Haley Stevens: “the appropriations bill, the omnibus bill, as we call it, will be here soon. I wanted to comment about stories…”

“the appropriations bill, the omnibus bill, as we call it, will be here soon. I wanted to comment about stories pertaining to a provision I have in the bill and the change I sought to make in it. The Tongass language in this omnibus bill that will come back to the Senate is the same language in the bill when it passed the Senate. It was not challenged in the Senate. The language provides that the record of decision for the 2003 supplemental environmental impact statement for the 1997 Tongass Land Use Management Plan shall not be subject to administrative appeal or judicial review. During the consideration of the omnibus bill, I did suggest some modification of that language. It led to considerable discussion in the press. I might add there are a whole series of provisions in this bill as it comes back that were modified in conference by many Senators, many Members of the House of Representatives. My amendment did not apply to California at all.”