Joe Neguse: “Mr. Speaker, using the CRA to overturn land use plans, as I have said previously, does take us into uncharted territory.…”

“Mr. Speaker, using the CRA to overturn land use plans, as I have said previously, does take us into uncharted territory. It is not, as some have suggested, a way to return us to the way that we used to manage public lands in North Dakota or elsewhere. The resolution pulls the rug out from under all public land users. It calls into question the validity of grazing rights, permits, transmission rights-of-way, and other permits and authorizations that are premised on the land use plan being nullified. It disregards the Tribes, local land users, communities, and businesses who provided input over years to craft a modern plan to guide land and resource management for these respective States. Instead, it puts the courts in charge of deciding the day-to-day management of lands and minerals in North Dakota and beyond. Mr. Speaker, even if one disagrees with the resource management plan for North Dakota, Montana, and Alaska, the way to change it is through an administrative review and a public process and not through a blunt and inflexible tool like the CRA. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to keep local voices and land managers in the driver's seat by voting ``no'' on this CRA resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.”