Rob Bishop

The proliferation of invasive species on our public lands is impacting the health of the landscape, increasing the risk of wildfire, affecting wildlife habitat, impacting the viability of the land for multiple-use, and finally--perhaps…

This morning the Subcommittee is exercising its role in good government by taking a look at a growing issue facing our Federal lands.

If naturalness is removed from the equation, are there areas of public land that would not qualify for wilderness?

Do you think, though, that this kind of a guidance would diminish or water-down a true wilderness characteristic?

I intend on every hearing we have to keep asking those questions until I actually do get a response from Interior.

I find it very disconcerting to have had the testimony earlier on the Antiquities Act, that NEPA should never be used by a President.

Maybe we can have a monument on the mall.

It is time we finally closed these loopholes, firm up the language, and make sure that future generations will always be able to enjoy the outdoors hunting, fishing, shooting, just taking a walk in the woods.

The Hunting and Fishing Heritage and Opportunities Act gives this tradition a statutory guaranty.

I appreciate Dr. Benishek's work in drafting and introducing it and I hope this hearing will lead to its prompt enactment.

Our public lands are open for recreational sporting activities by the citizens.

I think it has been an informative morning.

We have a different paradigm that needs to be here, and make sure that the lands values that we put into place clearly allow for outdoor recreation.

This is one of those issues that I think we are going to be talking about.

I just wonder that sometimes our concept of science isn't really science, it is more like value structure that is being viewed as some kind of science there.

So it becomes counterproductive to go in there.

I have appreciated both panels who have been here, simply because we have illustrated in the old school it was the idea that you either drill or it is wilderness.

If you can do that in 10 seconds or less, go ahead and answer.

I agree with you on the idea of being outdoors in the wild.

We will now hear from the National Outdoor Leadership School, Mr. Aaron Bannon.

The issue is not whether it is public lands, but who is actually making the decisions on those public lands.

I appreciate you alerting us to what is really an astonishing failure on the part of land managers.

I believe we are in the midst of a paradigm shift when it comes to the management of our Federal lands.

Public use is one of the fundamental purposes of public lands, and it requires an open and a fair process.

On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 231, nays 177, not voting 24, as follows: [Roll No. 124] YEAS--231 Aderholt Alexander Amash Amodei Bachmann…