[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 97 (Wednesday, July 14, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H5659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of an important 
national debate on environmental protection, particularly in light of 
over 300 Bush administration environmental rollbacks. Yesterday was 
perhaps the most important announcement from this administration as 
they have opened up 60 million acres in national forests that were 
previously protected after extensive rulemaking throughout the Clinton 
administration. They now propose to turn that on its head and to 
abrogate Federal responsibility for our Federal land. The forests will 
be opened unless every State moves to protect, without national 
standards or safeguards.
  It is unrealistic to expect every State to withstand extreme 
pressures from the special interests. History shows us that. The reason 
that every major environmental law was enacted at the Federal level was 
because we needed uniform national standards, and State stewardship was 
not adequate. The public knows that environmental protection to avoid a 
sad patchwork in our national forests requires that the Federal 
Government and this administration exercise full partnership. Sadly, 
the administration does not understand or support that concept.

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