Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of these amendments. Utah ranks second in the country for percentage of land owned by the Federal Government, so we understand the challenges and opportunities that come with land designations. Mr. Speaker, with Utah's interests in mind, I introduced a commonsense amendment that would require local land officials to approve wilderness designations, empowering the local communities to work with the Federal Government on major land decisions, and the previous comments actually emphasize the importance of that. And I appreciate that, and I respect that, the local input that the gentlewoman was mentioning. Our system works best when there is close collaboration between all levels in government. Our State and local governments see firsthand obstacles to successfully managing their resources, and they are experts in their communities' unique needs and concerns. As policymakers, we have a responsibility to bring local officials to the table so that we can make the most informed land decisions possible. Wilderness areas can be beautiful, but these designations bring many challenges. Our Federal lands will be best managed when we include our constituents' perspectives. Unfortunately, this process has denied my Republican colleagues and me the ability to do just that. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for these very sensible and reasonable amendments.”