George Miller: “Madam Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this poorly conceived, hastily prepared antienvironmental legislation.…”

“Madam Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this poorly conceived, hastily prepared antienvironmental legislation. This legislation, as has been noted, has attracted the opposition of the administration, the environmental groups, and even such newspapers as the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Even though I know the gentleman from Utah will be offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute, it still falls far short. This legislation does not set sound environmental policies. It sets them on the track in the wrong direction at a time when Americans see the environment as a top priority. This legislation turns a blind eye to the demand of our constituents. For example, in Colorado, a recent statewide poll indicates that an overwhelming number of Coloradans, almost 70 percent across the State, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, support wilderness designation for over a million acres currently being managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This astounding level of support is throughout the State, across party lines. But, instead, what this Congress intends to do, instead of listening to voters like that, is to pass a bill that contains provisions such as taxpayers paying for increased clear-cutting and livestock grazing in national forests. It takes wilderness study area in the San Rafael Swell in Utah and terminates it for 125,000 acres.”