Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I must say, as I rise in opposition to this amendment, that I serve on the Natural Resources Committee with the gentlewoman from Michigan, and I know that we hold a common idea to be good stewards of our resources. We just happen to have a difference of opinion on the best way to do that on this issue, so I must rise in opposition to her amendment. Our Nation's forests are in dire health, and Congress must provide the Forest Service additional tools to allow more management of our national forest system. This amendment would needlessly deny the Forest Service an opportunity to more quickly address a forest system that is overgrown and prone to wildfire, disease, and insect infestation. Last summer I was proud to sponsor H.R. 2647, the Resilient Federal Forest Act, which passed the House with a strong bipartisan majority. This bill included several provisions to allow the Forest Service to engage in urgently needed restoration in a more timely fashion. These are forest stands that are already being destroyed by natural occurrences; and in order to restore those forest habitats, we have to act in an urgent and a timely manner. One specific provision would allow the Forest Service to treat up to 3,000 acres of land at a time under a categorical exclusion from NEPA within limited circumstances.…”