Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I am introducing, along with my friend and colleague Senator Crapo, legislation to encourage further protection of our treasured lands, ranches and family farms. The American Family Farm and Ranchland Protection Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation that rewards those who protect these lands through conservation easements by increasing their exemption from the estate tax. Put simply, we strongly support conservation efforts and believe we need to do more to give Americans a real incentive to protect our nation's land. It is a companion bill to similar bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives introduced by Congressman Blumenauer. I have long made conservation of America's natural resources a core component of my public service. In my role as chair of the National Parks Subcommittee, I am continuously focused on preserving our public lands and waters, because we owe it to future generations to leave them a sustainable environment. We did not inherit the land from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children. However, the Government can only do so much, and many of our most important landscapes are privately owned property. If we are serious about conservation, we must acknowledge the important role that private land owners play in the overall effort to preserve our natural resources for generations to come. Estate taxes can compromise Americans' ability to conserve private property.…”