Floor Statements

Madam President, I want to start out by acknowledging the tremendous leadership of Senator Gregg and Senator Conrad. Their work together is a breath of fresh air in a town that, unfortunately, has become polarized over these last months. But the amendment today before us is a chance to start anew.

In that spirit, I rise today in support of the Conrad-Gregg amendment of which I am an original cosponsor. As we have heard, the amendment would create a bipartisan task force to comb through the Federal budget and then make recommendations for reining in our annual exploding deficits.

In this light, I also applaud President Obama's call yesterday for a 3-year freeze in Federal discretionary spending. This is a bold announcement. The President has made clear he has heard the American people, including those from Colorado who have asked that the Federal Government get control over its ever-increasing deficits and debt.

Deficit spending, kept as a manageable percentage of our economic output, is one thing, but a deficit of the magnitude that we now face is not sustainable. The trajectory we are on makes our current annual deficit look like peanuts. We are at, in sum, a critical point in our Nation's economic history. If we fail to address this issue now, the Federal deficit will have significant economic ramifications in the short run, as Senator Gregg has pointed out, and it will severely undermine the prospects for our children and our grandchildren in the long run.

Our exploding debt could drive disastrous inflation and leave future generations with fewer resources to invest in, among other things, infrastructure and education. My colleague from Colorado, Senator Bennet, put it in perspective when he said: Each and every Coloradan today owes $40,000 to our national debt. In addition, American taxpayers last year put forward $250 billion to our creditors just for interest payments on our debt. Think what that $250 billion could have done if it was not directed to those interest payments.

If we do nothing, by the year 2019 the American taxpayers will owe over $700 billion in annual interest alone. That is more than we spent last year to fund two wars and finance all of our other defense responsibilities.

So we have a daunting challenge. We need to spur job creation, spend wisely, and also chart a course for a balanced Federal budget. Our government, as Senator Bennet pointed out, should live by the same budgeting rules hard-working Colorado families live by every day. It makes no difference what your political party is, commonsense budgeting is just good policy.

In the coming days I look forward to hearing more about President Obama's proposals to put a freeze in place. I want to study the budget the White House will send us too. I am going to keep fighting for other solutions, practical solutions, to restoring fiscal responsibility, such as tough statutory pay-go rules, earmark reform, a line-item veto authority for the President, and offering the Conrad-Gregg fiscal task force that is before us today.

Unfortunately, as is often the case, partisan politics continues to get in the way of pragmatic solutions, and there has been more interest in casting blame for deficit spending than breaking the mold and trying a new approach. Well, I have something to say today. Both parties are responsible for the present situation. So let's quit pointing fingers and let's go to work and bridge our political divides. We can do that by putting in place this bipartisanship fiscal task force to review the entire budget and then force us to take a vote on those recommendations.

It will be a hard pill to swallow, but it is medicine that we need to take. In today's political atmosphere, it is unfortunate that the Democrats and Republicans have a hard time finding common ground. But this Gregg-Conrad Commission provides a strong example of how we indeed can and must work together on bipartisan solutions to meet our Nation's most pressing problems.

Coloradans, I know, expect no less from me or from Senator Bennet. The fact that President Obama has signaled his strong support for this amendment underlines the critical importance of this effort.

Back in Colorado, back in New Hampshire, back in North Dakota, and throughout the rest of the United States, families are tightening their belts, living within their means, and paying down their own personal debt. When they look at Washington, all they see is partisan bickering and exploding national debt, and no efforts to find viable solutions.

So, in my opinion, and the opinion of many Senators, the best and perhaps the only way to effectively address this potential calamity of a tsunami of debt is through a special process such as that being proposed by Senators Conrad and Gregg.

I urge my fellow Senators to support this amendment. We can move ahead in a responsible and important way.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, due to the fact that I was ill and concerned for others traveling on the same airplane to Washington, DC, I was unable to cast a vote for rollcall No. 1 in the second session of the 111th Congress, the nomination of Beverly Baldwin Martin, of Georgia, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the 111th Circuit. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' to confirm the nominee.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Montana for yielding. I thank him for his tremendous leadership on this important fight here on the floor of the Senate.

First, I commend my colleagues for strapping on their snow gear. The Presiding Officer comes from the State of Minnesota, where this kind of a storm we have had over the last few days is not that unusual a development. I like a good 16-inch dusting from time to time. We all know what an important issue reforming our health care system is, and braving the elements is a small price to pay.

I have come to the floor a lot over the past few months to discuss the challenges that are facing us as we work toward fixing our broken health care system. One overarching theme I continue to emphasize is just how important this is to putting our economy back on track.

We have a bloated $12 trillion Federal debt which is being fed daily by growing health care costs. Every day, employers, small and large, are laying off workers and slashing benefits for their employees. Great American businesses, especially in our manufacturing sector, have nearly collapsed because of the rising costs of providing health care for their workers.

Those Americans who have coverage lack the peace of mind in knowing that their insurance will be there just when they need it. This lack of stability and peace of mind is a fundamental problem with the status quo today because it takes away one of the things valued most by Americans: their freedom. Today, they are reluctant to move to a new job, to advance their education, or start a small business for fear they won't be able to provide health care for their families.

As we struggle to mend our economy, we can't afford to tell people to stay put. We know from history that encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans is the key to promoting small business, creating jobs, and driving our economic recovery. Small businesses have accounted for 65 percent of all new jobs created in the past 15 years, but today anyone who owns or has ever tried to start their own business can attest to why rising health care costs is such a major problem in this country.

Take, for example, the story of a gentleman who just recently contacted me from Denver. I will pick up on the theme the Senator from Ohio was touching upon. If we listened to the people in our States, there would be no question that this reform is necessary. Dave is a small business owner. Last year, he saw his insurance premiums skyrocket 27 percent for his employees. When he questioned this unbelievable increase, his insurance company said all he needed to do to save money was just stop offering coverage to his employees. Just let them buy their own insurance, his insurance company told him. When he looked into that, when he checked it out, he found out that nearly half of his workforce would be ineligible for coverage because of preexisting conditions and that those who could obtain coverage were priced out and couldn't even afford it.

