Haley Stevens: “We found later that the information in those articles was based on a statement issued by the National Parks and…”

“We found later that the information in those articles was based on a statement issued by the National Parks and Conservation Association, which in my day when I was with the Interior Department of the Eisenhower administration was a truthful organization, not just a bunch of flacks for the extreme environmental movement. It is very interesting to read this because this is the source of the claims made here on the floor that assert that there would be hundreds of thousands of miles across wildlife refuges, national parks, and other areas in Alaska--as a matter of fact, the figure of over 900,000 miles was used several times. Now, Mr. President, nothing is farther from the truth. I am here to ask the people in the Senate and the people who are addressing this issue to come back and face the four-way test. It is not true. The newspapers began repeating over and over again that the provision I authored in this bill that passed the Senate would create new roads and make Swiss cheese of our national parks and other protected areas. Those are false reports that are based on I do not know what kind of research. I am here today to set the record straight.”