National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, God forbid we place dealing with bedrock
American issues ahead of the culture of political cliche. It is always
nice to be informed of what the status is in the Intermountain West by
people from towns that end in the name ``Beach.''

I find it incredibly interesting that we have heard on several
occasions that the administration's average for the supermajority of
applications is 36 months or less and how we need to work together on
things when the legislation on the floor right now calls for a 30-month
timeframe, which is extendable, by the way, with the consent of both
parties.

So instead of, Well, let's have an amendment to make it 36 months and
put this on the suspension calendar, we are subjected to ``This is
bad'' and ``It disenfranchises the public'' and all that.

Let's talk about what this is really about. There is an old saying in
the law: When you have got the facts, you argue the facts. When you
have got the law, you argue the law. When you don't have either, you
just argue.

Here we are. Because everybody in the room knows, depending on what
side of the issue you are on, the big tool in this thing is, if we can
outwait them, the capital will go elsewhere. Guess what. The folks that
believe in that are winning.

When we talk about those bedrock American issues, things like jobs,
things like public participation--you know, 30 months, that is longer
than we get to hang out here after the people of our district give us
their voting card. That is longer--used to be--than somebody would take
to try to talk you into voting for them for Governor or President.

Nobody can accuse this legislation, at 2\1/2\ years, extendable by
stipulation, of forcing the public to sit on their hands. Jobs,
participation of the public, balance of trade, that is not important.

I mean, why should we be concerned about balance of trade and
exporting the minerals that this country is wealthy with? You want to
talk about abandoned mines? In my State, those folks happen to be doing
a great job. If you want to talk about the culture of the 1870s, yeah,
but it has come a long way.

God forbid, when we talk about paying your fair share, in my State,
the industry pays north of $80,000 a year. Those people pay Federal
income taxes. They buy goods and services that are federally taxed:
gasoline, tires, all that stuff. But, no, let's send those jobs
overseas where none of that happens. None of that happens. That is
smart policy. I simply disagree.

God forbid we talk about commercial supplies, national security,
strategic supplies. Other speakers have talked about that. This is not
some dream job for the minerals extraction industry.
Oh, by the way, let's not look at the folks down in the Palmetto
State right now who are experiencing phenomenal floods that might need
materials to kind of rebuild their State.

God forbid we talk about sand and gravel for those folks in the
Golden State after the Loma Prieta earthquake and they needed to
rebuild things called freeways lickety-split.

This is not about supplying sand for your kid's sandbox. This is not
about gravel for your driveway in your subdivision. This is about
having flexibility to address issues that are mineral related. Because
you know what, nobody has called this place, regardless of who is
running it, nimble.

When one of these issues comes up, God forbid you give them: That is
right, folks. Hang on to your hats. Thirty months to try to get the
permission from the Federal Government to extract minerals on that.

With all due respect, what this is all about is: Do you continue to
let folks who are opposed to things try to starve them out and wait and
wait and wait until the capital goes elsewhere or do you take the folks
and the administration's word: Nice job. Takes you 36 months? You want
us to change it to 33 months and put it on the suspension calendar? I
will do it. But short of that, me thinks thou doth protest too much.

I solicit your earnest support, and I am looking forward to the
Senate work on it this time because we are nimble compared to those
folks on the north end of the building.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source