I hear this story time and time again--small business owners who want to do the right thing but end up facing annual double-digit increases in their costs. This is so troubling in this economic time because small businesses pay on average 18 percent more than large employers for the same level of coverage.

The status quo--and the Presiding Officer has been articulate and eloquent and involved in this fight--as he knows, is unacceptable, and we can't kick the can down the road any longer. The good news is the legislation we are considering contains essential provisions aimed at helping small businesses, individuals, and American families across our country. Let me touch on a few of the important provisions that are in this final package.

Health insurers will be organized into well-regulated marketplaces and finally forced to compete. This would then involve a creation of a more transparent process for individuals and small businesses, so, for the first time, you can actually compare insurance plans side by side.

The legislation helps individuals pay for these newfound health insurance options. More than half of the cost of reform goes to financing tax credits to put money back in the pockets of middle-class families to help them purchase a health plan. As Chairman Baucus has pointed out, these tax credits represent the biggest tax cut since 2001.

In addition, starting in 2010, many small businesses will also qualify for new tax credits worth up to 50 percent of the cost of providing health insurance to their employees.

Also in this bill--I can't emphasize this enough--Americans will no longer go bankrupt because of health care costs. We are the only developed country in the world where citizens go bankrupt because they have health care costs they can't afford.

Insurers will be prohibited from denying access to health care because of preexisting conditions, limiting coverage because of age or gender, or dropping the insurance someone has already paid for simply because they get sick.

Regardless of what we hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle, this legislation saves money, it strengthens Medicare, it reduces the deficit, and it puts us on a path to finally addressing our growing national debt. In fact, noted MIT economist Jon Gruber estimates this bill will save small businesses 25 percent, or about $65 billion per year, on health insurance. That translates into $30 billion in take-home pay and an estimated 80,000 saved jobs.

While the bill before us makes important improvements, I would also like to say a few words about the package of amendments offered by the distinguished majority leader. I took some time, as I think we all did over the last snowy 24 hours, to familiarize myself with the changes, and I wish to touch on some of the most promising revisions that have been made.

I wish to first note my appreciation for including the freshman package. These amendments were offered by myself and the freshman class, of which the Presiding Officer is a member, and

they have attracted bipartisan support. They boast the endorsements of business, labor, and consumer groups. The provisions inject more cost containment in the bill, cut down on regulatory and bureaucratic redtape, and push even more aggressively toward a reformed health care system.

I am particularly pleased to see a provision I worked on that would expand the scope of a new board designed to strengthen Medicare. The amendment would task this board not only to monitor Medicare but to look for ways to improve the entire health care system as a whole. I believe the independent payment advisory board is one of the best cost- containment tools in the bill, and I want to acknowledge Senator Rockefeller for his work in developing the idea, as well as Leader Reid for putting even more bite into the authority of this important panel of experts.

Second, I wish to express how proud I am that Majority Leader Reid put so much emphasis in the managers' amendment on improving health care in rural America. The difficulty of accessing health care in rural communities is a unique struggle I have been increasingly concerned about, especially as I have traveled around Colorado's rural areas in the past several months. I am glad to see the inclusion of an amendment I authored to establish a rural physician pipeline training program designed to help bolster our rural health care workforce. Many of my colleagues joined me in offering this important amendment which has the potential to recruit and train more doctors to practice in rural areas.

In addition, I also authored an amendment that would establish an explicitly rural element to the community transformation grant program which is aimed at helping prevent and reduce chronic disease in communities across the country.

My amendment would ensure that rural areas are getting their share of this critical prevention and wellness funding, and I was very proud to see this important change included as well.

As I begin to close, I wish to say that although this bill has been strengthened significantly by the majority leader's efforts, it is not perfect. But I do not think anyone expects Congress to craft a perfect piece of legislation. We could never send the President a bill that fixes all the problems in our health care system or exactly reflects the priorities of every single Member of Congress, including myself. But what I am confident of is, this legislation can establish a sturdy foundation upon which we will build, improve, and strengthen access to health care in America.

Will there be mistakes made along the way? I do not doubt it. But as a lifelong mountain climber, I know from experience that the stumbles you experience along the way are a necessary part of reaching any mountaintop. Providing insurance and quality care for all our citizens is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve the health and well- being of every American. These are the goals of our health insurance reform and, over the next few days, I look forward to passing a bill which modernizes our health care delivery system, increases much needed choice and competition in the health insurance industry, and helps put our economy back on track, while improving the financial security of middle-class working families.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m., Monday, December 14; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes, and the majority controlling the next 30 minutes.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. President, my freshman colleagues and I have come to the floor on a regular basis over the last few months to make clear to both sides of the aisle just how critical it is that we succeed in reforming our health care insurance system.

Right now, too many Americans lack the freedom to move to a new job, further their education, or start a small business because doing so can put them at risk of losing health care coverage for their family. If you think about it, freedom is, after all, about choices. What motivates me--and I know it motivates my freshman colleagues--is the desire to preserve and enhance the freedom of all Americans.

This legislation we have been debating and amending over the past 2 weeks can and should be a vehicle that we use to enhance freedom for all of our American citizens. We are going to repair and modernize a broken health care system. If we fail to do so, we perpetuate an antiquated status quo that stalls economic growth, stifle the entrepreneurs who make up the American business landscape, and keep stability and security out of reach for millions of American families.

The package of amendments we present today is designed to inject more cost containment into the bill, cut down on regulatory and bureaucratic redtape, and push us more aggressively toward a reformed health care system that rewards better patient care rather than simply more care.

In developing these ideas, my fellow freshmen and I have relied upon the input of people back home. And through my discussions with constituents, health care providers, and businesses from all over Colorado, a common theme has emerged: They want a health care system that tackles costs, while keeping the focus on patients and quality. I believe we have accomplished that with our freshman proposal because more than 30 groups have come out in the past few days in support of

our efforts. This is a wide-ranging number of groups, including consumer champions such as AARP, business leaders such as the Business Roundtable, and health providers such as Denver Health in my home State.

My freshman colleagues have spoken about individual pieces of this effort that combine to make the whole. I will single out a section that I think will have a particularly strong influence on the future of our health care system.

Senator Rockefeller has authored an important provision that creates the independent Medicare advisory board. This board would be tasked with keeping down the costs in the Medicare system by issuing proposals to cut spending and increase the quality of care for beneficiaries.

