George Miller: “Mr. Speaker, once again the Natural Resources Committee is bringing before the House a statewide, national forest…”

“Mr. Speaker, once again the Natural Resources Committee is bringing before the House a statewide, national forest wilderness bill and once again that State is Montana. As before, the committee presents a bill that meets our obligation to protect the remnants of the magnificent wilderness that is at the heart of our natural heritage, while fairly and responsibly recognizing the legitimate interests and concerns of local residents. For more than a decade, it has been the House and the House Natural Resources Committee that has set the standard for achieving that kind of balance. When all the dust of competing proposals and amendments has settled, the record will show that the wilderness designations and the management provisions crafted by the House and the Natural Resources Committee have been the basis for laws signed by both Republican and Democratic Presidents. Once again today, you will hear this bill attacked from the left and from the right. You will hear that the bill locks up too many resources and that it violates Montana's rights to control its water. But as the gentleman from Montana will tell you, we have worked long and hard with Montanans to draw the boundaries and select the wilderness areas that meet their concerns.”