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Floor Speech

For example, the legislation that the senior Senator from Utah wants to pass tonight does not include my Wild Olympics bill. Now, this is a bill that will help preserve the wild and scenic rivers of the Olympic Peninsula. That has very strong support from Democrats and Republicans in my State. There is a strong nonpartisan coalition of support for this bill from Tribes, hunters, fishermen, conservationists, and even loggers. That is because my bill supports the peninsula economy and ensures continued access to our world-class outdoor recreation on the Olympic Peninsula, and it preserves critical habitat for salmon and water resources for our very rural communities.

Moreover, this bill has passed the House several times now with bipartisan support. In fact, I have been working on this for over a decade to build support and consensus around this bill. It is carefully drafted, it is a thoughtful piece of legislation, and the grassroots support for this bill has only grown over the years. That is exactly the kind of bill which should be included in a bipartisan public lands package.

I would invite the senior Senator from Utah to visit the land this bill covers, to help protect our Olympic National Forest.

I think you would find out why I am here tonight objecting to this because it doesn't include it.

I want the Senator from Utah to know that my door is always open. I hope that in the future, we can work together in drafting a public lands bill that does include legislation like my Wild Olympics bill, and I know I am not alone. Many of our colleagues have worked on important legislation for their respective States.

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