Bruce F. Vento: “I commend the sponsors, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton), the…”

“I commend the sponsors, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kasich), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman), the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and others on the committee that have worked on this. It is a good bill. It deserves their support. This bill builds upon the Conservation Organization's efforts that began the debt for nature swaps with the advent of many of these less developed nations in terms of trying to strive with meeting their needs by debt and find that the economic wherewithal to make the payments is not there. And the consequence, Mr. Chairman, is that, very often, they attempt to exploit in an improper way the natural resources of that country; and one of these natural resources, as has been pointed out, is these tropical and temperate rain forests.”