On the recordMay 14, 2015
I appreciate everybody's concerns that may or may not live around the area, but the truth is, I do, and no one wants to protect the habitat more than I do. I have worked on this issue since arriving in Congress because I believe we must protect our job creators and ensure the military has the ability to prepare itself against threats at home and overseas. Matters of national defense and readiness should not be subject to the schedule of agency bureaucrats. It is inappropriate that military bases within the proximity of these two species must consider its habitat before developing new facilities or even planning training exercises. The people living in the States that contain the lesser prairie chicken and the American burying beetle know how to best conserve the species, while protecting military preparedness, jobs, and land rights; and they have already taken steps to do so. I urge you to support this amendment and delist the lesser prairie chicken and the American burying beetle and support our military readiness.
