Administrator, I thank you and your colleagues for the work you have done to shepherd FEMA in a positive direction.

In 2013, legislation was signed into law that created an electronic duck stamp. The thought there was that with the internet and with the ability to improve access to compliance, we would allow for a digital duck stamp to provide 45 days…

I especially value your public support for reforms in a bill introduced by myself, Congressman Garret Graves, Congressman Troy Carter, and Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon--the Disaster Survivor Fairness Act.

I believe fully in alternative energy resources, but it is not one or the other.

Doesn't Magnuson-Stevens, isn't it designed to ensure the sustainability of fisheries?

It is the threat to these families and thousands more like them that keeps me up at night because any job lost is unacceptable!

For Lafourche Parish, it is critical that we have a robust offshore energy industry to support our community.

I do have concerns, similar to Congressman Carl, in that there seems to be disparity between the findings of the Great Red Snapper Count and the allocation that National Marine Fisheries has allowed for the Gulf States.

Is there anything in Congressman Wittman's legislation that would undermine that fundamental objective of Magnuson?

Our economy would suffer an incredible 15 percent revenue reduction per year should permits not be approved.

I appreciate Congressman Wittman's leadership efforts on the depredation issue related to sharks.

I thank my friend, Congressman Rick Larsen, for yielding. Mr. Chair, yesterday, I had a chance to talk about this legislation and talk about the fact that there has been an input process that has gone on for well over a year. This…

This legislation reflects the input of Members of Congress, of the flying public, and stakeholders to the tune of over 2,000 unique submissions that we processed, that we put together. Ultimately, it yields a bill that is in excess of 840…

I am very concerned to hear you say that you were already doing this, because that sounds like almost you were going to ignore the changes in law that we just made that were pretty substantial.

So, let me be very clear because I want to challenge that statement. That is very, very concerning for me to hear you say that.

Our road projects today take somewhere around 7 years to go through a NEPA analysis.

We have seen this gross expansion of really procedure.

The far majority of projects carried out across the country today don't have to go through NEPA analysis.

I am wondering why we are even here? Why are we even here if you are just going to do whatever you want to do?

Madame Chair, to say that I was a little bothered by your comments earlier would be a pretty significant understatement.

We amended the organic statute. We amended it to raise the threshold under which NEPA projects apply.

I want to give a quick shout- out and recognition to our guest chaplain today, Deacon Dan Borne. Not to take anything away from the Almighty Father, but I think Deacon Borne's voice is often confused with the Almighty in Tiger Stadium in…

If there is a job lost over this rule, it should be the jobs of the people at NOAA that are proposing the rule.

Let me let me say it again. There is no one on this Committee that wants to go out there and trash an endangered species.

There are technologies that exist today, we have done it with sharks, where we do real-time monitoring.