I applaud this contribution to the bill, but I have wondered why we cannot take it a step further by looking at the whole health care system and not just Medicare in isolation. If we are going to tackle spiraling health costs across the country, we need to push each area of our health care system to be smarter and more efficient in dealing with cost growth.

One of my contributions to the package is a provision to expand the scope of the Medicare advisory board to examine not just Medicare but the entire health care system and task the board with finding ways to slow down the growth of health costs across the country. This would include providing recommendations on the steps the private sector should take to make our delivery system more efficient. Health care leaders and economists agree that such an approach can help push our system toward a more streamlined and coordinated way of delivering health care to all Americans.

In sum, I thank the Senator from Virginia for his leadership, the Senator from Oregon, Mr. Merkley, and Senator Shaheen from New Hampshire. It has been a delight to work with 11 of my fellow Senators. This is a bold contribution to the package that I know we will pass out of the Senate. We come from varying parts of the country and have varied political outlooks and backgrounds. This will attract broad support in our Chamber. It is a winning addition to health care reform, and I encourage all Senators to support our efforts.

I yield the floor.

Good morning. I, too, before I speak on health care, wish to join my colleagues in congratulating Senator Byrd. I, too, am in awe of all of his accomplishments, and I, too, admire his affection for the Senate and will endeavor in my service here to model his example.

I join my colleagues this morning to discuss an issue of great importance to Colorado and to me. These past few weeks, as the Presiding Officer has, along with many of us on this side of the aisle, I have spoken about comprehensive health insurance reform as a key to strengthening and securing the lives of middle-class Americans. One of the most important components of that goal is ensuring that we do everything we can to help small business owners and their employees get affordable health coverage.

As the Senator from Virginia mentioned, over the last 15 years, small businesses have created over 65 percent of the new jobs in our country. Yet the power of this job creation machine is being threatened by the exploding costs of health care. It will only get worse if we don't act.

If we do not pass health insurance reform, small business owners will continue to see the costs of providing benefits eat away at their bottom line. In my home State of Colorado, premium costs for small businesses are projected to more than double over the next decade. These unsustainable cost increases not only harm current businesses, but they prevent the growth of new ones. More and more would-be entrepreneurs across the country are deciding not to start their own companies due to the fear that they would not have access to affordable insurance for their families or for their employees.

Unfortunately, this fear is too often justified. In the insurance market today, small businesses lack the bargaining power to get affordable rates that many large employers enjoy. They find themselves subject to unpredictable and massive spikes in premiums. That is why it is so important that we pass a health care reform bill that takes proactive steps to address the rising costs of health care. I have to tell my colleagues I have been encouraged by the proposals I have seen thus far.

For example, a recent analysis of the nonpartisan CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, score of the Senate Finance Committee bill estimates that the reforms therein would save small businesses $65 billion every year for the next decade. The proposal would do this, in part, by taking steps to transform our health care delivery system to one that produces higher quality care at lower costs. It would also include tax credits specifically designed to help cash-strapped small businesses provide coverage to their employees.

Additionally, new reinsurance programs would reimburse employers struggling with particularly high catastrophic costs. In addition to these probusiness proposals, we also need to make sure the market offers new and affordable options for those employers who want to offer coverage but currently cannot afford to do so. The new health insurance exchanges envisioned under the reform packages before us would permit small employers to purchase policies that spread risk across a

much larger population. New consumer protections would also keep costs down by prohibiting insurers from charging higher premiums on the basis of health status or gender.

Right now, being a woman is a preexisting condition under the terms of many insurance policies. That is just not acceptable. Employers would also be able to keep expenses down by promoting personal responsibility--offering wellness premium discounts to employees who make healthy choices.

Enacting meaningful health care reform is necessary for ensuring productive small businesses, new American jobs, and a strong economy. Independent and unbiased analyses estimate that in the next 10 years, reform can save upward of 80,000 small business jobs and raise wages by more than $30 billion annually. Those are very promising numbers.

As the Senate begins its historic floor debate on health insurance reform, you can expect that I and my colleagues will continue reminding the other side of the aisle just how critical reform is to the small business community. No amount of misleading rhetoric or misdirection by the defenders of the status quo will be enough to convince the American people we should continue forward on our current unsustainable path.

I say to all my colleagues: Let's work together over the coming weeks to strengthen this legislation, empower small businesses, and put America's health care system on the road to recovery.

Thank you, Mr. President. As I yield the floor, I wish to acknowledge the great leadership of the chairman of the Small Business Committee, the Senator from Louisiana.

Thank you.

Madam President, I rise in support of the motion that has been made by the senior Senator from Connecticut, which requests consent for the Credit Card Rate Freeze Act. I wish to associate myself with his remarks. I am a proud original cosponsor of his bill. I wish to urge, as our chairman has, our friends on the other side of the aisle to lift their holds on this important legislation.

Credit card companies have forced unfair and abusive practices on American consumers for too long. I have fought for several years and introduced a number of bills that would put an end to these practices. We passed a law this year that will level the playing field for consumers and put an end to the worst abuses by February of next year.

Let me tell my colleagues what has been happening since then. Credit card companies are using that time before the new law goes into effect to get rate and fee hikes in under the wire. It is happening at the worst time possible, as the chairman pointed out. American families are struggling in a recessionary period. The last thing our families need is higher interest rates and extra fees, especially on consumers who are already playing by the rules.

This has been a classic case of a David versus Goliath situation. I say it is time to take on Goliath and stop credit card companies from gaming the system at the expense of American consumers. This bill Chairman Dodd and I are supporting would provide consumers and small businesses who play by the rules a better foundation to pay off their debts, or to buy groceries and business supplies, and most important, they should get fair treatment from the credit card companies.

This is a critically important bill for economic recovery. It is the right thing to do. I urge my friends on the other side of the aisle to join us and allow it to move forward.

Madam President, today I join my colleagues in bringing this body's attention to an issue of fundamental fairness that continues to remain unaddressed.

