Unanimous Consent Request--S. 2828

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I do appreciate the work the Senator from Oregon has done on this public lands bill. I know the amount of effort that has gone into this legislation is significant. Locally driven public lands bills take an incredible amount of time to get right.

This legislation has gone through intensive local stakeholder involvement, very similar to what we have done in Wyoming with the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative in my home State. The Wyoming Public Lands Initiative was spearheaded by our Wyoming County Commissioners Association. This initiative was started in order to resolve, through local negotiations, the status of so-called ``temporary'' wilderness study areas in Wyoming that have now, seemingly, become permanent.

I recognize and understand that public lands negotiations often result in compromise. This give-and-take is a good thing, for it lets people closest to the issue have a significant voice. So I appreciate the efforts the stakeholders on the ground in Oregon have made to get this bill to where it is today. However, I believe additional work is still needed.

I would let my friend from Oregon know that I will work with him and any other Senators with public lands issues before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. We may not always agree on a given outcome, but I am committed to having those discussions with Members of this body.

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