Mike Crapo: “I rise to speak for a moment on the Healthy Forests bill which, as we just heard from previous discussion, will not be…”

“I rise to speak for a moment on the Healthy Forests bill which, as we just heard from previous discussion, will not be brought up. I understand the points made by the Senator from Nevada with regard to the importance of the appropriations bills. None of us deny the fact that we have important work to do with regard to our budget and the appropriations process. However, there are other critical pieces of legislation this Senate must consider. Among the most critical of those is the Healthy Forests bill. I serve as chairman of the subcommittee of the Agriculture Committee which handles forestry issues. It was that committee to which this legislation was referred when it came to the Senate. Our distinguished chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Cochran, has worked closely with me as we have crafted bipartisan legislation to bring before the Senate. We have also worked closely with the Energy Committee, Senator Domenici, and Senator Craig, my colleague from Idaho, who happens by coincidence to chair the forestry subcommittee of the Energy Committee, and other Senators on the Republican side of the aisle as we worked to craft a meaningful piece of legislation. We also reached out and worked closely in a bipartisan fashion with Senators from the Democratic side of the aisle because we knew this important legislation should not be stalled as a result of partisan politics.”