Mike Rounds

I have yet to receive a substantive response to the letter, as requested, and this is an issue which is of serious consequence to my constituents in South Dakota and throughout the upper Midwest.

I just hope that you would continue--in an open and transparent process--to share with us the process that you are using in granting these.

I was very pleased with the response that you gave to Senator Toomey.

I support what Senator Scott indicated earlier with regard to the insurance issues.

That tax bill had a positive impact, even if it is the anticipation of the tax bill.

I think this is a move in the right direction.

I think it is very important as we have a number of different ideas being discussed, that we have a public discussion like this and really vet it.

In this capacity, I intend to hold additional hearings examining the strengths and the weaknesses of the Superfund program.

I think that is the one thing that I hear more than anything else, is the lack of consultation, a true consultative process.

I am just curious. I look at the different weather conditions that are out there right now, and my first thought was is perhaps the first step would be to provide more information to both drivers and driverless vehicles.

The primacy of the States' rights to control the water within their borders on these navigable waterways.

It has been a very busy day and I think most of us have had 25 to 28 different events, including Senator Booker.

Would it be fair to say that the inflexibility that happens at the Federal level when you try to do a one-size-fits-all, would it have been manifested in 2011?

Congress has worked very hard to try to make it clear that the States still maintained their responsibility and authority over water rights within their States.

Can you talk a little bit about the way that they have treated some of our water systems, trying to even upgrade systems that are even already right there?

I hope that this helps to bring some focus on what I think is a true injustice that has been started

I don't think Congress would have passed the 1944 Flood Control Act by giving the Federal Government total control.

In the Flood Control Act of 1944, which is the authorizing act which created the mainstem dams on the Missouri River, there was a discussion at that time.

How about the city of Pierre?

What we are actually getting at here, if I understand it correctly, since they basically have purchased land along the river in order to create the mainstem dam of the Missouri River, the mainstem dam system, the Pick Sloan project, they…

This was more than just one or 2 months?

The proposed rule is an attack on these States' rights and the States' ability to access these natural flows.

It applies, as written, to all officers and employees of the Federal Government.

I certainly intend to do so. Yes, sir.

OGE has a very strong outreach and transparency program, and we will continue that.