00:00Well, thank you, Roger.
00:04Thank you, Elyse.
00:05And Speaker and Leader in the WHIP, it's a privilege to be here to get to talk about
00:09something very important about our public lands.
00:13You know, it wasn't too long ago we passed the EXPLORE Act, a very bipartisan bill, and
00:19it's bicameral.
00:20It's over in the Senate right now.
00:23And it shows that there's a desire from the public in America to experience our public
00:27lands.
00:28It's an administration that it seems like every week they're coming out with a new rule
00:33or a new regulation that restricts access to our public lands.
00:38Just two weeks ago, Biden's Bureau of Land Management enacted a final rule that would
00:43cut off access for hundreds of communities that depend on multiple use of their public
00:47lands.
00:48And this administration is threatening the rural way of life.
00:52We're fighting back with bills like Congressman Curtis's WEST Act.
00:56This week, we're advancing important solutions to help meet the skyrocketing global demand
01:00for minerals and natural resources.
01:03With China, Russia, and other adversaries aggressively expanding their malign influence
01:07across the globe, it's time to say yes in my backyard to the safe, reliable, and environmentally
01:14friendly development of America's abundant national resources.
01:17You know, as you look at the demand for minerals and rare earth elements, especially with the
01:25push to a more electrified economy, we're blessed in America because we have every element
01:33and mineral that we need here in America.
01:35The problem is it's in the ground, and this administration had rather buy these things
01:40from China and our adversaries than to develop them here in the U.S., and we're pushing back
01:45against that.
01:46We're also promoting access to federal lands and returning power back to the states, the
01:51tribes, and the local leaders who know these lands best.
01:54This is the only way we will implement true conservation for generations to come.
01:59I look forward to the passage of these very important bills, and I'll now turn it over
02:03to our whip, Emmer.
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