I urge my colleagues to support sound science and resource management by supporting H.R. 2304, the Fishery Science Improvement Act.

Preserving these resources requires attention to detail--to science, resource allocation, and management.

I strongly urge the Committee to move these bills as soon as possible.

This bill is a common sense measure to add sunlight to the fisheries management process, and I urge the Committee to support it.

Conserving our natural resources for generations to come is a priority for me and many of the folks here with us today.

With that widespread support, I am wondering why the Department determined not to go forward with this in the 2012-2017 plan.

I want to bring to your attention a letter from myself and other colleagues from the Virginia congressional delegation to ask you to reconsider that determination made on Lease 220.

I think both of the conflicts are very, very similar, and to me they ought to be able to be taken up and those issues taken care of in a fairly timely manner.

I want to ask this. As you look across the board with that broad bipartisan support, you look at the Governor of Virginia, the Virginia legislature, local officials, state officials have all said let us go forward with Lease 220.

It was disappointing when the announcement came out on the 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that Lease 220 in Virginia was not included as part of that.

It seems like spreading this out over another five years is less than what we are capable of.