Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, my amendment strikes language in the bill that would exempt a number of potentially damaging activities in our national forests from full consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act. Simply put, this sort of language has no place in an appropriations bill. Our national forests are a true public legacy that sustains both our environment and our economy. They provide clean air, clean water, precious wildlife habitat, and they support approximately 450,000 jobs throughout the country. We should all be coming together to ensure that our forests are healthy and that future generations will be able to enjoy them. Yet, the language that my amendment proposes to strike could allow many types of damaging activities to occur in our national forests without a full review under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, as we call it. NEPA has a simple premise; you look before you leap. This landmark law gives the public an opportunity to review and comment on actions proposed by the government, adding unique perspectives to the evaluation process that highly specialized, mission-driven agencies might otherwise ignore. The underlying legislation proposes to make six different activities in our national forests eligible for a categorical exclusion under NEPA, which means a full review would not be conducted and the public would not have the right to be heard.…”