Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 -- Motion to Proceed -- Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, today President Obama is doing televised events talking about climate change. According to press reports, the President is ready to pivot to the environment as an issue.

Well, I also want to talk about environmental stewardship today. I want to talk about what is going on in some of our States, where they are actually doing something, not just talking about it.

Today the Senate and Congressional Western Caucuses are issuing a new report called ``Washington Gets it Wrong--States Get it Right.''

The report shows how regulations imposed by Washington are undermining the work being done at the State level to manage our lands, our natural resources, and to protect our air and water.

More often than not, Washington regulations and one-size-fits-all mandates do get it wrong. In the West we take very seriously our commitment to ensuring the health and viability of land, wildlife, and the environment. That is at both the local and the State levels.

Federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior like to think of themselves as the ultimate protectors of our Nation's skies and open spaces. But we have seen time and time again that the work being done at the State level is more reasonable, more effective, and certainly less heavyhanded.

Thousands of people are working across the West to protect their communities. These are people who live in the West, not bureaucrats in Washington offices. Nobody is better qualified than the folks who actually live in the West, because they actually walk the land and breathe the air--the land and the air they are trying to protect.

So our report looks at the work being done by State agencies to protect not just the land they live and work on but also the people who rely on the health and safety of that land.

As this report demonstrates, extreme regulations imposed by Washington undermine the work being done at the State level, whether it is to manage lands and natural resources, protect air and water, or conserve species.

When we look at the work of these State agencies--as the Western Caucuses have done in this report--it is clear that when it comes to conservation and environmental efforts, the States do get it right. More often than not, Washington gets it wrong.

It is time for Washington to stop its overreaching regulations and the continual drip, drip, drip of mandates. It is time for Washington to stop getting it wrong and start recognizing how States get it right.

The report has details about specific things different States are doing, but I want to mention four categories where States are leading the way when it comes to environmental stewardship.

The first is protecting species on the ground. This includes conservation policies that States are developing, where they work with industry and landowners to protect species without hampering multiple-use policies; that is, multiple use of the land.

Second, States are showing the right way to protect our water, land, and air. They are putting in place ideas that are tailored to the needs of their own communities. They are actually looking at what is unique about their State and the best way for people to solve problems locally.

Third, States are promoting access to fish and wildlife. States understand they need to manage and protect lands and waters in a way that allows for public spaces to be enjoyed. That means ensuring those spaces remain intact for future generations. These are called natural resources for a reason--they are meant to be enjoyed by all of us, not sealed off under Washington's lock and key.

Fourth, the report looks at what States are doing right when it comes to in-state scientific and support staff. State agencies are employing thousands of people who live in the communities they are trying to protect.

Who has more incentive to protect the local environment? The people who are living there, the people who are working there, and the people who are raising their children in these communities, or some bureaucrats locked in a Washington, DC office? Who knows more about the specific unique features of a State or local area and what will work best there?

The Senate and Congressional Western Caucuses have put out this report to highlight just a few of the State initiatives we believe are working. I hope the President will take some time today to not just talk but to actually listen and to read our report and see some of the ways States are getting it right and Washington is getting it wrong.

If others are interested and wish to read the report, they can certainly find it at my Web site, www.barrassoÐ.senate.gov.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

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