More than 10 years ago, Hispanic farmers from my home State of Colorado joined other Hispanic farmers throughout the country to stand up against injustice. They chose to confront--rather than accept-- discrimination when they filed their case against the U.S. Department of Agriculture on grounds that the Farm Service Agency denied loans and disaster benefits in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Earlier this month, I met some of these farmers in Colorado's San Luis Valley. Many of these men and women proudly trace their heritage to some of the first settlers of Colorado who were the first to till the soil of the San Luis Valley and establish Colorado's earliest farming communities, spurring the development of southern Colorado.

Now, I understand that every farmer takes on enormous risk to keep our country fed and prosperous. Yet when these farmers applied for Federal assistance intended to make them whole again--assistance intended to help family farmers stay in business--the record suggests that this aid was denied or delayed, not because their request lacked merit but because of their Hispanic heritage.

I found that shocking. It wasn't any weather event that led these men and women to financial hardship or the loss of their family farm. The obstacles they faced when applying for a loan or disaster assistance were far worse than any drought, flood, hail or windstorm they had ever confronted. It was discrimination based on their heritage that kept them from receiving timely support from an agency whose mission is to support all of America's farmers equally.

Evidence of discriminatory practices in the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an unfortunate and shameful part of our history. On several occasions, I have joined my colleagues in the Senate and in the House to express our desire to bring this disgraceful chapter to a close. During the most recent debate on America's 2008 farm bill, we affirmed that it is the sense of Congress that all pending claims and class actions brought against the Department of Agriculture by socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers be resolved in an expeditious and just manner.

I would like to acknowledge that Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been courageous in this matter, and I am pleased that the administration views this as a priority. I am also pleased that the Secretary has expressed his intent to ensure that no other farmers experience the same discrimination and that he will take definitive action to improve USDA's record on civil rights. I remain ready and willing to work with the administration and my colleagues to support this policy.

I want to emphasize that this is an issue of fundamental fairness. The sooner we can resolve this, the sooner we can look forward to a USDA that serves all Americans equally. It is my hope that these cases be resolved expeditiously and fairly so that the farmers and their families who have suffered the real effects of discrimination can finally put this matter to rest.

Mr. President, today I am introducing, along with my colleague Senator Risch, the National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act of 2009.

This bipartisan bill will provide additional tools and resources to the U.S. Forest Service to help address a serious natural disaster in many western forests--the deaths of millions of acres of trees due to insect infestations. This is an issue of long-standing concern in the West and of the utmost importance. Since my very first days in Congress nearly 11 years ago, I have been fighting for Colorado's forest health. This day has been a long time in coming for me, but it is by no means the end of the fight. We still have a long way to go in combating this problem, and it is a fight I intend to see to the end.

The bill that Senator Risch and I are introducing today addresses any and all insect and disease outbreaks in our national forests. But this bill is in direct response to an especially pronounced epidemic of bark beetles in western States. This epidemic is creating serious concerns in our communities regarding our forested regions, the recreational economy of these areas, and water supplies and infrastructure that exist on these lands.

In essence, this bill is about securing our communities from a natural threat--a threat that is as potentially devastating and disruptive as a hurricane or an earthquake. This threat is a function of both human actions and natural processes--especially global climate change.

I recently had the chance to show one of our colleagues the devastating impact of the bark beetle epidemic. Senator John McCain joined me at a hearing of the National Parks Subcommittee, which I chair, in August in Estes Park, CO. Senator McCain and I saw firsthand the march of the bark beetle as it is making its way through Rocky Mountain National Park. We were both struck by the extent of dead trees colored rust red by this insect.

Bark beetles and other insects that feed on trees are a natural part of the forest ecology. When present at normal levels, they provide benefits to the forest ecology by thinning dense tree stands, creating openings for wildlife, and promoting cyclical regrowth.

Today, various parts of the U.S.--but especially western States-- continue to experience unnaturally large-scale infestations of bark beetles and other insects that have resulted from past policies and warming climate conditions.

Recent periods of drought have weakened the trees on Forest Service land and caused the trees to be more susceptible to fire and insects. In addition, population growth on land adjacent to Forest Service land has exacerbated the threats posed by insect-killed trees by placing large numbers of citizens, homes, and businesses at greater risk of catastrophic wildland fire.

And because hundreds of miles of power transmission lines and dozens of communication sites are surrounded by dead trees that will fall due to rotted root systems, the probability that trees will fall on power transmission lines, thereby resulting in wildfires and power transmission disruptions for long periods of time, has substantially increased.

Falling dead trees are also a hazard along hundreds of miles of roads and trails, threatening the safety of motorists and recreationists and disrupting access to, and through, Forest Service land. Hundreds of developed recreation sites, including campgrounds, picnic areas, and trailheads, contain dead trees that threaten recreationists. If these dead trees are not removed, these developed recreation sites will need to be closed to preserve public safety. We are in fact experiencing these closures in Colorado.

Moreover, parcels of Forest Service land in many locations contain headwaters of water supplies for many communities. Severe wildfires that remove vegetative cover pose a threat to the quantity and quality of water by exposing soil to erosion, thereby causing a transfer of sediment to rivers, reservoirs, and water conveyance systems. In other words, the fire threats posed by these dead trees can have serious implications to providing water not only to local communities, but also to major cities downstream that rely upon rivers and streams flowing from forested mountain regions.

All of these concerns demand that we take action to help address these threats. That is what this bipartisan bill does.

It does so by establishing ``insect emergency areas''--that is, areas defined by the Forest Service as experiencing significant tree mortality that

results in increased wildfire threats and risks to people and infrastructure from falling dead trees. These areas would be in the States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, States that are experiencing large-scale insect outbreaks.

Within these areas, the Forest Service would be directed to provide priority treatment to reduce these threats. The Forest Service would also be allowed to apply funds from the Agricultural Credit Act program, which compensates individuals for removing biomass for productive uses, towards the removal of beetle-killed trees.

The bill also provides incentives to convert this removed vegetation into biofuels.

It allows the Forest Service to apply the streamlined National Environmental Policy Act provisions to expedite environmental analysis of the treatment work that is urgently needed in these high-priority emergency areas.

