Chairman Grijalva, thank you for your leadership and thanks to those members of the Committee who joined in taking this decisive action to halt new mining claims.

The issue of climate change has dominated some of the work of the Subcommittee that I have the privilege of chairing.

I believe the impact of climate change is the biggest challenge that the Park Service has ever faced--both from a preservation standpoint, but also a financial one.

climate change, or I would say climate disruption, represents a challenge to our civilization and life on this planet like nothing before it.

We are here on the Eastern Shore to talk about the Chesapeake Bay, the impacts of climate change, and the necessity and the urgency with which we need to deal with this reality.

We all share a responsibility to try to maintain what is there for future generations.

I agree that the legislation before us on climate change is imperative and necessary.

There is a role for the public lands in the adaptation of climate change and in lessening its very, very negative effects.

We need a timber industry that is nimble enough to ramp up a way to process this large volume of woods.

I would suggest that particularly in some of these states in the western states regarding the infestation and fire prevention and suppression strategies vital, that it would behoove some of the members of that body to get behind this.

Now is a particularly relevant time for us to discuss this problem because in this season many beetles will be looking to infect new areas and new trees.

Industry is part of the solution in Colorado, and we don't have enough of the right industry in the right place.