Political Quotes

“I want to thank Chairman McKeon and also Ranking Member Smith for all their work in putting this bill together. My amendment, which is included in the en bloc, will address the repercussions of the expansion of sea otters into the southern California coastal waters. With the official termination of the sea otter containment zone by the Fish and Wildlife Service, sea otters will begin to migrate south. As they do this, they will be invading U.S. Naval testing areas. While I fully support the recovery efforts of the sea otter, this does not have to happen at the expense of our national security. By creating military readiness areas around San Nicolas Island, San Clemente Island, and the shores off Camp Pendleton, sea otters will be able to expand their range. At the same time, the Navy will be able to maintain their incidental-taking exemption, which allows the Navy to continue their operation off the southern California coast without harming our national security. Further, while implementing a plan for the recovery of sea otters, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have to coordinate with the Navy and the Department of Commerce on recovery efforts for other endangered and threatened species, and the State of California can continue a viable commercial harvest of fisheries. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. McKEON. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.”