Cynthia Lummis

It is a great discussion, considering the importance during this time, these recessionary times.

Do you think that this legislation that we are looking at now impacts those previously negotiated matters under the Indian Claims Settlement Act?

Isn't Congress still able as the legislative arm of government to recognize a specific tribe and authorize the Secretary to take lands into trust on behalf of that tribe?

Has the Department produced an analysis of what tribes and tribal lands are affected by the Carcieri decision?

That sounds really practical to me, so good for you.

I want to compliment Mr. Heinrich for putting this bill together.

I mean, these are sovereign nations, and yet we are layering extra hoops to jump through on them constantly.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Metcalf, one of the areas recommended in this bill is only 390 acres in size, far below what the Wilderness Act requires.

What I saw, Mr. Chairman, was references to things like 10,000 acres more or less.

I think it is good policy for Congress to sign off on bills without knowing all those specifics?

I am opposed to large land grabs, as I call this because it is huge.

Do you see the sweeping wilderness designations included in this bill raising or depressing revenue for the State of Utah and its local communities?

It is really quite a burden, and of course we recognize the great advantage that these lands have as well

We are comfortable with the bill as written.

It is my experience in the west that the greatest threat to western open lands, it is not oil and gas... it is houses.

Does your cost analysis include the negative impacts to jobs and local economies that would hit Wyoming, which is the number one state for uranium production and uranium reserves in the U.S.?

What incentives do you think the bill provides for uranium exploration in Wyoming and the United States?

In Wyoming, the revenue largely goes to the county, and as you know Sublette County is the wealthiest county in the State of Wyoming by virtue of the production of oil and gas in the county.

I hope that these answers are helpful to the Committee as it moves this bill forward.

Less than 3 weeks ago, the BLM announced it was rescinding over 23,000 acres of oil and gas leases in the Bridger Teton National Forest in Wyoming.

We cannot afford to be dependent; otherwise all we are doing is trading our dependence on oil for dependence on uranium or other minerals, and that is not in the best national interests, and especially not in the national security…

Isn't the purpose of NEPA analysis to determine the environmental impacts on Federal lands of proposed projects just like these?

Just to comment, Mr. Chairman.

Our nation currently is more than 90 percent dependent on imported uranium for nuclear power plants within our own borders.

From a carbon aspect, however, the only zero emission alternative to traditional fossil fuels that could meet our nation's baseload is nuclear.