Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 538, the Native American Energy Act. Mr. Young, my esteemed colleague from Alaska, I commend him on his efforts over the years. This represents a significant step for tribes across the country, especially in my State of Montana. I have only been in the seat for a few months, and I can tell you that the Federal Government has infringed on the sovereignty of our tribes to develop their own natural resources. What is sovereignty? Sovereignty is not going through a labyrinth of rules that are far greater than other Federal lands or State lands. It is not right. It is not right for the Crow people. It is not right for every Indian nation across this land. The government has infringed. The GAO report examines it and states as much. The Crow tribe, a proud tribe in Montana, wants to be self- sufficient. They want to make sure that they have a prosperous economy and do right by their people; yet, the chairman, Old Coyote, has said a war on coal is a war on the Crow people. And he is right. There is no better job on the Crow reservation than a coal job. There is no better future than to have access to the 9 billion tons of coal that are locked in the ground that they can't develop and they can't develop in the interest of their own people because the Federal Government is in the way. This bill doesn't skirt environmental rules or laws.…”