Jon Tester

The ability to utilize those Federal lands in a way that makes sense is critically important.

I think is a direct attack on our hunter and our fishermen in this country as far as access.

Senator Murkowski and I have a bill which would expand our knowledge about geothermal energy and its potential.

I think it's an incredible opportunity to provide baseload power.

In these lean times that we're all in, we need to be looking at every opportunity that we have to improve our performance, to create the efficiencies that the American taxpayers are demanding, and to reduce costs, because there are no new…

Is that the--can you give me any idea--you may not have knowledge--what goes on the State or private lands as far as well closure?

Well, it is a big issue. I mean, there was an amendment on the floor yesterday that I think failed because some people didn't want to encourage more fracking.

I want to take it one more direction, and that is, when I talk to the industry, the industry says, fracking is going on so deep that it can't impact the potable water up above.

Duplication is something that I'm always worried about.

The Secretary has also indicated recently his intention to raise the onshore royalty rate from 12.5 to 18.75 percent.

It's important that if we are going to be leasing these parcels of public lands for oil and gas development, that we have sufficient inspections to insure that it's being done responsibly.

Did you say that 50 percent of the leases, when you took over, were being either litigated or protested?

As we push to open up lands in a responsible way, not sacrificing one resource for another

The United States has more rigs operating right now, and correct me if I'm wrong, than the rest of the world combined.

We also need to permit renewable energy projects in a timely manner.

I'm proud Montana is a part of that expanding energy, domestic energy solution.

Let's be honest about the facts. Drilling is up. There are more drilling rigs in the United States than there are anywhere else in the world.

We are giving $1 billion a day to countries that don't necessarily like us much and that hasn't done us much good in securing and developing our economy or enhancing our national security.

I appreciate that very much.

When I return to Montana, I also hear from sportsmen and women about access. It is the number-one issue amongst our sportsmen out there--access to go fishing, access to go hunting.

It is creating jobs. It is creating energy security. It is doing a lot of good things.

I absolutely agree with you, and I have asked Director Ashe from the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to work with Pam Haze to see whether we can come up with some kind of a resolution.

I think we had an incredibly successful year last year with wolf delisting, with the Cobell settlement, with the Crow water settlement.

I want to thank you, Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Murkowski, for holding this hearing.

It is hard to deliver quality care when you cannot make corresponding investments in things like phone systems.