Karen Bass: “I'd just like to say that in response to my distinguished colleague from California, as he well knows, just prior to his…”

“I'd just like to say that in response to my distinguished colleague from California, as he well knows, just prior to his arrival here on the floor we did exempt by unanimous-consent amendment the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut, which was so eloquently advocated by my distinguished colleague from Massachusetts, Mr. Olver, in mentioning that 80 percent of the people involved by or covered by this wildlife refuge live in the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut, whereas 80 percent of the land is in New Hampshire. Although just a small portion of the total area has been designated thus far to be part of the wildlife refuge, the fact is that this is an open-ended project, as it should be, and there are, as I recall, some 80,000 acres potentially affected by it. So it does have the potential to become quite a bit more substantial, which is not all that bad. I would also point out that the New Hampshire Forest Society, the Appalachian Mountain Club and other environmental groups based in New Hampshire strongly support the passage of this legislation.”