I continue to have the only bipartisan health reform bill here in the U.S. Senate, and I am still trying to bring people together on that.

I just want it understood that I am very open to getting any suggestions and ideas you might have.

I mean, that is all about keeping those mills.

I want to see us end the timber wars on my watch in the State of Oregon.

I think we fully agree with you that on a landscape-scale basis, you can get a lot more work done.

this ought to send a message across Oregon that we now have a partner at this agency who is going to be hands-on, who is going to work with us.

I would think it is the prerogative of a United States Senator to use any kind of process they want to aid them in drafting legislation.

I think those are valuable points, and I think I want to go to Mr. Shelk to tell us a little bit about how the discussions began.

I am here today to testify in favor of S. 2895, 'the Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection and Jobs Act of 2009' introduced by Senator Wyden.

We need to incorporate good science into landscape-scale restoration work.

The only proven method of growing--or regrowing--natural old growth forest ecosystems is for natural processes.

This is legislation that I have introduced to get saw logs to Oregon mills, get our forests healthy again, and protect our treasured old growth forests on the east side of Oregon.

I think that much of the conservation community is there. I believe there is a strong critical mass in favor of this legislation.

Yes, just yesterday. So thank you, and good points from both of you.

There are no scientific studies of these non-existent old-growth forests 'restored' by chainsaws.

I know in Washington, DC, people talk about infrastructure all the time.

I look forward to working closely with Senator Merkley to pass this bill, for it is urgent business, priority business for rural communities in my State that every single day are walking on an economic tightrope trying to survive.

Some current bills, including the 'Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection, and Jobs Act of 2009', sponsored by Senator Ron Wyden, propose measures to increase logging levels on national forests based upon the…

Job one must be saving our remaining mills and our loggers, what I call the infrastructure of forestry in central and eastern Oregon, while preserving old growth and watersheds.

The walk in the woods, almost like a great foreign policy agreement, is how it began.

I just had a town meeting over in Lakeview, and I think this was the first time when we didn't really hear those kinds of concerns.

I am proud to be an Oregonian, and I am very proud to represent Grant County in the U.S. Senate.

So let us see what we can do to find some kind of common ground here because it seems to me on this question of unanimity--I mean, it is almost like elections. There has never been a unanimous election.

I would invite you, Senator Wyden, to come and see this study and other treatments around central Oregon.

I want to express my appreciation to you for your extraordinary leadership and energy and just effort in bringing this highly diverse group of Oregonians together.