Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Chairman Bishop and Chairman Hastings. As an individual from Pennsylvania, from the eastern portion of the United States, I do get it. This is a problem that obviously--as you've heard from my colleagues from the western part of the country--is devastating there. It's devastating in communities in Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District. We have the Allegheny National Forest there. I have four counties--schools, municipalities--which struggle because of a failed policy in terms of forest management. They struggle economically. {time} 1815 When we do not have healthy forests, we do not have healthy communities. So I stand here very appreciative to Chairman Hastings' work and certainly supportive of H.R. 1526. As chairman of the Agriculture Committee's Forestry Subcommittee, I continually point out that the Forest Service is housed within the USDA--rather than the Interior--and was done so for very specific purposes. This decision was made long ago because our national forests were intended for multiple use. The most important function of that mission is to properly manage these forests and grasslands in order to retain the ecological health of those resources for sustained economic and recreational use. You can't adequately manage a forest without harvesting timber. Just look to our private and State forests to see how to manage a forest cost effectively and environmentally responsibly.…”