In addition to this focus on emergency areas the bill authorizes an important tool to help communities respond to wildfire threats on nearby Forest Service land. The States of Colorado and Utah have had the benefit of this tool since it was provided by Congress in 2000. This tool, called the ``Good Neighbor Authority,'' allows the Forest Service to contract with state foresters to enter Forest Service lands and implement treatments to reduce threats next to homes and private property whose owners have, in many cases, removed dead trees and performed treatments on their own property adjacent to Forest Service land. This program has been very successful, and the bill we are introducing today will allow all states to benefit from this authority and make it permanent law.

The bill also helps the Forest Service more effectively implement ``stewardship contracting'' as a tool for fuels treatment work. This contracting, which is distinct from traditional timber sale contracts, allows the Forest Service to fashion agreements to perform treatment for trees--like insect-killed trees--that may not have high commercial value. This program has also been extremely successful in helping to reduce fire threats in areas that do not possess high commercially valued timber.

However, the Forest Service has not had the funding it needs to use this tool more extensively. As a result, the bill would make this ``stewardship contracting'' program permanent, and it would eliminate the requirement that the Forest Service set aside funds in the very unlikely event that it would have to cancel these contracts and pay back the contractors. The bill would authorize the Forest Service to use other funds to cancel these contracts as well as seek appropriations to pay for any contract cancellations. In so doing, the bill will help make this tool more available and allow more funds to be applied to urgently needed, on-the-ground treatment work.

I have been working with Colorado communities, the Forest Service and stakeholders since 2000 on forest health issues and responding to this bark beetle threat. I have supported providing additional tools and resources to the Forest Service to respond to this threat, such as the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, and focusing increased funds in the high hazard wildland/urban interface near communities.

This bill is an effort to continue providing such tools and resources so that we can reduce the impacts to people and property, reduce loss of life fighting catastrophic wildfires, and promote a more healthy forest ecosystem. I am relieved that we in Colorado did not experience a serious wildfire season this year like we have experienced in years past--and like we will probably face in the years ahead. But we must be ready to respond to these fires that will inevitably come. This bill takes a step in that direction. It will not solve all issues related to forest health or stop all fires. Fire is a necessary part of our forests. But the bill will help us reduce threats and promote healthy ecosystems and economies.

I look forward to working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in seeing this bill passed.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and a bill summary be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I am introducing, along with my colleague Senator Risch, the National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act of 2009.

This bipartisan bill will provide additional tools and resources to the U.S. Forest Service to help address a serious natural disaster in many western forests--the deaths of millions of acres of trees due to insect infestations. This is an issue of long-standing concern in the West and of the utmost importance. Since my very first days in Congress nearly 11 years ago, I have been fighting for Colorado's forest health. This day has been a long time in coming for me, but it is by no means the end of the fight. We still have a long way to go in combating this problem, and it is a fight I intend to see to the end.

The bill that Senator Risch and I are introducing today addresses any and all insect and disease outbreaks in our national forests. But this bill is in direct response to an especially pronounced epidemic of bark beetles in western States. This epidemic is creating serious concerns in our communities regarding our forested regions, the recreational economy of these areas, and water supplies and infrastructure that exist on these lands.

In essence, this bill is about securing our communities from a natural threat--a threat that is as potentially devastating and disruptive as a hurricane or an earthquake. This threat is a function of both human actions and natural processes--especially global climate change.

I recently had the chance to show one of our colleagues the devastating impact of the bark beetle epidemic. Senator John McCain joined me at a hearing of the National Parks Subcommittee, which I chair, in August in Estes Park, CO. Senator McCain and I saw firsthand the march of the bark beetle as it is making its way through Rocky Mountain National Park. We were both struck by the extent of dead trees colored rust red by this insect.

Bark beetles and other insects that feed on trees are a natural part of the forest ecology. When present at normal levels, they provide benefits to the forest ecology by thinning dense tree stands, creating openings for wildlife, and promoting cyclical regrowth.

Today, various parts of the U.S.--but especially western States-- continue to experience unnaturally large-scale infestations of bark beetles and other insects that have resulted from past policies and warming climate conditions.

Recent periods of drought have weakened the trees on Forest Service land and caused the trees to be more susceptible to fire and insects. In addition, population growth on land adjacent to Forest Service land has exacerbated the threats posed by insect-killed trees by placing large numbers of citizens, homes, and businesses at greater risk of catastrophic wildland fire.

And because hundreds of miles of power transmission lines and dozens of communication sites are surrounded by dead trees that will fall due to rotted root systems, the probability that trees will fall on power transmission lines, thereby resulting in wildfires and power transmission disruptions for long periods of time, has substantially increased.

Falling dead trees are also a hazard along hundreds of miles of roads and trails, threatening the safety of motorists and recreationists and disrupting access to, and through, Forest Service land. Hundreds of developed recreation sites, including campgrounds, picnic areas, and trailheads, contain dead trees that threaten recreationists. If these dead trees are not removed, these developed recreation sites will need to be closed to preserve public safety. We are in fact experiencing these closures in Colorado.

Moreover, parcels of Forest Service land in many locations contain headwaters of water supplies for many communities. Severe wildfires that remove vegetative cover pose a threat to the quantity and quality of water by exposing soil to erosion, thereby causing a transfer of sediment to rivers, reservoirs, and water conveyance systems. In other words, the fire threats posed by these dead trees can have serious implications to providing water not only to local communities, but also to major cities downstream that rely upon rivers and streams flowing from forested mountain regions.

All of these concerns demand that we take action to help address these threats. That is what this bipartisan bill does.

It does so by establishing ``insect emergency areas''--that is, areas defined by the Forest Service as experiencing significant tree mortality that

results in increased wildfire threats and risks to people and infrastructure from falling dead trees. These areas would be in the States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, States that are experiencing large-scale insect outbreaks.

Within these areas, the Forest Service would be directed to provide priority treatment to reduce these threats. The Forest Service would also be allowed to apply funds from the Agricultural Credit Act program, which compensates individuals for removing biomass for productive uses, towards the removal of beetle-killed trees.

The bill also provides incentives to convert this removed vegetation into biofuels.

It allows the Forest Service to apply the streamlined National Environmental Policy Act provisions to expedite environmental analysis of the treatment work that is urgently needed in these high-priority emergency areas.

