The Lyin King
Public Lands Advocate
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
The midterm election is over. Many have asked for BRC's analysis of the outcome. We are cautiously evaluating the results, and think the answers are more complex than many realize. The U.S. House of Representatives has changed hands. From our position advocating active public lands management, this is a positive move because many of the "hands off" preservationists will no longer chair key committees or seek aggressive oversight of our professional land managers. However, the changes could also portend challenges on the legislative front. Those who think that the bad-for-recreation bills currently queued up in Washington D.C. are dead need to rethink that conclusion and redouble their concern.
Sadly, politicians on their way out the door are among those to be most feared. We have some work to do!
Disgruntled constituents will push hard in the post-election fallout, which we fear will include pleas to pass Wilderness legislation via a "Lame Duck" session of Congress that will begin on Nov. 15, before the newly elected officials take office.
We need to ensure that a public lands omnibus bill IS NOT one of the items on the agenda for the Lame Duck Congress. The well-funded Wilderness Lobby in Washington D.C. has one more chance during the Lame Duck to push through their wish list, and BRC needs you to take action so that these lousy lock-up bills do not become law.
Even the Wilderness Society admits that the coming Lame Duck is their last best chance to pass several Wilderness bills for some time to come. Paul Spitler, National Wilderness Campaigns Associate Director for The Wilderness Society (TWS), was quoted by E&E News/New York Times as saying if TWS doesn't get their Wilderness wish list passed in this Congress, it would be a major set back for them.
" Paul Spitler, national wilderness campaigns associate director for the Wilderness Society, said there are about 20 wilderness proposals covering roughly 4 million acres of public lands that wilderness advocates would like to see passed by this Congress."
Public land legislation should be passed only after acre-by-acre scrutiny and debate that comes through presentation of individual bills, not an omnibus exercise in pork trading on an obscene scale. The Wilderness activist groups are less concerned with political niceties. At least we can trust them to be true to their avowed mission - they are on an acre hunt. They perceive this Lame Duck session as their golden opportunity to grab as much of your access as possible.
Please take action today!
OHV and snowmobile enthusiasts must speak up now. Our message must be simple and clear: No Public Lands Omnibus!
Use our webpage . . . Rapid Response Center - BlueRibbon Coalition for another one of our famous INSANELY EASY Action Items.
Our webpage has a lot of other information that will be helpful. And as always, feel free to call our Public Lands staff with questions or comments. - BRC Land Use Update
The midterm election is over. Many have asked for BRC's analysis of the outcome. We are cautiously evaluating the results, and think the answers are more complex than many realize. The U.S. House of Representatives has changed hands. From our position advocating active public lands management, this is a positive move because many of the "hands off" preservationists will no longer chair key committees or seek aggressive oversight of our professional land managers. However, the changes could also portend challenges on the legislative front. Those who think that the bad-for-recreation bills currently queued up in Washington D.C. are dead need to rethink that conclusion and redouble their concern.
Sadly, politicians on their way out the door are among those to be most feared. We have some work to do!
Disgruntled constituents will push hard in the post-election fallout, which we fear will include pleas to pass Wilderness legislation via a "Lame Duck" session of Congress that will begin on Nov. 15, before the newly elected officials take office.
We need to ensure that a public lands omnibus bill IS NOT one of the items on the agenda for the Lame Duck Congress. The well-funded Wilderness Lobby in Washington D.C. has one more chance during the Lame Duck to push through their wish list, and BRC needs you to take action so that these lousy lock-up bills do not become law.
Even the Wilderness Society admits that the coming Lame Duck is their last best chance to pass several Wilderness bills for some time to come. Paul Spitler, National Wilderness Campaigns Associate Director for The Wilderness Society (TWS), was quoted by E&E News/New York Times as saying if TWS doesn't get their Wilderness wish list passed in this Congress, it would be a major set back for them.
" Paul Spitler, national wilderness campaigns associate director for the Wilderness Society, said there are about 20 wilderness proposals covering roughly 4 million acres of public lands that wilderness advocates would like to see passed by this Congress."
Public land legislation should be passed only after acre-by-acre scrutiny and debate that comes through presentation of individual bills, not an omnibus exercise in pork trading on an obscene scale. The Wilderness activist groups are less concerned with political niceties. At least we can trust them to be true to their avowed mission - they are on an acre hunt. They perceive this Lame Duck session as their golden opportunity to grab as much of your access as possible.
Please take action today!
OHV and snowmobile enthusiasts must speak up now. Our message must be simple and clear: No Public Lands Omnibus!
Use our webpage . . . Rapid Response Center - BlueRibbon Coalition for another one of our famous INSANELY EASY Action Items.
Our webpage has a lot of other information that will be helpful. And as always, feel free to call our Public Lands staff with questions or comments. - BRC Land Use Update
