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LWCF Compromise Mark UP



Yesterday, there was a posting expressing support for the LWCF bill. However, 
as the enclosed alert discusses, there are important problems with the bill 
that should be remedied. 

Sidney Maddock
Environmental Analyst
Biodiversity Legal Foundation
Buxton, NC 

In a message dated 11/9/99 5:30:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
vivian.newman@sfsierra.sierraclub.org writes:

<< From:    vivian.newman@sfsierra.sierraclub.org (Vivian Newman)
 Sender:    CONS-WPST-COASTOCEAN-FORUM@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG (CoastOcean Forum)
 Reply-to:  CONS-WPST-COASTOCEAN-FORUM@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG (CoastOcean Forum)
 To:    CONS-WPST-COASTOCEAN-FORUM@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
 
 November 9, 1999
 
 ACTION ALERT!
 
 COMPROMISE LWCF BILL
 
 TO BE MARKED UP TOMORROW
 
 RESOURCES 2000 NOW & FOREVER
 
 Folks,
 
 As many of you know, the House Resources Committee has been
 engaged in negotiations on a compromise bill to spend Outer
 Continental Shelf (OCS) oil revenues that would combine features
 of Rep. Don Young's CARA bill and Rep. George Miller's Resources
 2000. You also know that GREEN has been steadfastly supporting
 Resources 2000 as the best way to permanently fund the Land and
 Water Conservation Fund and opposed to CARA. Well, the compromise
 version of the bill has arrived and is scheduled to be marked up
 in committee on Wednesday, November 10. First the good news, this
 bill provides some $900 million for the Land and Water
 Conservation Fund and $150 million for conservation easements and
 species recovery. It would also provide $1 billion for coastal
 impact assistance, $350 million for stateside wildlife
 conservation, and some $600 million for urban parks and
 recreation, historic preservation, and a variety of other
 programs. This bill offers the promise of a lot of money that
 could potentially do a lot of good things for a lot of people.
 And that is the problem.
 
 As it now stands, despite of all its benefits, this is still a
 bad bill. Like CARA it contains substantial incentives for off-
 shore drilling and could serve to open sensitive frontier areas,
 especially in Alaska, to oil drilling. In addition, there are
 inadequate restrictions on how the coastal impact money could be
 spent. This could result in large amounts of money spent on
 infrastructure and other environmentally damaging coastal
 development. Similarly, much of the money for stateside wildlife
 conservation would go to states with no assurance that a
 significant amount would be spent on non-game wildlife or to help
 threatened and endangered species. And, while it does authorize
 LWCF spending it does not provide assurances that all the money
 will actually be spent, leaving the LWCF subject to the
 functional equivalent of the yearly appropriations process that
 has critically underfunded it for the last two decades.
 
 In short, why go for a pig in a poke when a bill that does
 everything we want already has 107 cosponsors in the House of
 Representatives. Grassroots activists all across the country have
 worked long and hard to advance Resources 2000.  H.R. 798 has
 what we want, full permanent funding for the LWCF without any of
 the environmentally damaging provisions contained in the bill
 that the House Resources Committee is about to mark up. There is
 now widespread support in the environmental community, in the
 Administration, in the press, with the general public, and on
 Capitol Hill for full permanent funding of the Land and Water
 Conservation Fund. Why not take advantage of all this momentum
 and use this opportunity to push for passage of Resources 2000?
 
 Roger Featherstone
 GREEN Director
 
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 ~~~~~~
 GREEN is a project of Defenders of Wildlife designed to serve
 grassroots wildlife and wildlands advocates. GREEN policy
 positions do not necessarily represent those of Defenders of
 Wildlife.
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 ~~~~~~
 
 WHAT TO DO
 
 Call your Representatives and Senators and ask them to become
 cosponsors of either Rep. George Miller's Resources 2000 H.R. 798
 or Senator Barbara Boxer's S. 446. Let them know that there is
 overwhelming support among the American people for full permanent
 funding for the Land and Water Fund and that Resources 2000 is
 the best legislative vehicle to provide for that funding. Let
 them know that you and your family want Resources 2000. You can
 reach your congressional legislator by calling the Capitol switch
 board at (202) 224-3121.
 
