Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007 -- Continued

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007--Continued

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Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for yielding. It is my pleasure and honor to offer this amendment with him, and urge our colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Chairman, the question in this amendment is whether or not the public should pay to build more roads in the Tongass National Forest. I think the answer is no. I think the answer is no for three reasons:

First, building more roads would further put at risk what is truly a treasure, a jewel in the National Forest system. Environmentally, I think it simply makes no sense to build more of these roads.

Second, it is a terrible investment for the taxpayers. Since 1982, the taxpayers have expended $850 million more than we have taken in in revenues from this investment. In fiscal year 2005 alone, the taxpayer cost was nearly $49 million, and the taxpayer revenue was about $500,000. I don't know any of my constituents who would make an investment of $49 million in a business that is only going to return $500,000 on the investment.

Finally, building more roads in the Tongass National Forest is an unnecessary idea when it comes to the jobs that are involved. I think that we always should be involved and concerned about the jobs of any of our fellow citizens, no matter where they are, in what region. But the fact of the matter is, the roads that already exist in the Tongass National Forest open up an area of that forest that would permit the harvesting of those trees for years and years and years to come. A substantial amount of the trees that could be harvested in that section of the forest already open to roads have not yet been harvested.

So I would urge our colleagues in both political parties to vote ``yes'' in order to preserve an important national environmental treasure, in order to continue with the jobs that are presently going on there, and, most importantly, to protect the wallets of our taxpayers. For every $100 that we spend to run the Federal Government, we only bring in $75 worth of revenue. We need to start to reduce what we spend. This is a great place to do that. I would urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Chairman, I thank my coauthor, and salute him for his integrity for bringing this amendment under difficult circumstances.

President Kennedy said 40 years ago or so, governing is choosing, and every time we make a choice, somebody doesn't like it. But when you avoid choices, that is how you wind up with an $8 trillion debt. That is how you wind up borrowing 25 percent of the money that you spend to run the government.

It is always easier to say yes when people want to spend the public's money, but it is not always right; and here it isn't right. Since 1982, the taxpayers have put about $1 billion into building roads into this forest. We have gotten back $150 million. We should stop building these roads. That is what this amendment does. It does it artfully and correctly. I would urge a ``yes'' vote.

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