Political Quotes

“I ask the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to engage in a colloquy with Senator Feingold and me with respect to oil and gas development on Federal lands, an issue that is very sensitive for Americans right now. There are areas on public lands where we can develop oil and gas resources in a responsible way. But we should not take this fact as a green light to degrade environmentally sensitive lands, which should be preserved for generations to come. We need to recognize that the Secretary of the Interior, as the steward of our public lands, must consider a range of factors when developing and use plans for public lands. The Secretary of the Interior is not just in the business of energy--lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management are multiple use lands and the Secretary is required to take many factors into consideration when developing land use plans, including the recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, wildlife and fish, and natural, scenic, and historic values. The Bureau of Land Management has authority to lease public lands for oil and gas development under the authority of the Mineral Leasing Act, and this authority is referenced in section 602 of the energy bill. However, before the BLM exercises its authority, I believe that it is important that the secretary consider the characteristics of the land, including whether the land exhibits wilderness characteristics.”