John Hansen: “I chair the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands. In the early 1970's, Congress passed a law called the…”

“I chair the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands. In the early 1970's, Congress passed a law called the National Environmental Protection Act, and in 1976, the FLPMA Act on other areas that would take care of the public lands. We determined there that anything that happened on public lands, that the public would have some input on it. They would have the opportunity to have hearings; anybody, they would have the opportunity to challenge what the Government did, so it would be adequately done without some high-handed individual coming along and shoving something down the throat of the population. That was probably a pretty good piece of legislation. I mentioned, I chair the subcommittee, and every time we have a bill, and, Mr. Speaker, we have probably had more hearings than any other subcommittee on the Hill, the administration comes up. Here comes the BLM, here comes the Forest Service, here comes in Department of Reclamation. They say, ``Mr. Chairman, there has to be more public input on this bill. We have to have more time for the public to have due process on this bill. You have got to be here and listen to these things.'' I agree with most of that. People should have input.”