 If you would like to see if your Representative is already a
 cosponsor of H.R. 798 check out the Thomas website:
 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:HR00798:@@@P
 
 For the U.S. Senate and S. 446 see:
 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:SN00446:@@@P
 
 
 Ed Lytwak
 Policy Coordinator
 GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network
 A project of Defenders of Wildlife
 1101 14th Street, NW, Ste. 1400
 Washington, DC  20005
 (202) 682-9400 x 289
  >>



November 9, 1999

ACTION ALERT!

COMPROMISE LWCF BILL

TO BE MARKED UP TOMORROW

RESOURCES 2000 NOW & FOREVER

Folks,

As many of you know, the House Resources Committee has been
engaged in negotiations on a compromise bill to spend Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) oil revenues that would combine features
of Rep. Don Young's CARA bill and Rep. George Miller's Resources
2000. You also know that GREEN has been steadfastly supporting
Resources 2000 as the best way to permanently fund the Land and
Water Conservation Fund and opposed to CARA. Well, the compromise
version of the bill has arrived and is scheduled to be marked up
in committee on Wednesday, November 10. First the good news, this
bill provides some $900 million for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund and $150 million for conservation easements and
species recovery. It would also provide $1 billion for coastal
impact assistance, $350 million for stateside wildlife
conservation, and some $600 million for urban parks and
recreation, historic preservation, and a variety of other
programs. This bill offers the promise of a lot of money that
could potentially do a lot of good things for a lot of people.
And that is the problem.

As it now stands, despite of all its benefits, this is still a
bad bill. Like CARA it contains substantial incentives for off-
shore drilling and could serve to open sensitive frontier areas,
especially in Alaska, to oil drilling. In addition, there are
inadequate restrictions on how the coastal impact money could be
spent. This could result in large amounts of money spent on
infrastructure and other environmentally damaging coastal
development. Similarly, much of the money for stateside wildlife
conservation would go to states with no assurance that a
significant amount would be spent on non-game wildlife or to help
threatened and endangered species. And, while it does authorize
LWCF spending it does not provide assurances that all the money
will actually be spent, leaving the LWCF subject to the
functional equivalent of the yearly appropriations process that
has critically underfunded it for the last two decades.

In short, why go for a pig in a poke when a bill that does
everything we want already has 107 cosponsors in the House of
Representatives. Grassroots activists all across the country have
worked long and hard to advance Resources 2000.  H.R. 798 has
what we want, full permanent funding for the LWCF without any of
the environmentally damaging provisions contained in the bill
that the House Resources Committee is about to mark up. There is
now widespread support in the environmental community, in the
Administration, in the press, with the general public, and on
Capitol Hill for full permanent funding of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund. Why not take advantage of all this momentum
and use this opportunity to push for passage of Resources 2000?

Roger Featherstone
GREEN Director


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~
GREEN is a project of Defenders of Wildlife designed to serve
grassroots wildlife and wildlands advocates. GREEN policy
positions do not necessarily represent those of Defenders of
Wildlife.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~

WHAT TO DO

Call your Representatives and Senators and ask them to become
cosponsors of either Rep. George Miller's Resources 2000 H.R. 798
or Senator Barbara Boxer's S. 446. Let them know that there is
overwhelming support among the American people for full permanent
funding for the Land and Water Fund and that Resources 2000 is
the best legislative vehicle to provide for that funding. Let
them know that you and your family want Resources 2000. You can
reach your congressional legislator by calling the Capitol switch
board at (202) 224-3121.

If you would like to see if your Representative is already a
cosponsor of H.R. 798 check out the Thomas website:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:HR00798:@@@P

For the U.S. Senate and S. 446 see:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:SN00446:@@@P


Ed Lytwak
Policy Coordinator
GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network
A project of Defenders of Wildlife
1101 14th Street, NW, Ste. 1400
Washington, DC  20005
(202) 682-9400 x 289

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