Senate Could Vote Anytime On BLM NLCS Land Grab (S-1139)
Call Both Your Senators Today
Stop The National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Now
You Still Have Time To Send An E-mail Or Fax To Block This Atrocity
See Action Items below.
You can call any Senator at (202) 224-3121.
Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@pacifier.com
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@pacifier.com
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003
The NLCS will place a new regulatory overlay on top of BLM areas that will be managed very much like a national park. They don't allow mining, grazing, forestry and lots of types of recreation in national parks.
Whether or not you are in or near a BLM area, this is the time for you to step up and fight for your allies. The only way for our side to compete with the greens is to join together to fight threats against each one of us.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." So take a little time now to make your calls, send your e-mails and faxes and alert your neighbors. By helping those threatened by the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) (S 1139), those people will be there in the future to help you when the greens and their allies in Congress and the government come for you. And they will come for you.
You're going to find this hard to believe but the Senate Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee, chaired by Ron Wyden (D-OR), passed S 1139 through committee by voice vote, seemingly not to care about what was in the bill. They voted S 1139 out by voice vote. No Republicans stood up to defend you. In fact they ran several other bills through the same way at the same time. If you thought your Senators were looking after you, some of them are not.
An important example is the Steens Mountain in Oregon. Lots of promises were made to local stakeholders when the Steens was set up. There are Monuments in Oregon and lots of BLM land. Why didn't Senators Wyden and Gordon Smith (R-OR) speak up to protect them and the promises that were made. Wyden is the Chairman of the Subcommittee.
Here are the Public Lands and Forests Committee Members. You need to let them know in no uncertain terms that they must stop S 1139. They need to take more care about considering a bill that will take 26,000,000 acres of BLM land and convert it to National Park like status.
You must insist that your Senators put a "hold" on the S 1139 so it can receive more consideration. Every Senator has the power to put a hold on a bill. You must call, fax and e-mail your Senators to urge them to place a hold on S 1139.
We've listed the e-mail addresses of the legislative directors of each member of the Committee. The Senator is more likely to see your e-mail if it goes to a specific staff member.
Democrats:
Ron Wyden (D-OR) Chairman - Fax: (202) 228-2717 - E-mail: Joshua_sheinkman@wyden.senate.gov
Daniel Akaka (D-HI) - Fax: (202) 224-2126 - E-mail: bonni_berge@akaka.senate.gov
Tim Johnson (D-SD) - Fax: (202) 228-5765 - E-mail: todd_stubbendieck@johnson.senate.gov
Mary Landrieu (D-LA) - Fax: (202) 224-9735 - E-mail: janet_woodka@landrieu.senate.gov
Maria Cantwell (D-WA) - Fax: (202) 228-0514 - E-mail: michael_daum@cantwell.senate.gov
Ken Salazar (D-CO) - Fax: (202) 228-5036 - E-mail: grant_leslie@salazar.senate.gov
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) - Fax: (202) 228-2197 - E-mail: chris_schloesser@menendez.senate.gov
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) - Fax: (202) 228-1371 - E-mail: jim_stowers@lincoln.senate.gov
Bernard Sanders (I-VT) - Fax: (202) 228-0776 - E-mail: peter_tyler@sanders.senate.gov
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) - Fax: 202) 224-2852 - E-mail: trudy_vincent@bingaman.senate.gov
Republicans:
Richard Burr (R-NC) - Fax: (202) 228-2981 - E-mail: natasha_hickman@burr.senate.gov
Larry Craig (R-ID) - Fax: (202) 228-1067 - E-mail: brooke_roberts@craig.senate.gov
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) - Fax: (202) 224-5301 - E-mail: isaac_edwards@murkowski.senate.gov
Jim DeMint (R-SC) - Fax: (202) 228-5143 - E-mail: matt_hoskins@demint.senate.gov
Jeff Sessions (R-AL) - Fax: (202) 224-3149 - E-mail: alan_hanson@sessions.senate.gov
Gordon Smith (R-OR) - Fax: (202) 228-3997 - E-mail: rob_epplin@gsmith.senate.gov
Jim Bunning (R-KY) - Fax: (202) 228-1373 - E-mail: kim_dean@bunning.senate.gov
John Barraisso (R-WY) - Fax: (202) 224-1724 - E-mail: bryn_steward@barraisso.senate.gov
Pete Domenici (R-NM) - Fax: (202) 228-3261 - E-mail: edward_hild@domenici.senate.gov
Here are the rest of the full Energy and Natural Resources Committee The full Committee has already passed S 1139 and the bill is now sitting at the floor of the full Senate waiting for a vote. You need to hold Committee Members accountable for passing this dangerous bill through the Committee by voice vote with little care or investigation.
