Political Quotes

“I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), another member of the House Natural Resources Committee. Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, this bill brings a portion of the Endangered Species Act back in to the 21st century and much-needed transparency. Under this bill, the public will have access to data used to determine which species are listed as endangered. Backroom decisions made by regulators at the behest of nongovernment organizations with secret data is the sort of policymaking you might find in the Soviet Union or communist China, not in the United States. Astoundingly, you will hear arguments that this data should remain secret. This is the data used to decide whether Americans can build a home on their own property, farm their own land, or simply going hiking in their national forest. The bill includes also much county data used in ESA decisions, which is key. It is important that all economic information is available so locals get a fair shake. Had this bill been in place, my district would have had more input in an ESA listing that will hurt the economy across the Sierra Nevadas. This measure also tracks and caps attorney fees paid in ESA lawsuits. Of the 75 Federal agencies surveyed, just 10 even tracked their payouts to lawsuit factories like the NRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity. Mr. Chairman, I happen to think Americans deserve to know how their government makes their decisions. Let's pass H.R.…”