Political Quotes

“I thank my distinguished colleague from Arkansas; and I will tell the gentleman that we don't need to amend the bill because that language is in the bill, repeatedly in the bill because I share your concerns regarding wildfire, as do my distinguished colleagues from Colorado. So we put great care to put into the bill language that reiterates ``the Secretary may carry out any activity that the Secretary determines to be necessary for the control of fire, insects, and diseases.'' So since we have that provision in the bill, I am hoping that the gentleman will join the bill, and I certainly hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will do the same, because I think this bill strikes the right balance in terms of protecting these incredible public lands and doing so in a way that ensures that we are not at risk of a wildfire and mitigating as best as we can. I would also tell the gentleman, of the 400,000 acres in the bill-- and I look forward to bringing my colleague from Arkansas to Colorado to see these public lands--only 73,000 of them would be designated as wilderness in this bill, and many of those acres are actually above the tree line or otherwise unforested. So, I think the language of the bill addresses the gentleman's concerns, and I appreciate his raising them.…”