George Miller: “Mr. Chairman, let me say at the outset that there is no question that the gentlewoman from Idaho and the gentleman from…”

“Mr. Chairman, let me say at the outset that there is no question that the gentlewoman from Idaho and the gentleman from Alaska, the chairman of our committee, have worked very hard on this legislation, as have the people of the Quincy Library Group worked very hard on this legislation. But we are down to the point now where we have to vote and we have to decide whether or not this legislation meets the test of providing for the comprehensive protection of these forests or whether it does not. The suggestion that somehow that these forests are in trouble because of this administration is just ludicrous. The fact of the matter is what has happened is this administration has had to go around and clean up after the previous administrations that decided they would not administer the forests at all, and we saw almost the entire Northwest and a good portion of California starting to be shut down economically because of the spotted owl. We now see that in fact resources are again being opened up under this administration, that cooperative agreements are being entered into with some of the largest timber companies in the country, and supplies are being returned to the market.”