) marks Israel's Independence Day or Yom Ha'atzmaut. It was on this day 60 years ago that pioneering statesman David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel's independence, establishing a sovereign homeland for the Jewish people within a territory that has seen a continuous Jewish presence for thousands of years.

Modern Israel may be a relatively young nation, but it is a vibrant oasis of democracy in a region of the world replete with secular and religious dictators. Israel has withstood near constant military and terrorist threats, economic boycotts, and diplomatic hostility. Yet it still stands as a thriving, pluralistic democracy where the rule of law and an independent judiciary work to protect freedom of speech, association and religion; a free press; and, fair and open elections.

Click here for my full statement on Israeli independance day.

Recently, I joined Senator Barbara A. Mikulski and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley to announce that the State will seek a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab. A declaration will make Maryland's watermen eligible for emergency disaster funding to ease the economic burden placed on the crabbing industry as it faces a 34 percent reduction in the female crab harvest. The Senators and the Governor met this morning with Captain Larry Simns, President of the Maryland Watermen's Association, to discuss the new federal-state effort.

Maryland's watermen are facing a very real disaster in the face of an already stressed economic market. It is time for us to team up to put the resources of the federal government behind the needs of our State. As Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Commerce, I will not only urge the Secretary to declare a disaster, but immediately work to provide funding in the upcoming emergency supplemental spending bill to help our struggling industry.

Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and was first celebrated in 1970. Senator Nelson firmly believed that education was the key to changing people's attitude about the environment. Since then, the Earth Day celebration has spread throughout the nation and to the rest of the world, helping educate more and more people how they can help to nurture and clean our environment. Despite Earth Day's popularity and the many programs that have been created to improve the health of the planet, we still face environmental dangers. From global warming to protecting our wetlands and natural habitat to reducing pollution in our waterways and the air we breathe, we still have much work to do.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has not been a friend of the environment. From its budget cuts to programs to help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay to its refusal to sign the Kyoto Treaty, the White House has shown mostly antipathy to environmental programs.

Despite this lack of leadership in the White House, we can and have made progress. For the first time, we've been successful in funding upgrades to wastewater treatment systems in the D.C. metropolitan area, Baltimore, Cumberland, and Frostburg. We have also secured funding for the Chesapeake Gateways and Water Trails, linking the diverse natural beauty, history and cultural richness of the Chesapeake Bay.

As we celebrate Earth Day 2008, we must focus on the need for a comprehensive, environmentally friendly energy policy that emphasizes the need for renewable and alternative energy sources, while also promoting greater energy efficiency. This year Congress will be considering an energy bill that will help reduce global warming and reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

Earth Day celebrations serve as important reminders that we cannot take our natural resources for granted. I urge all Americans to get involved in helping to protect, preserve, and restore our planet's natural treasures. Not just on Earth Day, but every day of the year.