Republican extremists allow most successful parks program to die

[eagle1462010]

H.R.5220 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): No More Land Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (07/28/2014)
No More Land Act - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to prohibit the Land and Water Conservation Fund from being used for acquisition.

Directs the heads of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service to reduce the value of backlogged maintenance that exists on lands under the administrative jurisdiction of that agency by at least 20% in five years, with additional decreases in the backlog for subsequent years.

Instructs each agency to publish reports to Congress that document the progress made by reducing the backlogs.

Requires each agency to submit to Congress a report that prioritizes lands owned by the federal government and under the administrative jurisdiction of that agency by order of importance to the success of agency programs.

 

[Stephanie]

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33531.pdf

Some advocates of higher LWCF funding seek partial or full permanent appropriations. For instance, the Obama Administration proposed $900 million for LWCF for FY2015 through a combination of discretionary ($350.0 million) and mandatory ($550.0 million) appropriations. Further, the Administration proposed amending current law to appropriate mandatory funding of $900 million annually beginning in FY2016.23 Questions include how to offset any new permanent appropriations and how to allocate permanent appropriations among different LWCF programs and purposes. There is also broad opposition to the LWCF based on varied concerns, with opponents generally seeking reduced levels of funds for LWCF. Some of the opposition stems from an interest in reducing the current size of the federal estate and minimizing further acquisition of privately owned land by the federal government either generally or at specific sites, especially in the West, where federal ownership is already concentrated. The concerns involve preferences for private ownership, impacts of federal land ownership on uses of private lands, and reduced local tax revenues that result from public ownership. Some opponents believe that maintaining (and rehabilitating) the land and facilities that federal agencies already own should take priority over further acquisitions. For instance, a pending House bill (H.R. 5220) seeks to bar funding for federal acquisitions while authorizing funding for maintenance. Further, for FY2015, the House Budget Committee supported focusing on eliminating the maintenance backlog before acquiring additional federal lands.24 Since federal agencies cannot use LWCF funds for maintenance, some supporters of this priority favor more funding to other accounts that can be used for maintenance and less for LWCF. Others have sought LWCF reductions as part of a broader focus on reducing the large federal deficit, or on the grounds that there is inadequate cooperation among LWCF programs and between LWCF and other programs.2


60% of the fund is to match state funds to BUY AND SEIZE MORE FEDERAL LAND.....................Some of the opposition is that the Federal Gov't already has enough land already............They are using these funds to create more parks and take MORE LAND.......to be funded by this program.............

If you look at the report............Bush and Obama have been taking this money every year for OTHER PURPOSES............Funding for their PET PROGRAMS to take land for the Federal Gov't.................This seems to be the major fight here.................

And AGAIN...............WHERE DID THE OTHER MONEY GO...............Supposed to be a TRUST FUND................WHY ISN'T IT THERE?

Yeah................that's right..........They already spent it.....................Just like they raided the S.S. and Medicare Trusts SPENDING EVERY CENT COMING IN.................

There is more to this BS of HOW THE GOP IS KILLING PARKS GARBAGE............Because most of the money is to acquire more Federal Land.

good to get all the information for a change.

 

[Correll]

National Parks. Truly the most socialist program in the world. Preserving the very best and most unique for the use and benefit of all citizens. And the best idea that the government of the United States ever came up with. So, of course, our modern "Conservatives" hate it.

The modern "Conservative" and the GOP are the 'slash and burn' farmers of today.

Bullshit.

Socialism is not all government activity.

 

[eagle1462010]

http://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II10/20150415/103308/HHRG-114-II10-20150415-SD002.pdf

Policy Overview  Legitimate concerns are being raised about the impacts of increasing annual federal spending on land acquisition, (including land acquired through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)), and whether increased land acquisition is consistent with the LWCF’s statutory mission to “preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation facilities to strengthen the health of U.S. citizens.”2  At a time when our national debt exceeds $18 trillion, the Obama Administration’s current budget seeks to spend millions of dollars to purchase more federal lands despite massive maintenance backlogs and increasing catastrophic wildfires costing billions of dollars on existing federally-owned lands.  Federal land acquisition in certain areas adversely impacts local counties’ budgets and results in lost or declining tax base to many of these counties.  According to a recent study, federal land management agencies lose taxpayers nearly $2 billion, while states are producing far greater financial returns from state land management, suggesting that federal land acquisition significantly impacts the resources available to manage public lands.

Read the report...............Seems the Federal Gov't wants even MORE MONEY TO TAKE MORE LAND.....................

When they can't even maintain what they have taken already.....................

Question begs.................Why the hell does the Federal Gov't deem it necessary to TAKE MORE LAND...................

 

[eagle1462010]

Parks and wreck: The feds need $11.5 billion to fix our public lands

In 2014, the 300 million visitors to US national parks may have noticed the potholes in the roads, the magnificent vistas obscured by dense brush, dirty visitors' centers in need of basic repairs, trails that were not maintained, and overgrown campgrounds. Why? Blame Congress, which has routinely purchased new federal lands over the last 20 years while neglecting to fund the maintenance of existing national parks. National parks and historic sites need almost $12 billion in upkeep—or about four times the National Parks Service's annual budget. Meanwhile, congressional Republicans proposed a budget that would slash spending by $5.5 trillion in 10 years.

