Post by catmandewe on Feb 5, 2009 2:07:03 GMT -5
I don't know how many of you are members of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, but if you are, you get regular updates on the progress of bills impacting public land usage and non usage. They will also give you email address and snail mail addresses to send comments to during the comment periods.
They represent 4 wheelers, snowmobilers, bicyclists, basically all recreationalists, and yes that includes Rockhounds. Remember, PUBLIC LANDS MEANS PUBLIC ACCESS
Join, you can make a difference.
I copy and pasted todays update below for anyone who is interested;
BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Policy Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102
DATE: February 4, 2009
BLUERIBBON COALITION EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT HOUSE VOTE ON OMNIBUS LAND
BILL
POCATELLO, ID (February 4) - The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national
trail-based recreation group, today voiced concern that the U.S. House of
Representatives will "grease through" over 160 public lands bills, thereby
avoiding the public review these bills deserve. In addition, BRC cautioned
that recreational access tenets in some of the bills may have been
intentionally removed in closed-door proceedings.
The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 was fast-tracked through
the U.S. Senate and could see a vote in the House as early as next week.
The bill (S 22) is over 1,200 pages long with over 160 different bills,
designates 2.2 million acres of Wilderness, identifies three new national
parks, 10 national heritage areas, and designates over 1,000 miles of wild
and scenic rivers.
BRC expressed concern that access protection provisions were apparently
stripped from several of the bills involved. For example, new sections were
added in the Washington County (Utah) Growth and Conservation Act regarding
closure of roads and trails and limiting how Bureau of Land Management
funds generated by the Act can be used.
"It is important that local collaborative efforts be sustained as
legislation moves in Congress. Pushing these bills into law via the omnibus
package allows powerful special interest groups in Washington D.C. to
eliminate hard-won local consensus and ram through provisions that are
contrary to the desires of those, on all sides of the issues, who actually
visit these remarkable lands." said Brian Hawthorne, BRC's Public Lands
Policy Director.
"This bill collectively reduces recreational opportunity, feeds millions of
earmarked dollars into pet projects, will cost billions to implement, and
provides very little of the protection it is touted to deliver," added Greg
Mumm, the Coalition's Executive Director. "If this behemoth bill is any
indication of the aggressive agenda in store for this congress, the
American recreating public faces difficult challenges ahead," Mumm
concluded.
Mumm said BRC will be encouraging its 600,000 members and supporters to
contact their political representatives and encourage them to work to
restore the locally-generated compromise provisions in these bills and
oppose changes demanded by the large preservationist lobby in Washington
D.C.
# # #
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions
responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental
stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200
organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000
recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org
They represent 4 wheelers, snowmobilers, bicyclists, basically all recreationalists, and yes that includes Rockhounds. Remember, PUBLIC LANDS MEANS PUBLIC ACCESS
Join, you can make a difference.
I copy and pasted todays update below for anyone who is interested;
BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Policy Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102
DATE: February 4, 2009
BLUERIBBON COALITION EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT HOUSE VOTE ON OMNIBUS LAND
BILL
POCATELLO, ID (February 4) - The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national
trail-based recreation group, today voiced concern that the U.S. House of
Representatives will "grease through" over 160 public lands bills, thereby
avoiding the public review these bills deserve. In addition, BRC cautioned
that recreational access tenets in some of the bills may have been
intentionally removed in closed-door proceedings.
The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 was fast-tracked through
the U.S. Senate and could see a vote in the House as early as next week.
The bill (S 22) is over 1,200 pages long with over 160 different bills,
designates 2.2 million acres of Wilderness, identifies three new national
parks, 10 national heritage areas, and designates over 1,000 miles of wild
and scenic rivers.
BRC expressed concern that access protection provisions were apparently
stripped from several of the bills involved. For example, new sections were
added in the Washington County (Utah) Growth and Conservation Act regarding
closure of roads and trails and limiting how Bureau of Land Management
funds generated by the Act can be used.
"It is important that local collaborative efforts be sustained as
legislation moves in Congress. Pushing these bills into law via the omnibus
package allows powerful special interest groups in Washington D.C. to
eliminate hard-won local consensus and ram through provisions that are
contrary to the desires of those, on all sides of the issues, who actually
visit these remarkable lands." said Brian Hawthorne, BRC's Public Lands
Policy Director.
"This bill collectively reduces recreational opportunity, feeds millions of
earmarked dollars into pet projects, will cost billions to implement, and
provides very little of the protection it is touted to deliver," added Greg
Mumm, the Coalition's Executive Director. "If this behemoth bill is any
indication of the aggressive agenda in store for this congress, the
American recreating public faces difficult challenges ahead," Mumm
concluded.
Mumm said BRC will be encouraging its 600,000 members and supporters to
contact their political representatives and encourage them to work to
restore the locally-generated compromise provisions in these bills and
oppose changes demanded by the large preservationist lobby in Washington
D.C.
# # #
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions
responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental
stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200
organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000
recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org