Post by catmandewe on Oct 17, 2007 9:37:40 GMT -5
I don't usually get into politics, but I believe this bill needs some action taken on it. I just got an email on this today, and today is the last day to make a comment on it. If this bill passes it will also close down dozens if not hundreds of collecting areas.
If you would like to save some collecting areas, you can help make a difference. I will copy and paste below;
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HR1975 is the grand daddy of all wilderness bills. This bill, if it were to pass in the House and Senate and was also signed by the President, would implement portions of the "Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative" of "The Wildlands Project", and it would designate approximately 20.5 million MORE acres as wilderness in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
Please contact your House Rep by next Wednesday October 17. You can call the House switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the office of your House Rep, then inform them that you do not support this bill and give a short reason why.
Some facts below about this legislation;
HR 1975 essentially "locks up" an area equal to Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, combined. This area, larger than 19 individual states, would become inaccessible to most Americans. There would be no roads and minimal handicapped access.
Not one of the six Members representing the affected areas cosponsored this bill.
HR 1975 designates over 24 million acres of new wilderness, and nearly 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers. It withdraws nearly 3 million additional acres from oil, gas and mineral entry and prepares those lands for inclusion in the wilderness system. It designates nearly 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers within these same areas.
HR 1975 negatively affects private property rights and state sovereignty. This bill creates a multitude of express, federal reserved water rights, thereby precluding future development upstream of any of the wilderness areas. The language is inconsistent with, and much more draconian than, the language of the Wilderness Act which states: "Nothing in this Act shall constitute an express or implied claim or denial on the part of the Federal Government as to exemption from State water laws."
HR 1975, Title I designates over 19.3 million acres of new wilderness across a five state region. Sec. 110 ultimately removes water rights decisions for most of these lands from the State courts into the Federal courts. Should a state refuse to appropriate the quantity of water claimed by the federal agency or a third party sue the federal agency for not securing sufficient quantities of water through the State appropriation process to fulfill the purposes stated in this bill, the resulting case would be within the jurisdiction of the Federal courts, not State courts.
HR 1975, Title II creates Biological Connecting Corridors by designating another 5 million acres of wilderness and by removing an additional 3 million acres from oil, gas and mineral entry and making it roadless. These 3 million acres would then be eligible for wilderness designation.
HR 1975, Title III designates nearly 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers within all of these new wilderness units.
HR 1975, Title IV creates a National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System and a National Wildland Restoration and Recovery Corp within the Forest Service. The intent is to turn an additional 1 million acres into lands suitable for wilderness designation. These lands would also be withdrawn from oil, gas and mineral entry. There is no language authorizing funding for this program included in the title.
HR 1975, Title VI includes language that could be used to argue that federal reserved water rights exist for the wilderness areas that have previously been designated in five states; essentially overturning State water rights laws.
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I got notified about this from one of my snowmobile groups, and know that several collecting areas in Idaho and Oregon are now in Wilderness areas and people can no longer collect from them.
I know this is short notice, but I got to at least try.
Thanks for listening, and I hope for your help............Tony
If you would like to save some collecting areas, you can help make a difference. I will copy and paste below;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HR1975 is the grand daddy of all wilderness bills. This bill, if it were to pass in the House and Senate and was also signed by the President, would implement portions of the "Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative" of "The Wildlands Project", and it would designate approximately 20.5 million MORE acres as wilderness in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
Please contact your House Rep by next Wednesday October 17. You can call the House switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the office of your House Rep, then inform them that you do not support this bill and give a short reason why.
Some facts below about this legislation;
HR 1975 essentially "locks up" an area equal to Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, combined. This area, larger than 19 individual states, would become inaccessible to most Americans. There would be no roads and minimal handicapped access.
Not one of the six Members representing the affected areas cosponsored this bill.
HR 1975 designates over 24 million acres of new wilderness, and nearly 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers. It withdraws nearly 3 million additional acres from oil, gas and mineral entry and prepares those lands for inclusion in the wilderness system. It designates nearly 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers within these same areas.
HR 1975 negatively affects private property rights and state sovereignty. This bill creates a multitude of express, federal reserved water rights, thereby precluding future development upstream of any of the wilderness areas. The language is inconsistent with, and much more draconian than, the language of the Wilderness Act which states: "Nothing in this Act shall constitute an express or implied claim or denial on the part of the Federal Government as to exemption from State water laws."
HR 1975, Title I designates over 19.3 million acres of new wilderness across a five state region. Sec. 110 ultimately removes water rights decisions for most of these lands from the State courts into the Federal courts. Should a state refuse to appropriate the quantity of water claimed by the federal agency or a third party sue the federal agency for not securing sufficient quantities of water through the State appropriation process to fulfill the purposes stated in this bill, the resulting case would be within the jurisdiction of the Federal courts, not State courts.
HR 1975, Title II creates Biological Connecting Corridors by designating another 5 million acres of wilderness and by removing an additional 3 million acres from oil, gas and mineral entry and making it roadless. These 3 million acres would then be eligible for wilderness designation.
HR 1975, Title III designates nearly 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers within all of these new wilderness units.
HR 1975, Title IV creates a National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System and a National Wildland Restoration and Recovery Corp within the Forest Service. The intent is to turn an additional 1 million acres into lands suitable for wilderness designation. These lands would also be withdrawn from oil, gas and mineral entry. There is no language authorizing funding for this program included in the title.
HR 1975, Title VI includes language that could be used to argue that federal reserved water rights exist for the wilderness areas that have previously been designated in five states; essentially overturning State water rights laws.
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I got notified about this from one of my snowmobile groups, and know that several collecting areas in Idaho and Oregon are now in Wilderness areas and people can no longer collect from them.
I know this is short notice, but I got to at least try.
Thanks for listening, and I hope for your help............Tony