So why the backlog? The NPS claims that stingy funding from Congress has forced park employees to make tough decisions about which repairs to perform and which to put off. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and many conservationists place most of the blame on the government, which has bought up new land instead of spending money maintaining the sites it already administers. "We spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year to acquire additional federal lands, but none of that funding is applied to the maintenance backlog," she wrote in a 2013 op-ed in theHill.

Existing lands need 12 BILLION in repairs..............Plenty in the Trust Fund that has been RAIDED..........Where did the money go.....................And they want to SEIZE MORE LAND WHEN THE REST NEEDS MAINTENANCE............................

Yeah...........there is more to this BS PROPAGANDA PUSH BY THE LEFT................

 

[Correll]

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33531.pdf...
60% of the fund is to match state funds to BUY AND SEIZE MORE FEDERAL LAND.....................Some of the opposition is that the Federal Gov't already has enough land already............They are using these funds to create more parks and take MORE LAND.......to be funded by this program................

Well, that does put a very different spin on it.

Thanks.

You know, every time lefties cry wolf like this, they make it that much more likely that someday when the Evul Money Guys really do do something Evul, that we won't listen to them, because we will think it is just more bullshit.

 

[eagle1462010]

Washington Newsletter - September 2014 - Americans For Responsible Recreational Access

We reported in our last newsletter about legislation introduced by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), H.R. 5220, that would tackle head-on the cumbersome maintenance backlogs facing the federal land agencies. We met with Rep. Graves’ staff and they report that they have received quite a bit of interest in the legislation.

Between now and the next Congress, they will be fine-tuning the legislation. We intend to work with them on that process. We will keep you posted as things proceed, but from the looks of it, we may well be encouraging your support when the revised bill is introduced in the 114th Congress.

 

[eagle1462010]

 

[Stephanie]

good job dear. you tore it up. You would think by they would know we aren't "all stupid" on this site. but they never give it up, so. blaaaaa

 

[eagle1462010]

There is always another side of the equation the lying politicians don't say when they say.

THE SKY IS FALLING!

 

[Stephanie]

There is always another side of the equation the lying politicians don't say when they say.

THE SKY IS FALLING!

I know that. sheeesh JUST WOW.

 

[Ernie S.]

National Parks. Truly the most socialist program in the world. Preserving the very best and most unique for the use and benefit of all citizens. And the best idea that the government of the United States ever came up with. So, of course, our modern "Conservatives" hate it.

The modern "Conservative" and the GOP are the 'slash and burn' farmers of today.

I love the National Park System. Defunding this program does not harm National parks. It has been reauthorized every several years for fifty years. Now, Democrats want to permanently reauthorize it.
So, before you blame the GOP for not approving it, why not ask Democrats why they changed from periodic to permanent funding.

 

[Ernie S.]

Dearest little Stephanie, you are such a liar. A person is not unemployed if he or she does not want to be employed. Also, looking at the syntax and grammar, don't you think that it is a bit early to be hitting the bottle, old girl?

Yes, how dare the GOP fail to fund our National Treasures, for that is what the Parks are. And they are for every Americans use. If you just choose to sit at home in your single wide, that is your problem, but for the rest of us, the National Parks and Monuments are truly a treasure.

From linked article: LWCF purchases wildlife habitat, buys private inholdings within wildernesses and national parks, preserves cultural heritage sites, provides public access for fishing and hunting, and pays for urban parks, playgrounds and ballfields.

Urban parks, playgrounds and ballfields?

No, old rocks in the head, Yellowstone, Acadia and Gettysburg will not be shut down.

 

[Camp]

There is a long line of corporations waiting in line wanting to make profits from "OUR" natural resources. That's right folks, the topic once you get past the mud, murk and bullshit is about how much companies owned by some of the richest people in the world pay us, the owners of the resources. These are guys like the Koch brothers who give all that money to our elected officials. They want to pay a minimum price for our resources so that they can make the maximum profits. As representative of the owners, out elected officials could do the wise thing and demand the maximum amount be paid and hence we would get the maximum profit from our resources and property. It isn't as if making that wise business decision would be hard to do. There is that line of companies waiting in live coveting those contracts.
What do you think. Are our representatives stupid or just corrupt? Should this be the stand out signature legislation action of the Tea Party Republican Party congress?

 

[ScienceRocks]

Why not go after the unlimited resources of our solar system and leave our planet alone? Rare metals like you can't believe await us and without the pollution of our air, rivers and health.

 

[Stephanie]

Why not go after the unlimited resources of our solar system and leave our planet alone? Rare metals like you can't believe await us and without the pollution of our air, rivers and health.

Matt matt matt my dear. you're a really getting out there anymore. please stop it.