In addition to this focus on emergency areas the bill authorizes an important tool to help communities respond to wildfire threats on nearby Forest Service land. The States of Colorado and Utah have had the benefit of this tool since it was provided by Congress in 2000. This tool, called the ``Good Neighbor Authority,'' allows the Forest Service to contract with state foresters to enter Forest Service lands and implement treatments to reduce threats next to homes and private property whose owners have, in many cases, removed dead trees and performed treatments on their own property adjacent to Forest Service land. This program has been very successful, and the bill we are introducing today will allow all states to benefit from this authority and make it permanent law.

The bill also helps the Forest Service more effectively implement ``stewardship contracting'' as a tool for fuels treatment work. This contracting, which is distinct from traditional timber sale contracts, allows the Forest Service to fashion agreements to perform treatment for trees--like insect-killed trees--that may not have high commercial value. This program has also been extremely successful in helping to reduce fire threats in areas that do not possess high commercially valued timber.

However, the Forest Service has not had the funding it needs to use this tool more extensively. As a result, the bill would make this ``stewardship contracting'' program permanent, and it would eliminate the requirement that the Forest Service set aside funds in the very unlikely event that it would have to cancel these contracts and pay back the contractors. The bill would authorize the Forest Service to use other funds to cancel these contracts as well as seek appropriations to pay for any contract cancellations. In so doing, the bill will help make this tool more available and allow more funds to be applied to urgently needed, on-the-ground treatment work.

I have been working with Colorado communities, the Forest Service and stakeholders since 2000 on forest health issues and responding to this bark beetle threat. I have supported providing additional tools and resources to the Forest Service to respond to this threat, such as the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, and focusing increased funds in the high hazard wildland/urban interface near communities.

This bill is an effort to continue providing such tools and resources so that we can reduce the impacts to people and property, reduce loss of life fighting catastrophic wildfires, and promote a more healthy forest ecosystem. I am relieved that we in Colorado did not experience a serious wildfire season this year like we have experienced in years past--and like we will probably face in the years ahead. But we must be ready to respond to these fires that will inevitably come. This bill takes a step in that direction. It will not solve all issues related to forest health or stop all fires. Fire is a necessary part of our forests. But the bill will help us reduce threats and promote healthy ecosystems and economies.

I look forward to working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in seeing this bill passed.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and a bill summary be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act of 2009. This bill is the Senate companion to the bill introduced by Representative John Salazar in the House of Representatives.

I want to thank Representative Salazar for all of his great work in bringing this bill forward. I am proud to sponsor this legislation in the Senate along with my Colorado colleague, Senator Bennet.

The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act would designate about 33,383 acres in southwestern Colorado as wilderness, and about 21,697 acres as a special management area. It would also withdraw about 6,596 acres from mineral entry lands within the Naturita Canyon.

The bill is the result of the extensive work by many people to develop a collaborative approach to wilderness proposals and land protection designations. Representative Salazar and his staff worked with the affected Colorado county commissioners and interested stakeholders in developing this legislation. It is crafted to take into account the various ongoing uses of these lands, such as for water and recreation, while also providing strong managerial protection for these sensitive lands.

These lands are indeed worthy of this designation.

This region of Colorado is blessed with stunning beauty. Much of the land proposed for wilderness and other protections in this legislation are additions to existing wilderness. Those areas include the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness Area and the Lizard Head Wilderness--two areas that contain fourteen thousand foot peaks. They are defined

by their rugged beauty or rock and ice surrounded by forests that frame these peaks in summer's vibrant greens and brilliant fall colors.

The bill also establishes a new area called McKenna Peak. This peak presides over imposing sandstone cliffs which rise 2,000 feet above the plain that presents a remarkable opportunity to add a unique landform to the National Wilderness Preservation System. It also provides important winter wildlife habitat for large numbers of deer and elk. The Peak borders North Mountain, now considered to contain one of the largest deer and elk herds in all of Colorado. The Division of Wildlife places winter numbers of deer at 500 to 600, with up to 150 wintering elk. The favorable habitat for deer and elk naturally draws many hunters. Over 30,000 recreation user days are recorded annually during hunting season in the game management unit of which McKenna Peak is a part.

A wild horse herd numbering about 100 roams the western reaches of McKenna Peak within the designated Spring Creek Wild Horse Herd Management Area. Bald eagles winter in the lower reaches of the area, and peregrine falcons have been sighted as well. Mountain lions, bobcats, and black bear are also known to inhabit McKenna Peak. Other natural features of interest include rich fossil beds.

Moreover, the bill would establish the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area. This area is equally as striking as the surrounding mountains and valleys that are already protected or would be protected as wilderness in this legislation. However, since helicopter skiing currently exists in this area, the legislation designates this area in a way that protects its wilderness character, but still allows this use to continue. It is the sort of accommodation that is reflective of sound wilderness and land protection proposals, and I appreciate the compromises that are reflected in this approach.

As many of these lands are in high altitude areas, there should not be any issues related to water or other conflicts. As a result, the legislation does not exert a federally reserved water right, but allows access to existing water facilities and needs while also precluding any federal assistance for any new or expansion of existing water resource facility.

This bill has been carefully crafted and narrowly tailored to apply deserving protections to these lands. I look forward to working with my colleagues in seeing it passed.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous Consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act of 2009. This bill is the Senate companion to the bill introduced by Representative John Salazar in the House of Representatives.

I want to thank Representative Salazar for all of his great work in bringing this bill forward. I am proud to sponsor this legislation in the Senate along with my Colorado colleague, Senator Bennet.

The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act would designate about 33,383 acres in southwestern Colorado as wilderness, and about 21,697 acres as a special management area. It would also withdraw about 6,596 acres from mineral entry lands within the Naturita Canyon.

The bill is the result of the extensive work by many people to develop a collaborative approach to wilderness proposals and land protection designations. Representative Salazar and his staff worked with the affected Colorado county commissioners and interested stakeholders in developing this legislation. It is crafted to take into account the various ongoing uses of these lands, such as for water and recreation, while also providing strong managerial protection for these sensitive lands.

These lands are indeed worthy of this designation.

This region of Colorado is blessed with stunning beauty. Much of the land proposed for wilderness and other protections in this legislation are additions to existing wilderness. Those areas include the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness Area and the Lizard Head Wilderness--two areas that contain fourteen thousand foot peaks. They are defined

by their rugged beauty or rock and ice surrounded by forests that frame these peaks in summer's vibrant greens and brilliant fall colors.

