"This hearing is a much-needed focus on how the ESA is or is not working."
"Only 3 percent of listed species have been recovered, while existing listings and ESA regulations have been used as tools that many times harm communities."
"This Administration has made matters worse by rewriting regulations on critical habitat and uplisting of species without appropriate safeguards."
"What is really going on here? The question is what is going on on the 3 million acres that would be removed from this protection."
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God."
"California is obviously terrifically important to America--40 million people, 15 percent of the nation's GDP."
"I am grateful to be joined today by several Members who represent this region but who are not on the Natural Resources Committee."
"Let me start again by thanking Representative Valadao and Representative Duarte for their help in organizing this important hearing."
"The purpose of today's hearing is to talk about storage of water."
"Many people... don't understand that the western part of the United States is an arid and dry region."
"This is a necessity for most of those 78 million people."
"I would suggest that that particular approach has been proven incorrect."