Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for convening today's very, very important and as you have noted, historic hearing.

It is when we don't expand our table to hear more from those who have been disenfranchised that injustices and systemic inequities are perpetuated.

I ask unanimous consent that the privileges of the floor be granted to my second-session summer interns for the month of July through August 5; that is, Jonathon Ford, Matthew Agron, Isabella Kershaw, Jocelyn Cannon, Devin Moorehead…

I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes and Senator Durbin for up to 15 minutes prior to the scheduled vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I am happy to come to the floor today to join my colleague the Senator from Alaska, Mr. Sullivan, as well as my colleague from Kansas, to talk about where we are with this administration or where, unfortunately, we aren't when it comes to…

I think that is kind of maybe a soft support, they think it is going to work, actually you know it can work.

I think it is important to recognize that this settlement is a decade in the making.

S. 4439 would transfer administrative jurisdiction of approximately 1,031 acres of National Forest System land.

It sounds like not an idea situation as you are looking to literally truck water from a fire hydrant.

While we have no UIOs in Alaska, it is my understanding these organizations in the lower 48 have found the Confer process with IHS to be beneficial.

This legislation is directing the Chief of the Forest Service and the tribe to enter into an MOU to protect and enhance wild and scenic river systems, all done in cooperation with the tribe.

It has been mentioned that Interior, well, along with the rest of the government, has of course a trust responsibility to tribes.

I do think it would be prudent... that the Committee also receive testimony from the Forest Service.

We know that settling water rights through negotiated settlements approved by Congress continues to be the best way to deliver wet water to tribes.

on rollcall vote No. 252, I voted no. It was my intention to vote yea. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to change my vote since it will not affect the outcome. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…

Alaska stands ready, willing, and certainly able to be a big part of that solution.

What we face is that 80 percent of the natural gas that comes to the most populated portion of the state, comes out of that Cook Inlet.

I can't stress enough the need for the Department to move forward with final approval for the Willow Project.

We cannot afford for it to take 10 years to permit a mine on public land.

The administration has openly conflicted its commitment to supply chain security.

What we need here is a strategic focus to reduce our dependence on China and Russia.

Our national security interests require that we increase our domestic supply of these resources.

I need you to commit to me to have BLM review the remediation and plugging standards that are used by the State of Alaska to see what improvements can be made to BLM's own standards.

I am not sure where the issue is in getting these resources directed out to the states.

I strongly support it, but that can occur even as Access Project continues.