Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2181. Mr. Chairman, this is yet another piece of legislation advanced by my colleagues on behalf of the radical environmental movement. This bill will unilaterally lock up oil and gas development on 316,000 acres of federally owned land in New Mexico. The Department of the Interior is in the process of drafting a resource management plan for this area, but this process is still under review and the resource management plan has not yet been released. This bill would permanently ban all energy development in the area before we know all the facts and before a science-based environmental review is completed. Decisions made in Washington regarding how to manage federally owned land have implications beyond the borders of the acreage in question. Those who own land or operate businesses near federally owned parcels are oftentimes significantly impacted by poor management decisions made by the Federal bureaucrats who do not live there or understand the needs of the rural Western communities. Similarly, my colleagues claim that this bill will do no harm to those who own lands and mineral rights in the surrounding area, but this bill could mean millions in lost revenue for those who own lands along the proposed withdrawal boundary.…”