Nick Rahall: “Mr. Chairman, America's national monuments are under siege. Under the guise of an energy crisis, both the President and…”

“Mr. Chairman, America's national monuments are under siege. Under the guise of an energy crisis, both the President and his Interior Secretary have publicly suggested that some of our national monuments might be pretty nice places for oil and gas drilling or perhaps even a coal mine. In my view, this is not what America is about. Americans are rightfully concerned about energy security, but I do not think that the majority of Americans believe that we are in such a sorry state of affairs that we must unleash big oil onto some of our most cherished and sacred public lands. Make no mistake about it, some of the oil and gas companies have been hankering to get into these areas for years. They are salivating over the thought that these monuments might be opened. Mr. Chairman, I maintain that our national monuments, our national heritage must not be sacrificed on the alter of greed and profit. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would simply prohibit the issuance of new energy leases in designated national monuments.”