Steven Holt: “Today we have before us a bill that tells the American taxpayers to take a hike--not to take a walk in the woods, but to…”

“Today we have before us a bill that tells the American taxpayers to take a hike--not to take a walk in the woods, but to give up their place in any decisionmaking, to get lost, a hike from democracy and engagement in our government--because H.R. 5544 has a provision that would bar all Americans, including Native Americans, from being provided the information about the land exchange to take place and that would bar them from participating in the democratic process of being able to voice their views about the disposition of their property. My amendment would restore public participation in the development of this proposed land exchange by striking language that would subvert proper environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA. H.R. 5544 continues what we have seen elsewhere on this floor and on the Resources Committee that can only be called an attack on NEPA. I wonder what my colleagues have in mind, why they have such a strong knee-jerk reaction to this bipartisan initiative that was signed into law by President Nixon, you may recall. Whatever any of my colleagues may think about the advisability of the underlying bill and the exchange that is proposed here, whatever that exchange may be, I would think my colleagues would at least want this to be done with transparency, full knowledge and public participation.…”