Mike Lee

Thank you, Senator Shaheen. It's a pleasure to be here today, and I thank you for chairing this hearing on a number of water and power measures.

We can't speak now for what successive Congresses will do.

I think tying the spending reductions to the debt limit increase is very important.

I was a big fan of that. I was in high school when it passed, and I had great optimism for it.

I trust that your children are experts by now in the rule against perpetuities, the doctrine of worthier title, and the rule in Shelley's case.

And the entire time the clock is ticking.

Don't you think we could benefit from moving toward a simpler tax code?

I wonder whether we could not benefit from an effort to simplify our tax system.

We have talked a lot about R&D tax credits today, and I understand the allure that those credits hold for this industry.

I always try to look at areas within government where we could simplify and roll back things that government does.

Utah is also a state with a strong interest in the life sciences. We have got 600 different life sciences companies in Utah, employing over 25,000 people.

But if someone comes along and says, 'I will do this, and I will pay $400,000 a year throughout the life of the project,' then, that would be $400,000 a year more than the Federal Government's getting right now.

If I'm right, then wouldn't it make perfect sense to move forward with this legislation?

I look forward to working on these issues.

I've cosponsored both of these pieces of legalization with my friend and fellow Utahan, Senator Hatch.

If generating capacity of 50 megawatts couldn't support a payment of $5.3 million a year for the next 50 years, wouldn't it make more sense to allow this to move forward?

Thank you both for your testimony.

Thank you, Senator Shaheen. Thanks for chairing this hearing and for letting me serve on this subcommittee with you.

If by going in and starting this, someone would have to agree at the outset to pay $5.3 million a year every year for the next 50 years, it seems pretty unlikely that that's going to happen.

I'm uncomfortable with Congress declaring new wilderness as long as that shroud of uncertainty remains.

I think it's appropriate for us to get input from the host state's legislature before we declare new wilderness.

Pakistan's influence on the fight against terrorism, its role in the region generally, its nuclear weapons capabilities, and various other factors make it an important, and a volatile, factor in U.S. national security.

The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would create the largest wireless carrier in the Nation.

I share some of the concerns expressed by my colleague the Chairman, Senator Kohl.

I favor market approaches rather than Government funding and intervention to develop a nationwide mobile broadband network.