Matteo Renzi: “I have respect for the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), particularly when it comes to the area of salmon…”

“I have respect for the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), particularly when it comes to the area of salmon fisheries. But I am also privileged to represent a district that is 58,000 square miles of rural Arizona that contains the largest ponderosa pine forest in America, one of the greatest creations in the world. We have no timber industry, none. The only thing that thins any trees in Arizona is bark beetles. Millions of acres we are anticipating will be infested by bark beetles. The exception that has been carved out and shown to be today does not address the ability for us to go in and prevent bark beetle infestation. We have to wait for an emergency to incur. And yet bark beetle infestation does not qualify under your emergency. No jobs. We do not want to clear-cut in the timber industry. We want a reasonable timber industry. Can you imagine have having that great resource and not having a job left? We have a football team in northern Arizona called the Lumberjacks. Under your proposal we might as well call ourselves the Bark Beetles. No ability to thin the forests, no ability to treat infestation.”