Political Quotes

“I want to pick up where my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), left off. Congressman Walden and I worked for several years to try and deal with the preservation of a precious resource. Mount Hood is the dividing line between our two districts. We have a lot of personal history involved there, and it was really one of my most positive experiences in two decades of congressional service, zeroing in with the stakeholders--Native Americans, environmentalists, local government--trying to figure out the best protections for a very complicated area that is within easy driving distance of 4 million people. There were many strains and stresses and multiple stakeholders on the mountain itself. As he said, part of the delicate balance that was achieved was an opportunity for us to deal with this land exchange. It was a win-win situation for a variety of the stakeholders. It obviously is better for the environment. It settled long-simmering disputes that served nobody's interest but had actual potential for negative outcomes. This land exchange was part of what was envisioned. This was not just a bipartisan effort with my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), and myself. It was then Senator Smith and Senator Wyden, and now Senator Merkley and Senator Wyden have been partners in this. It is frustrating that we get to the point where it requires legislation to do something that was an integral part of this agreement.…”