Pete Domenici: “I want to give two reasons why you should vote against Senator Bumpers' amendment. First of all, let me suggest that if…”

“I want to give two reasons why you should vote against Senator Bumpers' amendment. First of all, let me suggest that if this were an issue of politics, if this were an issue of how many people are ranchers and cowboys in the State of New Mexico versus those that are not, the politics would be to vote for the Bumpers amendment and put all the small ranchers in New Mexico out of business because there are not very many of them. This argument about the big corporate users--I am not here trying to protect them. They will protect themselves. I am here to protect the small guy. Let me tell you, in Arizona, New Mexico, parts of California, and in other States, this amendment that is pending will say to ranchers with 176 animal units who use it year long, 'You are a big rancher, and you pay up to $10 in some States, and you are out of business.' That is what this amendment will do. For another huge portion of them, 354 head will qualify as being large under that amendment that we are debating. They are not big ranchers. They will go broke under this formula. And last, my second point, Senator Bingaman, who has been working on this for a long time, has a bill, and what do you think his fee schedule is? His fee schedule is exactly the same as that in the Domenici bill. I think he has looked at it.”