Bruce F. Vento

The hardworking men and women of the White Bear Lake Police Department are another reason why White Bear Lake is a safe and great place to live.

It is time for Congress to push forward a wilderness agenda and teach our children a land use ethic that will protect the land and its creatures for generations to come.

It is time that Congress breath new life into Wilderness Preservation System and expand on its already diverse portfolio.

In the face of growing public sentiment and outcry for more greenspace and wildlands, Congress must push forward an agenda that all of America can support--protection and expansion of America's Wilderness Preservation System.

These are all very real and very dangerous threats facing our wilderness system--threats that Congress has the power to stop.

Although I am here to celebrate and commend Congress for its role in protecting our nation's land, the Wilderness Preservation System is far from complete and the land is far from being fully protected.

The Wilderness Act plays a critical role in establishing common sense values and land use ethic for the management and protection of America's most scenic and ecologically diverse lands.

I urge my colleagues to join me today in commending Dr. Stephen England for his distinguished leadership in community endeavors.

He has also demonstrated his commitment to public service by founding the Children's Health Enrichment Program in St. Paul.

As a White House Fellow for the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. England assists in the Safe and Drug-Free School program.

This program is extremely competitive, choosing individuals who have demonstrated excellence in community service, leadership, academic and professional achievement.

I wish both of them continued success in their endeavors and congratulate them on an outstanding season.

The Roseville girls hockey team has demonstrated, once again with an undefeated season, that hard work and dedication always lead to success.

I mean, legally I think there is no substance and basis, and morally I think we do have a responsibility. But this is an open invitation, and if something is presented to Congress that is going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars…

I think that the House bill was much more clear with regard to some of these bend points. I think the gentleman from North Carolina raises a good point in terms of the complexity that is added to this and hopefully we will not see the type…

The gentleman from Minnesota does not want it all, but he wants a level playing field to permit banks that are national to have the same rights of banks that are State. And this bill does not do it. And it is intentional. I understand it…

The formula is completely arbitrary in terms of what the costs are with regard to BLM. It looks at what the revenue is raised by beef over a 12-year average and then what the 12-year average is for a 6-month T bill and then multiplies it…

The gentleman pointed out in my underlying amendment that 2,000 was not enough, 2,000 AUM's was not enough for a family ranch to make a living. I would point out that 91 percent of the permittees have less than 2,000 AUM's so 91 percent of…

By passing the Vento amendment, we can still guarantee equitable treatment for small ranchers and taxpayers who it is estimated pay as much as $400 million a year to continue the total Federal grazing program. The numbers that we see, of…

I appreciate that. I was about to explain that I was catching up with what is to be offered beyond that. What was in the bill I was accurate about. What was in the amendment right now I am accurate about, right now with regard to…

I did not misstate the record with regards to the Committee on Resources. There have been many oversight hearings in grazing but not on this bill. If this bill was introduced after the hearings, I think that the record would be clear with…

To the gentleman in the well I would say if this is such a wonderful bill which was introduced September 17, why were there not hearings in the Committee on Agriculture? Why were there not hearings in the Committee on Resources? It is not…

The fact is that when there is an instance where there is a conservation action that may take place with regard to wilderness designation or park designation, we have a group of individuals in this country that will go on seeking mineral…

I think we concede that nobody is going to defend the fact that somebody began to put it on paper after the Oversight Committee chairman properly asked for some materials. But the fact is that the contention that there has been no…