William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “First, I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Bishop not only for bringing this bill to the floor, but for taking…”

“First, I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Bishop not only for bringing this bill to the floor, but for taking the time to understand the issues, how they came to be, and cutting to the heart of the matter. I thought he did an outstanding job of explaining the challenges that my constituents face. Also, Subcommittee Chairman McClintock has done an excellent job of talking about this bill. Mr. Chairman, it is absolutely true. This specific legislation applies only to the 116-mile stretch of the Red River that is at issue here; but one point I completely agree with the gentlewoman from Massachusetts on is that the consequences of this extend far beyond those 116 miles, because if the Federal Government can come in and, through a regulatory process, say this land that you may have a deed to, that you may have paid taxes on for generations, that you may think you own, is not yours but is really ours, then that threatens private property rights throughout the country. I would suggest, Mr. Chairman, that that is the reason the American Farm Bureau, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the Texas Farm Bureau, the National Cattlemen's Association, and the Public Lands Council all support this legislation, because private property rights are very important to be protected wherever they may be threatened.…”