Mike Crapo

I was discouraged. I felt the President took a pass.

The greatest threat to our security is our debt.

We have to get the numbers right, we have to get the policy right, and we have to get the process right.

Any plan for us to get out of this difficult fiscal hole in which we have put ourselves as a Nation must be a plan that will be implemented over a period of time, a period of years.

The time for delay, the time for gridlock, the time for debate is over, and we must take action.

I have worked consistently to support needed highway, transit, and other improvements to infrastructure in Idaho.

Infrastructure investments are needed across the State--in Indian Country, in our rural areas, and in our cities--and those investments are in the national interest.

It is a critical program which has broad national support, and we just do not need to be going through this continuous cycle.

I appreciate your taking the time to comment regarding your concerns with S.3294, the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (CIEDRA), as introduced by our Senators.

We appreciate the efforts of the Committee leadership and Senator Crapo in reshaping those earlier versions of CIEDRA.

As the principal author of CIEDRA, I feel it is appropriate to respond to you directly.

You have always been up front with me regarding your opposition to additional wilderness in Idaho.

While this bill is not perfect, and does need some more work, Senator Risch and I are going to continue working with the stakeholders from the motorized recreation community to address access issues.

We have to undertake these efforts together in a consensus based manner. If we do not, we will never find our way forward.

I know that it's possible.

In May I introduced the Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act to establish the first grasslands wilderness area in the U.S.

We too, have traveled this path of collaborative conservation on the Owyhee Canyon lands.

I also thank Chairman Bingaman and Ranking Member Murkowski for working with me and Senator Risch on this bill.

I'm interested more in hearing on the procedural basis, how we get to the consensus that we need.

These things are difficult, but not impossible.

The effort to protect these ancient lands is citizen driven and buttressed, by the support of groups representing over 100,000 South Dakotans.

Like you, Mr. Chairman, I believe that public land management issues require locally based, collaborative efforts in order to find true, sustainable, solutions to the many challenges we face.

Congressman Simpson deserves a tremendous amount of gratitude of the people of the State of Idaho.

I thank Senator Wyden for holding today's hearing and the opportunity to consider landmark legislation protecting America's Great Plains grasslands.

I appreciate the chairman's remarks and willingness to work on this amendment. We are both trying to get at the same thing. I believe we can work out the questions with regard to the language so we can move forward in a fashion that will…