Sam Farr: “Mr. Speaker, I have not had the privilege of visiting this area, but I understand that President Theodore Roosevelt was…”

“Mr. Speaker, I have not had the privilege of visiting this area, but I understand that President Theodore Roosevelt was among one of many Americans who appreciated the stark beauty of the North Dakota lands. In this bill we are really providing an opportunity for what he noticed generations ago to be saved for generations to come; and I applaud the work of our colleague, the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy), on this. I do want to point out, Mr. Speaker, that the administration supports the objectives of this exchange; but they did raise some concerns in the hearing testimony about the procedural language in the bill. We, too, would have preferred it had the Forest Service prepared a legislative environmental impact statement for Congress to consider ratifying; and we urge the Forest Service to do so in the future. But in this case the Forest Service has engaged in a thorough process of extensive public outreach in negotiating this exchange. The major stakeholders in North Dakota, including environmental groups, support the exchange in the bill; and there appears to be nothing to be gained by undue delay in its implementation. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I compliment the gentleman from North Dakota for his dedication and work on this important legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.”