PEOPLE FOR PRESERVING OUR WESTERN HERITAGE
PRESERVE THE LAND FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT FROM THE PEOPLE
H.R. 6300 was introduced by Congressman Steve Pearce last month. If you’ve been watching the papers and internet blogs, you will see this issue has generated a considerable amount of attention.
CLARIFICATIONS ON THE ISSUES - KNOW THE FACTS
With a variety of misinformation and distortions being put forth, it is important that everyone understand the FACTS about this legislation.
LEVEL OF PROTECTION:
H.R. 6300 specifies the permanent removal of the designated areas from disposal (sale into private ownership) and from mining and mineral leasing. This level of protection is identical to federal wilderness designation.
REMOVAL OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREA DESIGNATION:
The existing Wilderness Study Area (WSA) status would be removed from the areas designated in H.R. 6300. The RPA and SPA designations would be the complete federal protection measure necessary to appropriately protect the areas. WSA status was never intended to remain a permanent land use designation, And further “study” of the areas is no longer necessary.
LAND DISPOSAL:
The land disposal portion of this legislation has been misunderstood, or perhaps intentionally distorted in much of the media. It should be noted that none of the lands on the disposal list lie within the areas proposed for RPA and SPA protection in H.R. 6300.
The disposal provision in H.R. 6300 was taken from Senator Domenici’s original proposal, to allow for responsible community growth and to ensure that Las Cruces does not become land locked. For that to happen, federal lands must be sold into private ownership.
The BLM is responsible for identifying all land eligible for disposal in their district, through their resource management process. The disposal land for Dona Ana County is currently identified in the BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment of 1993. The BLM has the responsibility to manage the disposal process.
LOCAL ADVISORY BOARD:
H.R. 6300 does provide for a local advisory board, made up of the Las Cruces BLM Director, and a representative from the County, City of Las Cruces, Business Community, Ranching Community, Conservation Community, and Elephant Butte Irrigation District, to have input into the process.
The intent is to facilitate communication and provide local input to assure that the lands the BLM identifies for disposal are aligned with the plans and needs of the local community. The actual process for land disposal would continue to be managed by the BLM as noted above.
FUNDING AND USE OF PROCEEDS:
And finally, accusations of H.R. 6300 affecting or reducing federal funding have been raised by wilderness proponents. Ironically, the Wilderness Act of 1964, Section 2. (b) states: "No appropriation shall be available for the payment of expenses or salaries for the administration of the National Wilderness Preservation System as a separate unit nor shall any appropriations be available for additional personnel stated as being required solely for the purpose of managing or administering areas solely because they are included within the National Wilderness Preservation System." So Wilderness designation specifically prohibits additional federal funding simply because an area is designated wilderness.
H.R. 6300 calls for a portion of the proceeds from land sales in Dona Ana County to remain in the county for local projects related to the designated areas.
It is also important that everyone understand the realities of federal wilderness designation, and the restrictions it imposes on the use of the land. Please see our website and read the section on wilderness on the home page, and the “What is Wilderness” page. We also have an audio/visual presentation outlining the realities of federal wilderness designation.
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL LETTER TO THE EDITOR
In case you missed it, a letter to the editor written by Tom Cooper and Jodi Denning was printed in the Albuquerque Journal. "Protect N.M. Land and Its Many Uses"
SPEAK OUT
We would like to remind everyone that Congressman Pearce has asked that the members of our coalition speak out publicly and at every opportunity expressing support for the legislation, and that we write emails or letters to him expressing that support. The emails or letters can be brief, but this communication represents a necessary part of the process and its importance can not be overestimated.
Please consider taking a few minutes to write your own letter to the editor expressing your concerns about federal Wilderness designation, and your support for our alternative protection measures for these areas.
Please also take a moment to email or write a brief message to Congressman Pearce! Contacting Senators Domenici and Bingaman expressing your support for this legislation will also be helpful.
We have all the contact information available on the Take Action page of our website, as well as a “Letter Writing Toolkit” with helpful information you can use to compose your letters.
COALITION UPDATE
Despite other more pressing issues that have consumed our focus, our Coalition has continued to grow and we are now past 715 organizations and businesses!
Please continue to encourage others to join in on this important effort.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Please help us spread the word to businesses and organizations, and ask them to help support this important initiative.
Contact us at pfpowh@gmail.com or call the individuals listed below.
CONTACT US
If you have questions, would like a presentation for your group, or would like to take a more active role in helping with our efforts, please contact us - either by email, or by calling the numbers listed below.
PEOPLE FOR PRESERVING OUR WESTERN HERITAGE
www.PeopleForWesternHeritage.com
Tom Cooper, Chairman, tcooper@zianet.com
Office 575 647-1300
Tom Mobley, Vice-Chairman, tommobley@fastwave.biz
Home 575 526-2112, Cell 575 644-8841
Jodi Denning, pfpowh@gmail.com or jdenning@fastwave.biz
Good Neighbor Committee
P.O. Box 155 - La Salle, CO 80645
info@goodneighborlaw.com
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