George Miller: “Seriously, Mr. Chairman, let me say to the gentleman that I think he is making a terribly important and valid point and…”

“Seriously, Mr. Chairman, let me say to the gentleman that I think he is making a terribly important and valid point and that is why I alluded to, in my remarks, that I wished when the deal was cut they had spent some time with people who had spent most of their legislative life dealing with these issues and a better package could have been put together. The gentleman from Washington suggested there may be an opportunity over the life of this bill to get some of this money included, and I would hope it would be. I also hope it would be included with the full input of the Committee on Appropriations so that we can go to where the priorities are. I would say that there is a lot at stake both with respect to the New World Mine and the Headwaters. I would also just say that the United States recently won a very important court case that said that we owned the lands that were contested off the coast of Alaska, and it is about $1.5 billion. I have introduced legislation. I would hope this committee would take a look at whether or not that money could be put into restoration and the backlog that has so troubled the chairman and the rest of us.”