David Skaggs: “I want to start out by paying tribute to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], the chairman of the subcommittee, who has…”

“I want to start out by paying tribute to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], the chairman of the subcommittee, who has been a joy to work with throughout the process of shaping this bill. He is invariably willing to listen and try his best to accommodate in a bipartisan fashion the interests of other members of the subcommittee, and I am proud to serve on his subcommittee. I wish that I could transfer all of the enthusiasm that I feel about Mr. Regula personally to the legislative product that we have before us this afternoon. I am afraid that probably the best thing I can do is to say it is better than last year's bill. But last year's bill, as we all recall, had some problems. Just to get what I think is the appropriate framework, this Interior appropriations bill is the primary way that this Congress and this country makes a statement about the precious responsibility we have as stewards of the country's natural and cultural resources. So it really is a very important indication of what is important to us as a people. In that context, I am afraid that this bill does not meet the fundamental responsibilities we in Congress have to protect and preserve those very vital natural and cultural resources which we all are proud to claim as citizens of this country. There is an increase in many of the accounts, as the gentleman's opening comments indicated, over last year's levels, but we are still falling behind.…”