John Curtis

Their safety should be, and is, of the utmost importance.

It is unfortunate that I feel I need to even make that statement.

I was very fortunate to be part of an Emery County public lands package that was signed into law this year.

We love our BLM agents on the ground, and we are really frustrated with those 2,000 miles away.

I am from Utah's 3rd Congressional District, and I have always imagined that we were BLM's favorite district until this recent decision.

I have no more speakers on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

It seems to me that the real climate deniers are the ones who are trying to put 100 percent of this burden on the United States and leaving out the rest of the world in this conversation.

I deeply regret that, when it comes to the environment, we make this such a partisan issue.

I want to thank Chairman Engel for sponsoring this legislation and working with me to hold the Burmese military accountable for its barbaric attacks on the Rohingya in the fall of 2017.

As a Member of Congress, I think we are frustrated more than we would like with powers that we believe belong to us not being exercised.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to all of our witnesses for being here.

I am not opposed to mineral withdrawals when appropriate and, in fact, have sponsored two pieces of legislation withdrawing a total of over 2 million acres of Federal land from extraction.

I will note that both of these bills are Democrat-sponsored, and that there is no Republican bill being considered at the hearing today.

The bill specifically says that the prohibition of leasing and development applies only to Federal lands, not tribal lands.

Am I correct in assuming that you and your peers are opposed to this bill, not because you don't care about Chaco culture or the land that your family has been on for decades, but because of your rights as a private landowner?

I must, however, raise a few concerns with the proposals before us today, which I fear lack the necessary consensus that is critical for measures of this scope.

However, the most concerning part of this hearing is that the Arizona bill, H.R. 1373, continues the Committee's troubling trend of taking up legislation introduced in another Member's district without consultation or support from that…

I think it is very important that the residents of that town feel listened to.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member. Secretary, congratulations on your confirmation.

I would like to remind everybody that the intent of this bill is to measure performance.

Without a level playing field and accountability from high-emissions countries like China, the United States' efforts to reduce emissions will have little if any effect on the planet overall.

Regardless of the outcome of the summit, I for one will continue to urge the administration to use every possible economic and diplomatic solution to find answers and bring us forward.

I am hopeful that we see a productive summit. I, for one, view it as historic and important to be taking these steps.

It is the right thing to do.

I regret that, because of the anger in that area, nobody realized that my bill did more to protect the land than President Obama's designation.