 

[eagle1462010]

There is a long line of corporations waiting in line wanting to make profits from "OUR" natural resources. That's right folks, the topic once you get past the mud, murk and bullshit is about how much companies owned by some of the richest people in the world pay us, the owners of the resources. These are guys like the Koch brothers who give all that money to our elected officials. They want to pay a minimum price for our resources so that they can make the maximum profits. As representative of the owners, out elected officials could do the wise thing and demand the maximum amount be paid and hence we would get the maximum profit from our resources and property. It isn't as if making that wise business decision would be hard to do. There is that line of companies waiting in live coveting those contracts.
What do you think. Are our representatives stupid or just corrupt? Should this be the stand out signature legislation action of the Tea Party Republican Party congress?

 

[Billy_Bob]

The left wing will lie about anything that will potentially get their low information voters out to vote and make them feel good about defrauding those who work for a living.

This bill has NOTHING TO DO WITH FUNDING OF NORMAL OPERATIONS. It has everything to do with stopping the march of out of control left wing zealots who want to take all lands from those who might do something with them and be self sufficient.

The Federal government has no right to buy lands within the states.. This is in violation of Constitutional State Sovereignty. Only left wing control mongers and socialists think this is good. Its long past time the feds were kicked out of states and the lands returned to the individual states.

 

[eagle1462010]

Again, the issue is about the Federal Gov't taking more land......................How much more do they need?

Especially when they need the funds to maintenance.

Not to mention the money that is supposed to be in the trust already.

People talk about the Kock brothers shit. The Fed still owns and controls the West. Nothing more than propaganda as is the thread. The battle is over funding that is gone, and stopping the Federal Gov't taking more from the States and private citizens, while pushing to fix what the Gov't already has and needs repair.

 

[rightwinger]

Republican extremists allow most successful parks program to die
by Joan McCarter
Republican extremists allow most successful parks program to die

• 
  
• 78 Comments / 78 New

Punchbowl Falls in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
One of the most successful conservation programs in modern history—the Land and Water Conservation Fund—died Thursday when the Republican House refused to extend it, giving the Koch brothers a win.
Despite broad bipartisan support, and despite a deadline that was no surprise to anyone, Congress failed to take action to reauthorize it. That means that offshore oil and gas producers will no longer be paying into the chest that funds the program—and now that the funding connection has been broken, reinstating it will be very difficult, especially given the tone of this Congress. Instead, lawmakers will be dickering over how to divvy up former LWCF appropriations, which will now be going into the general treasury.
Earlier this summer, dozens of representatives on both sides of the aisle had signed a letter in support of the perpetually underfunded program, which has conserved more than seven million acres so far. LWCF purchases wildlife habitat, buys private inholdings within wildernesses and national parks, preserves cultural heritage sites, provides public access for fishing and hunting, and pays for urban parks, playgrounds and ballfields. (The Center for Western Priorities created an interactive map showing how LWCF has made national parks whole by paying to buy inholdings from private landowners.) And if put to a straight-up vote, reauthorization would pass both the House and Senate with bipartisan majorities.

But action on LWCF was derailed by far-right opposition, led by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, House Natural Resources chairman, reflecting the anti-public-land and anti-federal sentiments afoot in some quarters of the West. Bishop is floating his own reforms to the program, which include redirecting most of the money to state and local projects (in the 1970s, Congress removed a requirement that states get 60 percent of LWCF funding).

Here's just some of what this program has accomplished since being created in 1964—all without any taxpayer money. It "pumped almost $17 billion into federal, state, and local parks. It has protected more than 500 million acres of land, ranging from neighborhood playgrounds to dramatic basalt cliffs in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The program also paid for almost two-thirds of the Appalachian Trail." It funded nearly 90 percent of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania. Again, without any taxpayer funding being spent. The fund is payed for by revenues paid by oil and gas companies drilling offshore in waters owned by the American people.
Bishop calls those who fought to preserve the LWCF (including Republicans Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zink of Montana) "special interests that seek to hijack LWCF to continue to expand the federal estate and divert even more monies away from localities." Make no mistake, this is part of furthering the Koch agenda to end the creation of new national parks and to undermine public ownership of any land that might, just might, have extractable resources under it.

Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell offered this statement.

After 50 years of resounding success in enriching America's great outdoors, the Land and Water Conservation Fund needlessly faces an uncertain future. I am extremely disappointed that, despite overwhelming bipartisan support, Congress has allowed this innovative and effective program to expire. As a result, America's national parks are now at a higher risk of private development within their borders, we will have fewer tools to protect access to hunting and fishing spots, and local parks and open space projects in all 50 states may face delays or cancellation in the year ahead.

The far right in this country want to pollute our rivers and destroy our environment. We must defend our national parks and wild life or we face extinction. period.

Turing America into a polluted mess like China is disgusting. This is what unregulated corporations have done.

How about we pay for it with the money NASA is waisting on climate "science"?
Or lower the threshold for EITC or disallow everything but food from EBT cards. How about we put prisoners to work sub-contracting assembly work from corporations? How about we replace unskilled public sector workers with welfare recipients?
How about we outlaw collective bargaining for public sector labor?

How can climate science be a waste?

Just because you don't like the results?