James Lankford

So basically you are saying that the Secretary has broad authority, no one has done this ever before...

So how do we evaluate the effectiveness of this demonstration toward data they don't even know what they are directing toward?

But we are not evaluating criteria on change, because it is from previous data.

Currently we are evaluating, we have an $8.3 billion demonstration program that we are pouring the majority of the money into this year.

We are going to spend $8.3 billion on something we are calling a demonstration, but it is very unlikely it is going to produce any results that will help us as a demonstration at all.

The increased use of guidance documents, rather than actually doing formal rulemaking...

This conversation about red tape is really a big deal.

A million and a half dollars cheaper to do a contract tower. Right now we don't know on safety issue.

I think we need to find that out.

It is an unusual thing to bring Washington to Oklahoma. We try to take Oklahoma to Washington.

I think one of the things I would like to get out of the hearing today is impact and feedback from the Panel about how overregulation from Washington is affecting, not only the oil and gas industry, but overall, the economic development in…

There seems to be this assumption that it will be so much more efficient, it will be so much cheaper, it will be so much better if we will just federalize this.

I think that is where I struggle with the process on this.

If you like it, you can keep your plan.

I will look forward to their support in November as well, and I'm the same voice on that.

Fast and Furious has moved to slow and tedious. We have got to have those documents to be able to finish up this investigation. It should have long since been done. Eric Holder told our chairman that he has these documents, but he's using…

By President Clinton at the very end, in early January of 2001--January 10, actually.

Yes. Actually, in 2001, the President did Executive Order 13586. That executive order extended that out to all agencies dealing with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. So it does extend this out to the Department of Transportation as well, as…

It is essential that the States, cities, counties do their responsibility and the Federal Government does theirs.

If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.

This is what makes America a great country is that we do have divergent opinions.

We would be glad to have a fair hearing for all people involved.

This is not a hearing about a title. This is a hearing about the facts in the case.

I would--I would say that it might be good to go through some of the notes in the testimony.

Our solemn responsibility is to hold government accountable to taxpayers.