Since coming to the Senate, I have been particularly interested in the Council on Environmental Quality. Although the CEQ was established in 1970 to review the impact of federal programs and activities on the environment, today the agency has a much broader role in developing federal land management policy. In fact, throughout President Clinton's time in office, the CEQ has been more powerful than all of the federal land management agencies. Although the CEQ claims it is only "advisory" in nature and does not set Administration policy, nothing could be further from the truth.
I am particularly interested in Mr. Frampton's views on the role CEQ can play in resolving issues regarding the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA was designed to ensure that the environmental impacts of a proposed federal action were considered and minimized by the federal agency taking that action. Although this process sounds simple and quite reasonable, NEPA has become a real problem for public land users throughout Wyoming and the West. A statute that was supposed to provide for additional public comment and input in the federal land management process has instead become an unworkable and cumbersome law.
The current NEPA process takes too long, costs too much money and is being used to delay or stop many activities on federal lands designed for multiple use. From timber salvage sales to the renewal of grazing permits on BLM land, NE PA is being used to delay and frustrate the efforts of public land users who rely on these areas for their economic survival. Let me be clear, I am not opposed to efforts to review the environmental impacts of proposed actions on federal lands, but this must be done in a reasonable and straightforward manner that does not serve to hinder 'reasonable multiple use activities.
Unfortunately, despite my repeated efforts to engage the CEQ in making reasonable reforms to NEPA and looking for answers to many of the problems regarding the law, the agency has been of little help in this process. On several occasions I met with Katie McGinty, past Director of CEQ, to discuss NEPA, have written numerous letters to the agency about the problems with the law and have discussed this issue at length with other federal land management agency officials, but to no avail. The problems with NEPA implementation continue to grow and the frustration of public land users continues to increase.
Mr. Chairman, I am very interested in finding solutions that will allow the NEPA process to work properly. I hope Mr. Frampton will work with me to find the answers that help us resolve many of the current problems regarding NEPA. The status quo is unacceptable, and I expect the CEQ to step-up and fulfill its role as the primary agency designed to address issues involved with NEPA.
Thank you Mr. Chairman, I look forward to hearing the testimony of Mr. Frampton.