On the recordOctober 26, 2011
I thank the chairman for yielding. My legislation shows you can protect the land and the water and have a strong economy with good jobs. The land exchange will bring into Federal stewardship 5,500 acres of high-priority conservation lands in exchange for the third largest undeveloped copper deposit in the world. I'd like to speak about one in particular. The 7B Ranch, located in Pinal County, Arizona, is 3,073 acres designated by the Nature Conservancy as one of the last great places on Earth. And the Forest Service testified that this property was ``priceless''--and you will get a chance to see some of them. This area is home to a free-flowing artesian spring-fed wetland populated by lowland leopard frogs, nesting birds, and native fish. In addition, this parcel is recognized by BirdLife International as an ``important bird area.'' These are amazing sites. These have ``priceless'' as their connotation.
