George Miller: “I think he makes an important point about this amendment. That is that due much to the activity of our committee…”

“I think he makes an important point about this amendment. That is that due much to the activity of our committee chairman, who has the knack of getting people's attention in the bureaucracy, I think we are all very confident that this agreement is going to be reached by the end of this year. But it is a question of how we do this and whether we do it, as the gentleman said, by fiat, and whether we do it notwithstanding any other provision of law. That is a recipe for disaster. It is a recipe for a veto. It is a recipe for delay, because people now will drag their feet in these negotiations waiting to see whether or not this provision does or does not become law. Mr. Chairman, I do not believe it will become law. We have had conversations with the administration, and yet we also want these negotiations to finish by the end of the year. As was pointed out, we all acknowledge, as the chairman of our committee has told us numerous times at various octave levels, this runs with this land. They are entitled to this right-of-way. But as was also pointed out, this is an area that was early recognized by the House and the Alaskan Native Lands Conservation when they sought to make the area adjacent to this a national wildlife refuge.”