John Curtis

I think, in truth, if I could redo this life, I would be a park ranger.

Thank you, Director Sams. I spent the last several days in Acadia National Park. My compliments to your team there.

I think it is fair to say it impacts local guides, it impacts individuals with recreation, it impacts the local tribes.

Thus saving the taxpayer more money than if we hadn't done the project.

The SOAR Act includes several provisions that are of particular importance to the whitewater paddling community.

The bill also clarifies that federal agencies must provide an opportunity for public notice and comment.

This legislation would protect sustainable and historic recreational uses of wilderness.

This legislation is important and timely given proposed actions under consideration by federal agencies.

American Whitewater supports H.R. 1380, Protecting America's Rock Climbing (PARC) Act, introduced by Representative Curtis and co-sponsored by Representative Neguse.

I thank my colleague Ms. Kuster, for her support of this bill.

The bill will preserve access to thousands of rock climbing routes in wilderness areas across the country.

It is incredibly important to recognize the historic nature of climbing in wilderness areas.

The bill reduces the complexity and the cost of using and recreating on our Federal lands.

We commend Chair Tom Tiffany, Ranking Member Joe Neguse, Vice-Chair John Curtis and the Federal Lands Subcommittee for taking steps to advance legislation.

the SOAR Act takes a good swing at the appropriate access without too much work for people.

Thank you. And, Mrs. Peltola, you have prompted me just to take a minute of personal privilege.

I would like to first address one of my bills, the PARC Act, P-A-R-C Act.

thanks in large part to the work of Congressman Curtis

There are so many benefits that comes from responsible use of our public lands.

But I want this room to see--not just you--that protection has limits.

As you move from a publisher, you manipulate this data with algorithms, that you step out from the protections of section 230.

Would you agree with me that section 230 was created to protect platforms like yours from lawsuits when you distribute information?

I think that is all fine, right, and all good, unless somebody has interjected into that and magnified or diminished voices in that.

But that is not the point. The point is you could write an algorithm that would change.

So in short, your platform distributes content that other peoples publish.