Bruce Westerman: “We have heard it said, this won't affect the timber industry. This won't affect the construction activities of the…”

“We have heard it said, this won't affect the timber industry. This won't affect the construction activities of the country, and I am sure this was said back in the 1990s when the spotted owl was listed. This won't affect the timber companies. Go tell that to the mill towns on the West Coast that were devastated by this weaponized rule. This, again, is just another attempt by the Biden administration to use whatever tool they can to go against the things that they oppose. It is not based on science. It is based on--it is science, it is political science, that they are trying to push an agenda. I don't understand why they are trying to push this agenda. Why do they not want America to succeed? Why do they not want rural America to be able to supply the goods and the services that this country depends on? It is another obstacle that they will use as a weapon that is not going to help the long-eared bat. It is not going to help other species. It is actually going to hurt them when we stop management on our Federal lands and also on private lands where these bats are located. Again, this is something that is important. It shouldn't be downplayed. I think it is an affront to rural America to say this isn't an important issue, and I think it is an affront to all Americans, even those that believe that breakfast comes from the grocery store and heat comes from the furnace, that don't appreciate the hardworking men and women across this country that provide those things.…”