David Thomas: “I certainly urge my associates in the Senate to take a look at this opportunity to provide for one of the things that we…”

“I certainly urge my associates in the Senate to take a look at this opportunity to provide for one of the things that we talk about as much as anything in this Senate, and that is providing local input into the decisions that are made by the Federal Government. Let me tell you, that is particularly important to those of us from the West--Idaho, Nevada. In Nevada, some 80 percent of the land in Nevada belongs to the Federal Government. So the decisions that are made on Federal lands by Federal agencies have a tremendous impact on the future of those States and the future of the economy, and on the future of citizens. It is my belief, and the belief of many others, that local governments, the people that have been elected from these areas, should be participating, cooperating agencies in the determination of the NEPA arrangement. We think that is what this bill will do and we certainly urge support for it.”