John Barrasso

I hope under Senator Wyden and Senator Murkowski's leadership we can work together to move this legislation through committee and see it enacted into law.

I'm very glad to see the BLM's testimony on the Good Neighbor bill.

It's hard to comprehend, Mr. Chairman, but the Good Neighbor Forestry Act, a bipartisan bill, has lingered in this Committee now for 4 and a half years.

I do look forward to working with you in this capacity.

I'm so looking forward to working with you, Senator Manchin, in your new role as Chairman of this very important subcommittee.

Thank you, Chairman.

The President's FY 2014 Interior budget request is extremely disappointing and unfair.

How can this be called equitable? How is this putting the needs of Indian Country first?

I ask that the Congress increase the Indian tribal budget funding levels to match the Administration's budget request.

We cannot implement it if we do not have the officers on the ground.

Your written testimony noted that there are occasions when there is only a single tribal law enforcement officer on duty for, you know, a 1.4 million acre reservation.

I think you clearly, you know, the reference to the Sisters of Providence, I mean that was----

I think you are exactly right and I welcome the opportunity to work together to delve into this further.

I have raised the issue of these backlogs with your predecessor, Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk, and former Secretary Salazar.

I have raised with you the matter of including morbidity and mortality rates in the distribution formula for Contract Health Services.

I want to congratulate you. I know yesterday the President indicated his intent to nominate you for a second term.

This budget represents the Administration's policies with respect to funding for important programs for tribes and their members.

It just doesn't make sense then to me that and to many other Americans for the Park Service to support obtaining further properties, further expenses and liabilities when the Park Service can't open parks on time and can't maintain their…

When I see legislation like this with unanimous support for land management policy from the elected delegation, I believe it's significant.

I sincerely hope that we can move forward on this compromise, get these small hydro projects underway by getting this bill signed into law.

Thank you also for allowing my bill and its House counterpart to be considered in this hearing, this Barrasso-Risch-Tipton bill named the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act.

I'm concerned with the current status of air tanker availability to fight wild fires.

I can't support the Administration's integrated resource restoration of the IRR program until the ability of Congress to maintain its oversight role is fully addressed.

The Forest Service really must return to its roots of management and proactively improving the health of our forests.

You know when I talked to both ranchers and agency employees back in Wyoming, they attribute the increase of cost to renew a permit actually to excessive litigation against the agency.