John Hansen: “Mr. Chairman, I have a hard time believing my good friends from the other side, knowing how articulate and how well…”

“Mr. Chairman, I have a hard time believing my good friends from the other side, knowing how articulate and how well versed they are in the law, have forgotten there is a FLPMA Act. This happened in 1906. There is a Federal Land Management Policy Act that covers everything my three friends have just talked about. One of those is emergency withdrawals. I will not quote the section, I am sure they know where it is. Another is general land withdrawals, and another is land classifications. So the opposition is using scare tactics here. With this act or without this act all three of these cover the problem. The gentleman from New York talked about the idea if this had been there in 1906. Please keep in mind that only two since 1943, only two declarations would be affected by this amendment: The one in Alaska and the one in Utah. All the rest are all right. So the vast, vast, vast majority of all the monuments would not be affected at all because we are giving the President 50,000 acres. Carte blanche. Take it anywhere he wants. In the middle of his district. Wherever he wants it, he can do it. So I say if there has ever been a fairness act that is reasonable, that restores the power to Congress where it belongs, this is the act.”