[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10953-S10955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMENDMENT TO THE FISCAL YEAR 1997 INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Mr. FORD. Mr. President, when the Senate returns to the consideration
of the Interior appropriations bill, I intend to offer an amendment
that would redirect the bill's earmark of $3 million to create a 20,000
acre national wildlife refuge in western Kentucky.
On Monday, the Senate approved the energy and water appropriations
bill that, due to budget constraints imposed by this Congress, will not
adequately fund an important, existing environmental project in western
Kentucky called the Land Between the Lakes. LBL is a 170,000-acre
preserve located just 15 miles east of the Interior bill's proposed
wildlife refuge.
I fail to see the logic of what some people are proposing here:
inadequately fund one outdoor facility, the Land Between the Lakes, on
Monday, and then, just days later, try to appropriate funding for a new
facility just 15 miles away. In Marshall County, where most of the
proposed refuge would be located, the judge/executive has asked me,
``why don't we take care of what we've got before we open a new nature
preserve?'' I could not agree more. The fact of the matter is that we
are not taking care of the Land Between the Lakes. Its appropriation
has dropped by one-third since 1994 even as millions of dollars' worth
of maintenance projects pile up.
The rider in the Interior appropriations bill will ensure that LBL
and other wilderness projects continue to go begging in years to come.
That is because the $3 million earmarked in the Interior appropriations
bill is just a fraction of the $15-20 million it will cost to actually
create the refuge. That is not just me talking. Those estimates are
from the Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. So, Mr. President, supporters of the earmark will be back next
year, and the year after, looking for more money for this new project.
What is worse is that Kentuckians living in the surrounding counties
do not even support the proposed wildlife refuge created by the bill. I
have already mentioned the statement of the Marshall County Judge
executive. Well, the Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation
District has also gone on record, saying, ``Our opposition to making a
Federal Wildlife Refuge of the East Ford of Clark's River stems from
the overwhelming opposition of land owners and tenants in the proposed
area.''
The sentiment if the same in Murray, KY, located in the adjacent
county of Calloway. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the
Record an editorial from the Murray Ledger-Times.
There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Murray Ledger & Times, Feb. 8, 1996]
National Refuge at Odds With LBL Dilemma
We're scratching our heads over the latest from Sen. Mitch
McConnell.
What could McConnell be thinking?
We know it's an election year, but can his plan to create a
national wildlife refuge just
[[Page S10954]]
15 miles west of Land Between the Lakes be serious?
The senator wants to buy up to 20,000 acres of land located
on the east fork of Clarks River which is the site of the
only major bottomland hardwood area left in Kentucky.
Listening to McConnell's plans for the area reminds us of a
brochure for LBL.
The senator stresses the environmental and educational
benefits of such a wildlife refuge.
Hmmm--they say the same thing about LBL.
McConnell's proposal is puzzling in light of his
involvement in securing operational funds for LBL.
The Tennessee Valley Authority has been under a constant
barrage from congressional critics the last two years. We
don't expect that scrutiny to lessen in the future.
McConnell has created his own catch-22 with a plan to spend
federal money to establish a wildlife refuge while TVA
officials are busy peddling a commercialized LBL.
If adequate funding can be assured for both wildlife areas,
we gladly embrace McConnell's plan.
However, Washington, D.C. becomes a twilight zone for such
promises.
Unless LBL's status becomes more secure, we'll have to say
thanks, but no thanks, Mitch.
Mr. FORD. The Ledger-Times reminds us that the refuge and the project
at Land Between the Lakes would provide very similar services and that
the creation of the refuge will put future LBL funding at risk.
Mr. President, supporters of the refuge have compiled a seemingly
impressive list of endorsements. But listen to who is on the list: Mall
Interiors, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Pride, Inc. I have no
doubt that these are fine organizations, but how are they qualified to
speak to a proposed wildlife refuge in western Kentucky?
Of course, there is also a list of Kentucky environmental
organizations who support the refuge. But again, you will not hear the
name of a single county or county organization in or near the proposed
wildlife refuge that supports it. In fact, the closes organization is
located over 80 miles and five counties away from where the refuge
would be located.
We should listen to the people of western Kentucky before creating a
refuge that currently includes at least 7,000 acres of cropland. What
will happen to that cropland? What about the communities and families
in and around the refuge? At a minimum, we should be holding official
public hearings in the community and inviting public comment before
establishing a wildlife refuge instead of creating it through an
appropriations earmark.
Mr. President, my amendment redirects the bill's earmarked funds
toward Land Between the Lakes projects that already enjoy wide support
in Kentucky. First, my amendment provides $2.25 million for the repair
and maintenance costs of ``the Trace,'' which is the north-south
roadway in the Land Between the Lakes. Over 2 million people visit the
LBL every year and they ought to be able to get from one end to the
other on a decent, safe road.
Second, my amendment directs $275,000 to repair the Brandon Springs
Resident Center, which serves as a youth camp for underprivileged and
disabled children. Brandon Springs is a great resource that we need to
protect and preserve, but its facilities are inadequate and
overextended. We need to make a commitment to Brandon Springs, not just
for children from Kentucky, but for the children who come from
Tennessee, Alabama, the Carolinas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois,
Virginia, and Ohio for a real wilderness experience. This is not just a
local operation. It is a national operation, Mr. President.
