Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for yielding the time. I really want to support this important amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona. It is important because it will strike a section of this bill that will hurt a small group of States, including my State of Maine. As we all know, the Congress gave the President the right to create a national monument over 100 years ago. Since then, the President has used that authority to create national monuments like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon National Park, and Acadia National Park in my district. National monuments bring economic benefits to States, and the use of the Antiquities Act has been an important conservation tool for over a century. For my State of Maine, a national monument would bring new visitors to the area and create jobs, not just in the immediate region, but throughout the State. For example, we already have a national park in Maine, Acadia National Park. Acadia started out as a national monument 100 years ago this very month, and it brings about 3 million visitors a year to the region. Mr. Chair, this bill has very problematic language in that it will block the creation of national monuments, even in areas where one might be supported by our local communities. We need to strip this provision out of the underlying bill. I urge my colleagues to strongly support the Grijalva amendment.”