Date: 2000-05-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise -in Qpposition to this amendment. This is an amendment that essentially guts this legislation. because the authors of this amendment are very much aware of how valuable the people of this Nation hold the Federal expenditures that we make under the Federal Land and Water Conservation Act. This is the program that we use to preserve the headwater forests. the great redwood forests in northern California. This is the program that we use to preserve the Baca Ranch in New Mexico. the great holdings that are supported by the people of that State. the people of the region and across this Nation to protect those lands. This is money that we use to try to protect the great Everglades. as we have tried to restore the Everglades. There is overwhelming support across this Nation for the protection of the Everglades and the augmentation of the Everglades so that we can- try to clean up the water pollution problems and the other problems that we have there. That is what the Federal Land and Water Conservation Act does. It is not a matter of trading in this money for money that would go to State or suburban programs. This bill is about a balance. about a balance of the amendment that we just heard before. trying to help out counties with PILT payments. about a balance of trying to help the Federal Government meet its obligations to protect the great assets. what many people consider the wonders of the world. the Zions. the Arches. the national parks. the Grand Canyon. the Grand Tetons. Yosemite. Kings Canyon. all of these areas that are so dramatic that are under threat. We have people who have areas inside of those parks who want to sell those lands who have inholdings who want to get out. This is the means by which we do that. This is very. very important. Let us not act like this is some new land rush that was $450 million. This was set back in the 1970s. this amount for Federal land acquisition. The Committee on Appropriations appropriated some-: where around $300 million or so for Federal acquisition. and they do it at the request of the Members of Congress. Elected officials walk into the Committee on Appropriations and ask. and they ask that these lands be acquired in their State. in their congressional district. as do Senators. Under this process. if those are authorized by the Congress of the United States. only if they are authorized by the Congress of the United States. and if they are submitted by the President of the United States and the Committee on Appropriations approves them and the authorizing committees approve them. then and only then will they be acquired for the people of the United States of America. Very shortly. school will be out. the summer season will start. and millions of Americans will travel across this country to see these great assets. to see what we call the crown jewels of the Federal land system. Millions of Americans will power into Yosemite. into the Grand Tetons. into the Grand Canyon. into the Everglades. into the Great Smokies. All of those parks are under threat. This is the source of revenues that we try every year to protect those and to augment others that. are worthy of being in this system. Mr. Chairman. to kill this is to kill the Federal Governments ability. the Federal Governments ability to protect those resources and to enhance those resources on behalf of all Americans. It is not just that the Yosemite is in California. because people come from all over the country and all over the world. These are dynamic engines of economic activity around Yellowstone. around Yosemite. around the Everglades. and it is important that we take care of them. That is what Federal land and water conservation funding does. This amendment guts that proposal. It guts that effort. This money is erased from the bill. Mr. Chairman. it is not about trading it off. as the gentleman has said. to sprinkle it through the other programs. Those programs were funded in this legislation. in the balance. in the balance that was achieved by long. tough. difficult. bipartisan negotiations with many. many. many of the interest groups. outside interest groups. those who are concerned about national parks and fish and wildlife and habitat and hunting and fishing and all of the rest. So we ought not to gut this bill with this amendment. and I would hope that the House would overwhelmingly reject this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.