 From Erich Veyhl Maine Property Rights News September 26, 2008 Obama Threatens New National Park Service Takeovers Barack Obama is threatening to "dramatically expand" Federal spending on land acquisition and to take over entire ecosystems in eastern forests where land is currently mostly privately owned. Both McCain and Obama say they want increases in Federal funding for "maintenance" in the National Park System, but the Obama campaign's "Environmental Fact Sheet" reveals a far more radical agenda for government acquisition, calling for a "new vision for conservation" reminiscent of the National Parks and Conservation Association's (NPCA) agenda on behalf of the national viro movement and the National Park Service following the Reagan administration. The 1988 NPCA National Park System Plan promoted what it called "mega conservation" in the northeast, which includes five new National Parks planned for Maine. According to the Obama campaign statement http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/EnvironmentFactSheet.pdf, "Barack Obama believes we need a new vision for conservation that both protects our existing publicly-owned lands while dramatically expanding investments in protecting and restoring forests, grasslands, and wetlands across America for generations to come... "Barack Obama is a strong supporter of increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports land acquisition and maintenance of parks... While Americans can take great pride in our National Parks and other public lands, there are many landscapes and ecosystems which do not have adequate protection. As president, Barack Obama will lead efforts to acquire and conserve new parks and public lands, focusing on ecosystems such as the Great Plains and Eastern forests which do not yet have the protection they deserve." National viros are already promoting the adoption of their agenda by Obama, as illustrated in this article by Federal Parks & Recreation promoting the plans for increases in acquisition funding and the creation of vast new "ecosystem" parks. The article laments the relative lack of "new appropriations for federal land acquisitions" under the Bush administration. Federal Parks & Recreation Volume 26 Number 18, September 26, 2008 OBAMA, MCCAIN PROMISE SUPPORT FOR PARKS AND CONSERVATION Both Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) are, on paper, strong advocates of park and rec programs. Both praise the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF.) And both say Congress should appropriate more money to reduce a maintenance backlog in the National Park System. But President Bush sang similar refrains when he was running for office in 2000, only to later recommend major reductions in LWCF spending and to fail to reduce the Park Service maintenance backlog. While both Obama and McCain support significant appropriations for LWCF, Obama is more explicit. His Environmental position paper says, "Barack Obama is a strong supporter of increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports land acquisition and maintenance of parks." The paper goes on, "As president, Barack Obama will lead efforts to acquire and conserve new parks and public lands, focusing on ecosystems such as the Great Plains and Eastern forests which do not yet have the protection they deserve." Obama doesn't recommend an appropriation level. In a position paper on economic development vis-à-vis open space McCain sounds a similar chord, saying the country should "promote responsible growth and encourage state and local officials to implement open space initiatives and establish green corridors within our communities. This will require strengthening federal tools like Land and Water Conservation Fund that emphasizes recreation and the protection of wildlife areas." McCain also laments the Park Service maintenance backlog. "Unfortunately, Congress' failure to devote the proper resources towards operations and maintenance has caused many park units to fall into disrepair," says his position paper. "As we reconnect with our outdoor heritage we must focus on maintaining these areas." Obama's campaign makes similar promises, "As president, he will repair the damage done to our national parks by inadequate funding and emphasize the protection and restoration of our National Forests." Given a $500 billion annual national debt and a looming trillion-dollar bailout of financial "institutions," Obama and McCain will be hard pressed to find any extra money for conservation. Besides, when President Bush campaigned for office in 2000 he promised to fully fund LWCF at $900 million per year. In real life he attempted to divert LWCF money to other purposes, albeit conservation purposes. Over the last few years he has recommended no appropriations for the state side of LWCF and virtually no new appropriations for federal land acquisitions. Likewise, Bush promised to eliminate a $5 billion Park Service maintenance backlog within five years. Although Bush has consistently recommended record-breaking maintenance appropriations, the backlog has remained stubbornly high. McCain has one major park and rec accomplishment under his belt: He was the lead author of legislation in 2000 that became the National Parks Air Tour Management Act. As chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, McCain wrote the bill that now governs air tours over national parks. However, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Park Service have not completed air tour plans for any parks. The law is cited as PL No. 106-181 of April 5, 2000. |
Coming Soon! Ron is available to speak at your next convention or seminar. Call 425-455-5038 Latest Report Releases:
Latest Book Releases:
|
|||||||||
