Political Quotes

“this amendment, as the manager has already stated, deals with a matter that was approved in the committee and was taken out by a procedural move. The amendment requires a study of mining in the Mark Twain National Forest in south-central and southeast Missouri. It requires that it be conducted to address the scientific gaps identified by scientists in the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and others. While the relevant information is collected, the amendment delays any prospecting or withdrawal decisions for the fiscal year. This amendment is a commonsense amendment. It is a modern amendment. It enables the full-blown process to go forward before any decisions are made. This amendment does not permit mining. It does not permit exploration. It does not amend, weaken, or touch environmental standards. It prohibits exploration and withdrawal. It requires a scientific study of the scientific gaps identified by the agencies. It maintains the NEPA requirement for full-blown environmental impact statements which any withdrawal by the Secretary would preclude. This amendment preserves, as I said, the requirement of the full- blown NEPA process. And a full-blown impact statement will ultimately dictate whether any mining should or should not take place if an application is made, if there are deposits of lead discovered. By the time any mining could take place, Senator Thurmond might be the only Senator remaining in this Chamber.…”