The bill also establishes a new area called McKenna Peak. This peak presides over imposing sandstone cliffs which rise 2,000 feet above the plain that presents a remarkable opportunity to add a unique landform to the National Wilderness Preservation System. It also provides important winter wildlife habitat for large numbers of deer and elk. The Peak borders North Mountain, now considered to contain one of the largest deer and elk herds in all of Colorado. The Division of Wildlife places winter numbers of deer at 500 to 600, with up to 150 wintering elk. The favorable habitat for deer and elk naturally draws many hunters. Over 30,000 recreation user days are recorded annually during hunting season in the game management unit of which McKenna Peak is a part.

A wild horse herd numbering about 100 roams the western reaches of McKenna Peak within the designated Spring Creek Wild Horse Herd Management Area. Bald eagles winter in the lower reaches of the area, and peregrine falcons have been sighted as well. Mountain lions, bobcats, and black bear are also known to inhabit McKenna Peak. Other natural features of interest include rich fossil beds.

Moreover, the bill would establish the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area. This area is equally as striking as the surrounding mountains and valleys that are already protected or would be protected as wilderness in this legislation. However, since helicopter skiing currently exists in this area, the legislation designates this area in a way that protects its wilderness character, but still allows this use to continue. It is the sort of accommodation that is reflective of sound wilderness and land protection proposals, and I appreciate the compromises that are reflected in this approach.

As many of these lands are in high altitude areas, there should not be any issues related to water or other conflicts. As a result, the legislation does not exert a federally reserved water right, but allows access to existing water facilities and needs while also precluding any federal assistance for any new or expansion of existing water resource facility.

This bill has been carefully crafted and narrowly tailored to apply deserving protections to these lands. I look forward to working with my colleagues in seeing it passed.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous Consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I wish to pay tribute to a dedicated public servant, Ms. Lorraine Anderson, who on November 9, 2009, is stepping down after 24 years on the Arvada City Council.

Lorraine has been a dedicated public servant who has served her community of Arvada, CO, in innumerable ways and has developed a reputation across the Denver metropolitan area as a leader in the best tradition of bipartisanship and local government service. Her experience and influence have also been recognized at the national level.

I got to know Lorraine while working on issues related to the cleanup and closure of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility near Arvada when I was a Congressman representing this area of Colorado. While she was a strong advocate for a thorough cleanup of this site and a defender of the interests of Arvada, she also worked in a collaborative spirit that was informed by heavy doses of practical common sense. As many of my colleagues will recognize, these cleanups can be complex and the process full of acronyms and scientific jargon. Lorraine would make sure that regulators and State and Federal officials spoke to the public in plain English. She prized understanding and workable solutions in the very complicated process of securing local agreement on the cleanup process.

She was a valuable contributor to this process and helped make it a success. It is the same approach that she brought to all of her public service work.

Let me take a moment to highlight that work and her distinguished and impressive record. She served six terms on the Arvada City Council between 1985 and 2009 and served as mayor pro tem many times over the span of her time with the city. During this time, she also served on the Arvada Planning Commission, was a founding member of both the Arvada Clean Air Advisory Committee and the Arvada Economic Development Association, and served as a board member of the Forward Arvada Building Corporation.

On issues affecting the Denver metropolitan area, she served on the board of the Colorado Municipal League from 1991 through 2005 and was the president of that board in 2000. She also served on the board of directors of the Denver Regional Council of Governments from 1991 through 2007 and was chair of that organization in 2004. She served on the Regional Air Quality Council from 1993 to 1997 and was president of Colorado Women in Municipal Government from 1991 to 1993. And she served on the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments and the Rocky Flats Stewardship Task Force Steering Committee.

On the national level, Lorraine served on the National League of Cities board of directors from 2003 to 2005 and was a member of many of the league's committees, including Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources and the Clean Air Task Force, and was a board member of the Energy Communities Alliance.

Lorraine is well-known throughout the Denver metropolitan region and is a tireless advocate for local governments in the metro area on growth policies, transportation, both highway and transit, public health, and environmental issues. She has not only worked actively and effectively with her local and State elected colleagues in the region, but she has also advocated and educated her constituents on the importance of their involvement in regional issues. She has been one of only a handful of women who have served on the Arvada City Council, and she is a role model for the community in this regard.

In addition to her public service, Lorraine is the retired co-owner of Anderson Tire Service, Inc., and served as president of the Mountain States Tire Dealers Association in 1988, one of two women first elected to the board of directors and the first woman to serve as president of that organization.

I know that the city of Arvada is sorry to see her step down. But I also know that she will likely stay involved in the important issues affecting her city, region, State and Nation. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors and thank her for her proud service to her community and Nation.

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from North Carolina, Senator Hagan, for convening this important session this morning where we will talk about the urgent need to reform health care in our country.

The unsustainable growth in health care costs and lack of stable, affordable coverage for millions of Americans continue to jeopardize not only our Nation's fiscal well-being but also the physical well- being of our families and neighbors. One of the key ways we can help put our health care system and our economy on the right track is by encouraging value in the delivery of health care.

I have cited these numbers before--I know many of us have--but I want to emphasize them again. As a nation, we spend over $2 trillion per year on health care--that is nearly one-fifth of our economy. Yet between 30 and 50 percent of these dollars are not contributing to better patient health. That is not a good deal for the American people.

Health reform is designed to address this staggering amount of waste in a number of ways. One way is to encourage providers to focus on the quality of care they provide and not just on the volume. And we can start with Medicare.

I think the American people would agree that taxpayer dollars are better spent rewarding doctors for keeping patients healthy and not for performing more tests or more procedures. Health reform legislation can move us in this direction through the development of what are known as accountable care organizations, or ACOs. These organizations would encourage groups of health care professionals to team up and provide more coordinated, streamlined care to Medicare patients. The idea is to have these ACOs take responsibility for improving patient care while lowering cost and then sharing the savings that accrue. Research indicates that this idea of shared savings would help eliminate waste and spur changes in our health care delivery system to emphasize patient outcomes and value.

