Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. President. The amendment I have called up is an amendment Senator Cantwell and I have been working on. It is what we are dubbing our ``Natural Resources'' title. There are 30 different provisions--15 from the Republican side, 15 from the Democratic side. Nearly all of them have been reported from the committee. They have strong bipartisan support. It is a balanced collection of land and water bills. We have included the sportsmen's bill, which we have heard talk of here on the floor, as it was reported from the committee with some additional provisions that came out of the Environment and Public Works Committee. It includes our open and less closed provisions to make sure our public lands and our national forests are accessible for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. We have included several land transactions involving the land management agencies, including some conveyances to correct Federal survey errors and to adjust boundaries. We have provisions to get more renewable hydropower online and keep existing projects operating in at least five different States. We also protect some treasured landscapes and rivers. We reroute a national scenic trail, and we authorize the National Park Service to study three sites to determine their national significance. So, again, it is a broad package, a package that is balanced, and a package that continues to add to the good in the overall Energy bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.”