Joe Barton: “We respect sovereignty. We respect State sovereignty and we respect the Indian Nation's sovereignty.”

I can't tell you how excited I am to have this hearing. It's really exciting for me.

But I also think I speak for the majority and the minority that we hope that this is something that can move reasonably expeditiously and that means actually end up in a bill the President signs in this Congress.

It doesn't change the basic mission statement. It doesn't change the authorized level of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

I think that Mr. Flores and Mr. Shimkus have done a very good job in trying to patch together a compromise bill that's good politics.