[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 40 (Thursday, April 14, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  THE CALIFORNIA DESERT PROTECTION ACT

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I am pleased to support S. 21, 
the California Desert Protection Act. This bill will extend important 
and necessary natural resource protection to over 6 million acres of 
the California desert, lands that are of national significance and 
worthy of our investment. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of 
this legislation.
  The ecological, scientific, recreational, and cultural value of these 
fragile and spectacular lands is unquestioned. The lands preserved by 
this bill are home to over 750 species of animals and 2,000 species of 
plants, some of which may hold the key to scientific discoveries. A 
visitor to the California desert witnesses spectacular beauty in sand 
dunes rising to 600 feet, extinct volcanoes, badlands, dry lakes, and 
the world's largest Joshua-tree forest.
  This visitor to the national parks and wilderness area designated by 
this bill will also pump millions of dollars into the local economy. 
The National Park Service estimates that the three new parks--Death 
Valley, Joshua Tree, and Mojave--will generate more than $215 million 
in sales, $27.5 million in tax revenues from tourists, and create more 
than 4,000 jobs.
  Mr. President, this bill was first introduced in 1986. For 8 years 
those who wanted to preserve their option to engage in activities that 
degrade the land and its wildlife--grazing, mining, hunting, riding in 
off road vehicles--have stalled passage of the bill. But the hard work 
of Senator Dianne Feinstein and advocates of the bill have made a 
difference.
  Throughout the process, many concessions were made. I applaud the 
consensus. But, Mr. President, I am disappointed that the 200,000 acres 
of the Landfair Valley were deleted from the bill. This area is among 
the most ecologically diverse and scenic valleys of the proposed Mojave 
Park. However, sometimes it is necessary to concede on one issue for 
the greater good. Mr. President, this bill is indeed for the greater 
good.
  In these times of fiscal restraint, it is often difficult to justify 
committing Federal resources to preserve land. We, as Federal 
legislators, must always keep in mind our priorities, and the funding 
that must be appropriated--for our children, their education, their 
safety. This bill is an investment in our children and their future, 
not just for those who live near there, but for the children, perhaps 
from New Jersey, who may have the benefit of visiting the desert's 
great geological and cultural gifts or of learning about those who 
lived there centuries ago.
  We need this bill to preserve the desert's natural resources, protect 
its rich cultural heritage, and promote tourism and economic 
development. We need this bill to ensure that the spectacular 
California desert as we know it today will still be there years from 
now for our children and their children.

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