Democrats:
Byron Dorgan (D-ND) - Fax: (202) 224-1193 - E-mail: geoff_plague@dorgan.senate.gov
Jon Tester (D-MT) - Fax: (202) 224-8593 - E-mail: bridget_walsh@tester.senate.gov
Republicans:
Bob Corker (R TN) - Fax: (202) 228-0566 - E-mail: paul_palagy@corker.senate.gov
Mel Martinez (R-FL) - Fax: (202) 228-5172 - E-mail: michael_zehr@martinez.senate.gov
Whether or not your Senators are on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, they should be called, faxed or e-mailed. All Senators will vote on S 1139.
The NLCS is a National Park type overlay over 26 million of acres of BLM land. You know that will hurt multiple-use and private property.
The National Landscape Conservation System administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was created administratively in June 2000 by former Clinton Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. The Clinton Interior Department under Babbitt established the 26 million acre National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) in BLM to protect "special areas." It is likely before they are done, every BLM area will be included as a "special area."
There is an old saying about Congress that "if the only tool they had was a hammer, everything they saw would begin to look like a nail."
The Democrat controlled Congress is seeking to codify the new NLCS land grab. That would give the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) official Congressional certification.
According to Parks and Recreation Newsletter, the NLCS consists of major conservation areas in 12 western states, including 15 national monuments, 13 national conservation areas, Steens Mountain area in Oregon, Headwaters Forest Reserve in northern California, 36 wild and scenic rivers, 148 wilderness areas, 4,264 miles of national trails, and more than 600 wilderness study areas.
Making the NLCS permanent threatens recreation, access, grazing, mining, oil and gas and many other uses. Gradually these areas will be turned into BLM controlled parks with traditional uses strangled and roads cut off Private property owners and inholders in the areas can say so long to their property rights. You will see new areas nominated for NLCS status gradually eroding BLM multiple-use.
Four Democratic senators introduced NLCS legislation (S 1139) April 18th. Chief sponsor of the Senate bill, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) said, "Given the broad public support for these areas, I expect this bill to be non-controversial and it is my hope that it will be able to move quickly through the Congress and enactment into law." Bingaman chairs the Senate Energy Committee. Non-Controversial?
The four lead House sponsors of HR 2016, all co-chairs of an NLCS caucus, are Reps. Mary Bono (R-CA), Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Jim Moran (D-VA). Reps. Bono and Renzi need to receive lots of calls from you. The others are not likely to change their position.
Creating this massive new conservation area program (read Land Grab) will take money, especially from the National Park Service, that is way behind in deferred maintenance and other uses The NLCS will eventually become a huge new agency with thousands of additional bureaucrats added over time.
Any promises made when these areas, like Steens Mountain and the Missouri Breaks National Monument as well as the Grand Staircase National Monument and many others were created, will be conveniently forgotten as more and more regulations are added. The NLCS will become park-like and be gradually managed like a park. Gradually existing uses will be strangled out of existence.
It is the nature of the Congressional appropriations process that money for all programs in the Interior appropriations bill comes out of the same pot and the programs compete with each other.
One of the sponsors of the bill to codify the NLCS, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO), said the measure would not affect management of lands or existing rights or public access. Added Salazar, "The bill does, however, recognize that these landscapes are of great interest to the American people and should be managed to protect their values." Does anyone believe setting up the NLCS would not change the management of these areas? If that were true, why would Congress want to do it?
Be aware that Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) still want to pass CARA, the $3 billion dollars per year off budget trust fund. So remind your Senators that they should not pass any land acquisition trust fund.
It is critical that private property owners and Federal land users make a big push now to head off this S 1139 attack on private property, use of and access to Federal lands. It is so much cheaper to fight it early than to wait. Hit it hard now. Call, write and fax your Senators and Representative. You may call any Congressman and Senator at (202) 225-3121
-----ACTION ITEMS-----
-----1. Call both your Senators today to urge them to oppose S 1139. Call any Senator at (202) 224-3121. Send him or her a one-page letter opposing S 1139. If possible send it by fax or e-mail. If you have e-mail, make sure you send your e-mail address to American Land Rights so we can keep you informed about these last minute moves by your enemies. Send ALRA a copy of your letter if you can.
-----2. Send a copy of your letter to your Congressman. Write: Honorable _________, US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121.
-----3. What is your Senators August recess schedule? Be sure to call both your Senators local offices to find out what their schedule is for the August recess. Tell them you want to talk to the Senator about S 1139. If they won't provide a schedule, call your local newspaper and let them know the Senator is hiding from his or her constituents.
-----4. When you write your Senators the one-page letter opposing any new CARA type land acquisition trust fund and the new NLCS land grab bill (S 1139) here is the US Mail address. Write: Honorable_______, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510. You are better off sending the letter by fax or e-mail if possible It may be late otherwise.
-----5. Write your Representative and ask him or her to oppose HR 2016. Write: Honorable___________, US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Remember, it is better to send your letter by e-mail or fax. Mail is delayed in Washington by the Anthrax mail inspections.
Congress often tries to rush bills through just before the August recess. The NLCS could slip by in the dark of night by unanimous consent when only a few Senators are on the Senate Floor. You need to ask your Senator to make sure that does not happen.
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