Jay Inslee: “Mr. Chairman, our amendment is necessitated by the simple fact that the bill as currently written falls considerably…”

“Mr. Chairman, our amendment is necessitated by the simple fact that the bill as currently written falls considerably short of protecting the San Rafael Swell in its entirety. What our amendment would do, which is widely supported by those who are interested in the Red Rock area of this wonderful State, would essentially add about 14 percent of the San Rafael Swell that is not currently protected by the legislation. Mr. Chairman, I think any of us who are familiar with this area would conclude that these hundreds of thousands of acres which we have not proposed to be protected in this bill need to be protected both because of their scenic splendor, and because of their virtue of silence and their ecosystem protection for various endangered and threatened species who live in the area.”