If indeed the goal of the first bill, which is to end all leasing, were to come into fruition, or at least allow litigation to make sure that the rest of it is stopped at some point, it will have the net effect of destroying Western…

I am sure this is going to be a fascinating--another series of ongoing hearings, first on climate change.

This policy will result in reduced carbon emissions.

Mr. Westerman has a bill that actually is a common-sense solution that you can solve carbon, either by limiting how much goes into the air, or trying to pull it out of the air.

Much of the legislation that we want to see passed this year has been held up because of this insistent threat that we have to fully fund LWCF.

My legislation represents a pragmatic, science-based first step in addressing global carbon emissions, emphasizing natural carbon sequestration through reforestation, forest management, and sustainable utilization.

Despite public misconception, the United States leads the world in reducing emissions while we are growing our economy.

Not hardly. I consider planting trees and taking care and being good stewards of the forests that we have sound environmental stewardship.

No, and I challenge anybody in the room or outside the room to tell me a better way to get the existing carbon that is in the atmosphere at 411 parts per million, to get that out of the atmosphere.

As long as it is solid, the carbon is there. It is the best carbon storage mechanism that we know of.

It is wonderful that when you try to satisfy special interest groups, you can't satisfy them all without actually destroying all of them at the same time.