Dianne Feinstein

The point is that the fire can start instantly and you can't just let it burn.

I think everybody knows that there are few issues that are as critical to public safety and environmental protection in my State, California, as wildland fire policy.

The ability to knock out that wildland fire within the first 24 hours, even within the first half hour, if it's possible, becomes paramount.

The air assets are critical, and they have to be in place.

Thank you very much, Senator Murkowski.

I would hope that in devising any other moratorium, that you take into account the judge's reasoning and the countervailing public interests...

I feel strongly it is important to separate out within the organization those who are involved in leasing the resource and those who are involved in bringing in...

I agree, and we will do the level best we can, Mr. Secretary. I assure you of that.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no technology today that can absolutely prevent and give the public the general assurance that nothing as dire is ever going to happen again.

I think for all intents and purposes, the pressure is going to be enormous to go back to business as usual.

I am concerned that the meager increase in appropriations that the administration has requested for fiscal year 2011 will not be inadequate to address the challenges the MMS faces, especially this need for increased inspectors and training.

I fully support the moratorium and hope you do reimpose it as quickly as possible.

We are beginning to do that. We have not set a date for the markup yet, but the work is now beginning.

I think it is a matter of making clear that cozy relationships will not be tolerated.

Now, that is clearly woefully inadequate.

I thank Chairman Feinstein for holding this important hearing today and I hope that Secretary Salazar will remember our efforts to investigate MMS corruption while he was in the Senate, and will work with the Congress to do more to improve…

We are going to do that with the request to this Congress for a robust increase in what we are able to do with respect to enforcement and inspections.

We know that we have problems and we know this is difficult because this is without precedent.

We have asked for a significant increase in the number of inspectors even in these tough budget times in the last 2 years.

Opening Statement of Senator Dianne Feinstein

I think we have an imperative and that imperative is to see that the technology is in place before we drill.

The legislative history of the original Act makes clear, and Senator Feinstein's repeated written clarifications underscore, that the Act was never intended to create a defacto buffer zone around the Park for purposes of land use.

Senator Feinstein and her staff have done an amazing job of trying to fulfill the needs of the recreation, conservation and renewable energy communities that will be affected by this bill.

The California Desert Protection Act of 2010, which The Wilderness Society supports, comprehensively addresses the many needs of both society and nature in one of our country's most dramatic landscapes.

We commend her introduction of S. 2899, the Renewable Energy Incentive Act.