[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 40 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  LETTER OF IDAHO GOVERNOR BUTCH OTTER REGARDING ``THE EVOLVING WEST''

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BILL SALI

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2007

  Mr. SALI. Madam Speaker, Idaho Governor Butch Otter recently sent a 
letter to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall 
regarding a committee oversight hearing on ``The Evolving West.''
  In the eyes of many environmentalists, ``the evolving West'' means 
replacing good-paying jobs in forest products, mining, oil and gas and 
ranching with an economy based on ecotourism and bed and breakfasts. In 
Idaho, we call this theory part of the ``War on the West.'' Numerous 
reputable studies show that jobs created by natural-resource-based 
industries are several times higher than seasonal jobs based on 
tourism. Working families in Idaho cannot support themselves on 
seasonal tourism jobs.
  Governor Otter clearly and concisely defends the economy, culture and 
livelihoods of Western when he states:

       The entrepreneurs, workers and families who devote their 
     lives to agriculture, timber and mining have ``evolved'' with 
     the landscape and the marketplace for generations. Such 
     challenges as energy and transportation costs and reliability 
     are changing their world at this moment.
       But those are market-driven changes--issues of supply, 
     demand and geography. Our people, and our way of life, 
     deserve better than have our government further ``evolve'' 
     them out of business.

  Governor Otter further articulated the issue by stating ``Most of the 
challenges facing such resource industries as agriculture, timber and 
mining in Idaho and throughout the West are the result of Federal 
Government policies that unreasonably restrict access, overregulate 
activity and discourage sustainable growth.''
  Madam Speaker, I would like to insert Governor Otter's letter in the 
Record and encourage my colleagues to read it.

                                                    Boise, ID,

                                                February 28, 2007.
     Hon. Nick J. Rahall II,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Rahall: On behalf of the State of Idaho, and 
     the people who value our lifestyle and their traditional 
     resource-based livelihoods, thank you for the opportunity to 
     enter a statement into the record for this hearing on the 
     ``Evolving West.''
       It's important to put ``evolving'' in context. The usual 
     connotation evokes gradual change resulting from natural 
     influences of environment and circumstance. However, there is 
     nothing gradual or natural about change in the West.
       Most of the challenges facing such resource industries as 
     agriculture, timber and mining in Idaho and throughout the 
     West are the result of federal government policies that 
     unreasonably restrict access, over-regulate activity and 
     discourage sustainable growth.
       From neglectful absentee land management that supplants 
     local stewardship to on-the-ground environmental myopia, 
     federal programs routinely provide disincentives to 
     progressive collaboration. In a single generation they have 
     changed much of the West from America's gilded hope for 
     independence and self-sufficiency to a gelded collection of 
     servile sycophants hopeful only for another round of 
     government largesse.
       Now some promote a ``New West'' that relegates resource 
     industries to the status of historical relics. It is a self-
     fulfilling prophecy from those who urge even more federal 
     control over our region's resources in the name of 
     environmental urgency or modern realities. They blithely, yet 
     earnestly, disregard the real people and real communities 
     that were established and nurtured by previous pendulum 
     swings in national priorities.
       Make no mistake: Tourism, technology and even service are 
     important and growing segments of our economy. They are 
     adding to the diversity and vitality of Idaho and the West. 
     However, they are no panacea for a region inhabited by people 
     who have a special connection with the land, who understand 
     their responsibility to it, and who still value self-reliance 
     and individualism.
       About 10 percept of Idaho's 1.4 million residents work in 
     the forests, fields and on the land. The combined industries 
     generate nearly $10 billion a year in receipts. The residual 
     impact generates thousands more jobs and additional billions 
     of dollars.
       As a member of Congress representing Idaho's 1st District, 
     and now as Idaho's Governor, I see, hear and experience the 
     resilience of people struggling to maintain their livelihood 
     in resource-based industries every day. These citizens work 
     through burdensome policies and regulations to provide for 
     their families, support their communities and provide 
     valuable products for U.S. citizens and the world.
       Eighty-eight percent of Idaho is rural. About 63 percent of 
     our landmass is controlled by the federal government. As a 
     result, and to far too great a degree, we are not the 
     architects of our own destiny. Yet the rugged geography and 
     great size of Idaho--the ironically complementary qualities 
     of remoteness and community--still draw people here.
       Those people have used their ingenuity and resourcefulness 
     to supply timber, food and a host of value-added products to 
     the world. And our potential is far greater. If given the 
     opportunity by our federal landlords, the people of Idaho 
     could contribute mightily toward meeting America's future 
     energy needs with home-grown, clean-burning renewable fuels 
     found here in the ``Evolving West.''
       Natural resource industries still provide some of the 
     highest-paying jobs in our state. Counties with healthy 
     timber, mining and agriculture operations have the highest 
     per-capita income. The people working in these industries are 
     conscientious stewards of the resources--relying on sound 
     science and state-of-the-art technology to protect and wisely 
     manage the natural resources for all to enjoy.
       Viewing natural resource industries as ``extractive'' or 
     ``consumptive'' gives unjustified short shrift to what made--
     and still makes--the West a dreamscape of opportunity and 
     hope for people around the world.
       The entrepreneurs, workers and families who devote their 
     lives to agriculture, timber and mining have ``evolved'' with 
     the landscape and the marketplace for generations. Such 
     challenges as energy and transportation costs and reliability 
     are changing their world at this moment.
       But those are market-driven changes--issues of supply, 
     demand and geography. Our people, and our way of life, 
     deserve better than to have our government further ``evolve'' 
     them out of existence.
       Once again, thank you for this opportunity to address the 
     topic of this hearing. Please accept my warmest personal 
     regards and best wishes for a successful 110th Congress.
           As Always--Idaho, ``Esto Perpetua''
                                             C.L. ``Butch'' Otter,
     Governor of Idaho.

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