Congressman speaks to local Republicans about conservation
TEXARKANA, Ark. — A forester by trade, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., spoke to Miller County Republicans on Tuesday night about what conservation means to him.
“Conservatives started the conservation movement. It’s an obligation to the future generations coming after us, so they can take advantage of our resources,” Westerman said.
Westerman spoke to the local Miller County Republicans at Republican Headquarters on Arkansas Boulevard.
Westerman represents the 4th District of Arkansas. He is a Hot Springs, Arkansas, native and is serving his third term, having first been elected in 2014. Westerman serves on the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he is a ranking member of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee.
Prior to serving in Congress, Westerman was elected to two terms in the Arkansas General Assembly and was the state’s first Republican House majority leader since Reconstruction.
An engineer and forester, he worked for 22 years at Mid-South Engineering in Hot Springs.
Westerman said he learned about conservation early from his grandmother, who is now 99 years old.
“I worked in the vegetable garden with her. She let nothing go to waste. We took care of the garden and the garden took care of us,” he said.
Westerman also spoke about the strength of the economy before the pandemic.
“People are better off than they were four years ago,” he said.
Westerman believes voters will give President Donald Trump another four years.
“American people are going to come out like they did in 2016 and elect Donald Trump president. When the economy wins, the environment wins. We love this place and we will be good stewards of it,” he said.
Westerman is a 1990 graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in biological and agricultural engineering. Westerman is also a graduate of Yale University, earning a Master of Forestry degree in 2001.
Westerman lives in Hot Springs with his wife, Sharon, and their four children. He enjoys hunting and fishing.
Westerman said he learned about conservation early from his grandmother, who is now 99 years old.