Political Quotes

“If there were no Endangered Species Act, the people in the Klamath Basin would be in desperate straits. It is because the Federal Government has overcommitted over the course of the last century the water in the Klamath Basin. What we should be doing, rather than penalize people who are trying to deal with species recovery, is to go back and help the people in need. We should not have a series of temporary payments that they have to go through legal hoops to obtain. It is very unlikely that it would occur. It is far better that we step up and provide money for a permanent solution which is to reduce the conflicting water demands in the Klamath Basin. We can do that by making generous payments to willing sellers who will sell their land. We can buy back at fair value conservation easements and water rights. If we do this, we will make these people whole, we will not penalize Native Americans and other people up and down the West Coast, and we will not be back here time after time after time.”