The idea for ACOs no doubt came from the great work being done by a patchwork of physician groups. Groups such as the Physician Health Partners, or PHP, in my home State of Colorado, and others across the country focused on care coordination and quality.

For example, PHP has seen great success in improving care for kids suffering from asthma--the No. 1 cause of child hospitalization and school absence. They developed treatment guidelines and promoted collaboration among doctors, the Children's Hospital in Denver, and the Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centers. As a result, they have reduced emergency room visits and improved families' ability to manage asthma on their own.

PHP also has the Practice Health Project. This comprehensive effort brings doctors together to share best practices and encourage the adoption of commonsense guidelines to improve quality and efficiency. The goal of this team effort is to raise the standard and value of care and allow these physician groups to act as a model for Denver's physician community as a whole.

I would also like to tout the PHP's Transitions of Care Program in collaboration with Denver's St. Anthony Hospital and other local care providers. The program dispatches nurse coaches to help Medicare patients make the transition from the hospital to their homes. The period immediately following a hospital stay is a very confusing time, particularly for our seniors. Having someone help with this transition is crucial. PHP has had tremendous early success with this program, showing the potential to reduce costly hospital readmissions by 40 to 50 percent. At the same time, this program keeps patients healthy and it saves money.

The successes of groups such as Physician Health Partners demonstrate that we already have the will and the know-how to change our system for the better. But under our existing system there is no incentive for programs like PHP to even exist. Under the status quo, a hospital stands to lose money if it decreases its admission rates. Primary care doctors would be at a financial disadvantage if they spent time in the development and implementation of effective treatment plans for their asthmatic patients.

This is why health reform includes commonsense proposals such as encouraging groups such as Physician Health Partners to form accountable care organizations and paying them to coordinate care for Medicare patients. Promoting ACOs and other creative pro-consumer ideas will increase quality for patients and value for the taxpayer.

Only by reshaping the way we do business in our health care system can we truly change health care delivery in our country. I look forward to working with my colleagues here today and other Senators in the coming weeks to promote the many ways we can accomplish that goal.

I thank Senator Hagan, and I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to recognize a true champion of land protection who also happens to be a member of my staff, Mr. Jay Fetcher.

Jay, who owns a ranch near Steamboat Spring, CO, and who is my northwestern Colorado field director, has been selected by a land preservation group called Colorado Open Lands as the recipient of their 2009 George E. Cramner Award. Every year since 1992, Colorado Open Lands has bestowed this award on someone who has distinguished themselves in open space preservation. According to Colorado Open Lands, recipients of this award are individuals who have gone above and beyond what others have done to preserve and protect open spaces and often achieve these goals through determination and passion for the land. They leave behind a legacy that will be valued and enjoyed for generations. Jay is just such a person, and he is indeed deserving of this prestigious award.

As highlighted in the Colorado Open Lands newsletter announcing this award, Jay's ties to Colorado agriculture and conservation run deep. He grew up on the family ranch, and after receiving a degree in Animal Science from the University of Wyoming, he returned to his family's ranch to take over the operation. In 1980, he received a master's degree in genetics from Colorado State University.

In 1994, the Fetchers decided that they wanted their land near Steamboat Springs to be a ranch forever and to be able to pass it on to their children. After creating their ranch's conservation easement, Jay went to the board of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association and suggested it start a land trust.

The Cattlemen's Association voted to become the first mainstream agricultural organization in the Nation to form a land trust, which was officially incorporated in 1995 as the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust.

Jay worked diligently for land preservation as a founding member and past president of the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust. Jay's community service record is also impressive, and includes serving on the boards of the Colorado Water Trust, the Colorado Environmental Coalition, the Steamboat Springs School District and Education Fund, the North Routt Fire Protection District, the Yampa Valley Medical Center, and as a founding member of the Community Agriculture Alliance.

He served on the Governor's Agriculture Land Conversion task force in 1995 and is a member of the Routt County Cattlemen and the Colorado Cattlemen's Association. He also served as a regional representative in northwest Colorado for Senator Ken Salazar.

In 1997, Jay received the American Land Conservation Award, which recognizes outstanding volunteer leadership in land and water conservation. In April 2009, he received the William Funk Award for the Nonprofit Association of Colorado, which honors acknowledged leaders who can unify people and organizations around a common cause.

Over the years, Jay's insight and hard work for the land trust movement and conservation have proven invaluable. Jay has become a trusted resource for those considering conservation easements.

That experience--and his deep roots in the community and his dedication to service--lead Jay to twice run for a seat in the Colorado State Legislature. Jay applied the same work ethic--and integrity--to these races as he does to his land preservation work. These were very close races, and his loss has been our gain.

In March of this year, I asked Jay to join my office as field director for the issues and concerns of northwestern Colorado. I had no hesitation offering him the position, as he is a well-known and well- respected community member of this region of Colorado. He had performed similar great service to a former Senator from Colorado--and now Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. He has been doing an exemplary job working with the communities and citizens in this area on issues regarding water, land, agriculture, outdoor recreation, rural health care and services, and federal public land management. Jay is an expert in all of these areas and has already proven himself as a valued member of my team.

Jay's dedication to the land and the need to keep it productive and preserved was recently highlighted in a book from Colorado's preeminent landscape photographer, John Fielder. The book, called Ranches of Colorado, features glorious photographs of many Colorado ranches, including the Fetcher ranch. In the text of the section describing the Fetcher Ranch, former Denver Post reporter and author James Meadow had this to say about Jay when describing the Fetcher ranch family history:

[Jay] fell in love with the land and the cattle and stayed

to learn their ways; remaining on the ranch year after year,

until the years became decades, and the decades tumbled past

a half-century, and there is still no end in sight to [Jay's]

love of the land. You can see that love in his eyes [and] you

can hear it in his voice. It is a soft voice, a voice that

cites Mother Teresa and the intricacies of cattle genetics

with the same kind of curiously easygoing gravitas.

This is a short but apt description of Jay--his story and passion for the land he has worked and loved.

I appreciate that Colorado Open Lands has also recognized Jay's great work and am pleased that they are honoring him with this prestigious award. My staff and I want to express our congratulations to Jay for all his great work. We will continue to expect many more great accomplishments from him in the years to come.