Thank you to Chairman Tiffany for his indulgence and to Members on both sides of the aisle for participating in today's incredibly important legislative hearing.

I think that bump is profound for so many people's lives.

Climate change is real. I am not sure that we have had too many witnesses here that don't believe it is a real issue.

For decades our nation has been engaged in a hands-off approach to managing our natural resources in the attempt to preserve wilderness.

H.R. 4717 improves the stewardship contract system in several important ways.

We must do better for our environment and communities.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for having this important legislative hearing.

Proactive removal of these fuel sources is no longer an option--it's an absolute necessity to protect people and the environment.

However, our national forests are facing immediate threats of devastation if we don't take the wildfire emergency seriously.

We want to get a big piece of that.

Any attempts by OSMRE to supersede that authority such as their proposed dam safety rule and 10-day notice rule would not only be unwise, but would go against one of the most important tenets of the coal program's defining statute.

I wouldn't miss a hearing being held by Chair Massie.

I want to talk a bit about the merger filing fee bill, which as you know we passed last year.

I couldn't agree with you more. I think it is a no-brainer.

the budget that Republicans have proposed for the next Fiscal Year contravenes that Congressional intent.

The work of the Antitrust Division for well over a 100 years has been instrumental in the prosperity that we enjoy in this country because of the competition that has been spurred by that.

Antitrust has spurred not just lower prices but more innovation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning.