Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise to speak in support of my amendment, which protects defense-related activities from the aggressive use of the Endangered Species Act. This amendment would curb the Endangered Species Act's application in areas used for national defense-related operations and prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from designating areas necessary for military operations as crucial habitats. Compliance with environmental laws has created restrictions on how DOD manages, plans, and conducts training exercises on its installations. According to DOD, 85 percent of Army installations have threatened endangered species present. Two million acres of Army training and testing lands have training restrictions in place related to stringent ESA requirements. These restrictions, when applied, harm our readiness and our mission. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”