Political Quotes

“My amendment, which was successfully included in the House fiscal year 2007 Interior appropriations bill, prohibits the funds to be used by the Bureau of Land Management to change their existing placer mining plans of operations with regard to environmental mitigation in Alaska. Alaska is one of the very few places left in the United States where placer mining is being still conducted. Unfortunately, unelected bureaucrats have targeted these small mom-and-pop, usually retired people, family miners from attaining unattainable regulations under the falsehood of protecting the environment. Mr. Chairman, this is a sound piece of legislation that should be accepted by this committee and this body to make sure those people elected participate in mining on lands that are old. This is a mining area that has been mining for the last 100 years, yet the BLM has decided they are going to take these little miners and put them out of business. Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of my amendment. It is very simple. It protects the smaller people of America. Let them do what they wish to do. Letting them have an activity after they retire I think is actually important. As I said before, it was adopted before. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5 minutes. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr.…”