Pete Domenici: “Mr. President, when I became a Senator 24 years ago, I knew nothing about grazing, nothing about rangeland, nothing…”

“Mr. President, when I became a Senator 24 years ago, I knew nothing about grazing, nothing about rangeland, nothing about public domain. I traveled New Mexico and met some of the finest people in the world. It just so happens that more times than not they were ranchers or ranching families. They had their house out there on a little piece of private property and some of their own property and then they had permit land. Some of them had been there for two generations, maybe in succession in their family. I can guarantee you that I never met finer folks, nor have I ever met folks who are more dedicated to maintaining the public domain and their stewardship. They just reeked in stewardship of this land. They always talked about it in terms of how they preserved it, how it maintained their families and how so long as they could keep that together and keep the rangeland in good condition, they could be there and enjoy this lifestyle and this manner of living.”