Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I rise to introduce Wilderness legislation to protect two of Oregon's natural treasures. This bill is a reintroduction of legislation that I introduced in the last Congress and I am pleased that Senator Merkley is again joining me in cosponsoring this legislation. Significant progress was made in the last Congress in moving the bill towards passage, but unfortunately it failed to get passed before the Congress ended. The legislation I introduce today reflects the work I undertook with the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Bureau of Land Management to prepare the bill for markup in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act of 2011 will do more than simply protect these areas. It will also help Oregon's economy, because visitors from all over the world come to my State to experience first-hand the unique scenic beauty of place like the lands preserved by this bill. This legislation will consolidate what is currently a splintered ownership of land in this area and protect 17,340 acres of new Wilderness along the Lower John Day River. This is even more Wilderness than originally in the legislation I introduced in the last Congress. Thanks to an additional land exchange it was possible to add additional lands to the Wilderness proposal.…”