Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the BLM 2.0 rule represents the turning back of a clock of ignoring science, ignoring the need for public participation. Although Republicans claim they want to take power away from government and give it to the people, why do they oppose every attempt to actually do that? They don't want the people to use citizen suits to hold polluters accountable. They don't want the people to use the NEPA process to ensure government actions aren't harming their communities. Today, they don't want the people to have increased participation in managing our public lands. The reason, of course, is that Republicans don't want all people to have a seat at the table. They only want certain people to be there. In this case, the old BLM planning process gave local governments in the West--many of which are cozy with mining, drilling, and grazing interests--a privileged position in influencing land management planning. Given that these public lands belong to all Americans and not just those who happen to live close to them, that approach was wrong. BLM's Planning 2.0 rule changes that, leveling the playing field and allowing more stakeholders and interested parties to get involved earlier.…”