Jon Tester

Make no mistake about it. It has been solid.

I certainly appreciate you being here to lend your perspective.

I appreciate the work you do. Everybody's got their priorities, and it seems like some of them are at loggerheads with one another.

I'm all about making folks lean and mean, and all that.

Right. Because if there's more hazardous fuels, it sounds to me--and correct me if I'm wrong--there's more potential for fire.

I think we all have a tough job. There's, we know that the deficit and debt issues are critically important to get under control.

Research and development is something that's pretty important in our overall economy.

I can accept that if I know what the short-term versus the long-term impacts are.

So, where'd the $400 million come from?

You touched on something that drives me crazy in Government, in that we reduce the workforce on one hand.

Fires are a fact of life. But we all know we need to handle them in a way--because there's a lot of people that live out there, there's a lot of forest communities.

Are we cutting a fund when, in fact, it could save us money if we utilize that money before we get to a crisis situation?

With no funds requested in the President's budget request for fiscal year 2012, what is your vision for how the ILCP will be implemented and when will that begin?

You need to be commended for that. You are partnering with landowners, local nongovernmental organizations, community groups, local businesses, and others to protect the way of life in the Rocky Mountain front for generations to come from…

I firmly believe any conservation in Montana must have solid local support before anything happens.

Your vision for water... is our most valuable resource.

If people within the EPA give as much weight to people that live outside the area and outside the State, as folks who have lived there, it could be a real problem.

We had visited earlier about this issue. I was assured that Montana would receive authority last month in an expedited process.

There cannot be a new monument or refuge on the Missouri River in eastern Montana. Period.

It is our most valuable resource.

It is a critically important issue, as you know, that we get Montana's hunt approved as soon as possible.

I think we reviewed seven very significant projects for wetlands and wildlife.

I appreciate your vision for public lands and keeping them public for access.

This bill would bring Senate campaign reporting and transparency into the 21st Century.

This is a rare opportunity that we have in both cutting spending and improving transparency here in Washington.