I appreciate the fact that the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee have created an Air Traffic Control Modernization Board and tasked it with reviewing and evaluating the Federal Aviation Administration facility…

it is the clear intent of the Senate for the FAA to halt its consolidation of the Boise TRACON until after the new board completes its recommendations for realignment.

I think that this Committee and this Congress need some level of specificity on which to act with regard to these proposals because if we get them wrong, I think that we could be doing as much damage as good.

Senator Risch and I have already spoken personally with Senator Tester about those, and as he has indicated, we are working together to find, again, a collaborative solution to those kinds of issues that we can move forward on.

Before Senator Baucus leaves the room, I just want to also thank him for the good working relationship which he and I have had.

Senator Tester and Senator Baucus deserve tremendous credit for their leadership on public lands management in Montana.

I have no objection, Mr. Chairman. I would like to follow up on that.

I would also like to thank you very much for coming here today to listen to the concerns of both the Chesapeake and the Gulf of Mexico.

I cannot be supportive of a massive Federal expansion of EPA's authority, which poses serious consequences for agriculture and local development.

Whether it's new energy taxes from cap-and-trade legislation or more unfunded environmental mandates, it's clear that this bill is yet one more raw deal for rural America.

I want to compliment you for your hard work on these issues and on this legislation.

I also agree with the need for accountability in trying to achieve some of these national policy objectives that we establish.

I, for one, believe that we need to have the full involvement of our States and local communities in environmental protection.

How do you foresee the Gulf of Mexico Program working with the new ocean policy that is contemplated there?

I predict that if we rush this bill through committee without a considered, thoughtful amendment process, we will have a similar result.

Why are you trying to jam this legislation through committee when it is unlikely we will move legislation or that a treaty will be ratified this year?

I wish that the legislation gave the Secretary of Agriculture a greater role.

I would hope that as we move through the hearing process here that we will also take the time to get a thorough EPA analysis and to get a thorough CBO score before we would go to any kind of a markup.

My problem is that we continue, in different contexts, to hear positive support with regard to nuclear.

This just shows the importance of us being able to have the time to know what is in the bill and to vet it adequately.

I want to congratulate you for having some bill language for us to evaluate, although we just barely got it.

This massive energy tax is a job killer for States that produce the red, white and blue energy that our Nation relies upon.

Failures of small banks continue to grow and key trouble spots are looming, such as commercial real estate loans.

Failures of small banks continue to grow, and the key trouble spots are looming, such as commercial real estate loans.

We fear it would weaken the FDIC. It could overall weaken banking regulation.