Last, my amendment directs $475,000 to provide water and sewer
service and disabled access for the youth station in the Land Between
the Lakes. Mr. President, it was heartbreaking to see this facility
closed due to lack of funds, which gave kids the chance to live in the
great outdoors and learn how to be good stewards of our natural
resources. Until it was closed due to lack of funding, the youth
station provided environmental education to thousands of
schoolchildren, including my own grandchildren--and I have that
personal experience, Mr. President--as well as adults. Teachers came to
youth station to receive valuable training in environmental education
at the facility and took that information back to their students. If
the center is reopened, I understand that at least two different
universities in the area have offered to assume the operational and
programming responsibilities of the facility, which will allow programs
to continue with virtually no Federal cost.
I have letters of support for what I propose today, and I ask
unanimous consent that they be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the letters were ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Mayfield, KY.
Senator Wendell Ford,
Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
To Senator Ford: I am writing this letter to you about a
matter I feel is of great importance to our region in Western
Kentucky. My name is Tawnya Hunter and I am a teacher at
Graves County High School in Mayfield, Kentucky. The matter
which I would like to inform you about is the closing of the
Youth Station in Land Between the Lakes.
As you know TVA has been cutting back on its funding of LBL
and one of its major cut backs was the closing of the Youth
Station. The Youth Station has been serving children and
adults of this area as well as across the country for about
twenty years. Children come and stay for various camps though
fewer and fewer have been offered to them in the last five to
six years. Murray State has been using the Youth Station for
about twelve years for several different teacher training
courses. This is how I got involved. I attended a week long
class on Environmental Education in which I got graduate
credit for. The experiences and materials obtained during
that week far surpass other classes and courses that are
required to take for masters classes. The same course taught
in a regular classroom would not have the same effect.
Since the impending closure Murray State has come up with a
proposal to run the Youth Station for TVA. TVA turned the
proposal down stating it could not afford what Murray State
proposed. What was proposed was that TVA allow Murray State
to run the facility and take over all costs after TVA
restored the place to a running condition (i.e., fix the
plumbing, telephones). This is where TVA said they could not
afford this. To let a facility like this go would be a
tremendous waste. If TVA truly cannot afford this proposal
then maybe Congress could pass a one time appropriation to
cover the initial cost to fix the Youth Station. This is
where I need your help. I am not in the habit of writing
Congressmen about problems but this is something that I feel
very strongly about, and I do not know where else to turn. If
there is anything that you could do to help, it would be well
worth your time and would be greatly appreciated. Dr. Joseph
Baust is the contact person at Murray State and has been
working extensively on saving the Youth Station since 1991.
He would be more than willing to meet with you or talk to you
about this any place and at any time. He can also tell you
much more about this than I can. I have really only told you
the very basics of this issue. Irene Riley is my ``Granny''
(my husband's Grandma but I consider her mine too) and I know
that she talked to you on your trip to Mayfield. Thank you in
advance for any consideration you give this issue.
Sincerely yours,
Tawnya Hunter.
____
Hopkinsville Electric System,
Hopkinsville, KY, May 7, 1996.
Ms. Moira Shea,
Senator Ford's Office, Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Moira: Thank you for your call and Senator Ford's
interest in Land Between the Lakes (LBL). As I mentioned, the
LBL budget request for this year is $6.6 million which
includes $900,000 for TVA police services not included last
year.
As a user of LBL, I personally think the budget has already
been cut too far. Attractions have been closed and roads and
facilities continue to deteriorate.
For example, ``The Trace'', which is the major north/south
roadway, is falling into disrepair. The cost to repave it
this year is $2.15 million which is not in the budget
request.
The Brandon Spring Group Camp had to be closed because
there was just not enough money to keep it in repair. This
facility was used by Murray State and other schools as a
youth camp, including under-privileged and disabled kids.
There, these kids could feel the great outdoors and study the
protection of our natural environment. The cost to refurbish
this facility, which includes repairing the ceilings, a new
HVAC unit, along with trail, fishing pier and parking lot
renovation (handicapped access), is $261,000--also not in the
budget request.
Funding of the above projects would go a long way toward
restoring LBL to a more usable state and would be much
appreciated by this region. However, this needs to be an add-
on to the budget request as funding of TVA's other Land and
Water Stewardship projects has already been cut to the bone.
We, the friends of LBL, certainly would be obliged by any
assistance Senator Ford could provide. Say ``hello'' to
Senator Ford and Charles for me.
Sincerely,
Austin B. Carroll,
General Manager.
[[Page S10955]]
Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I am not opposed to the creation of a
wildlife refuge, as proposed in the bill. What concerns me is the idea
that we here in the Senate can or should designate thousands of acres
of cropland--over 7,000 acres of cropland--as a wildlife refuge without
even consulting affected farmers. What concerns me is that we would
make this designation without consulting or seeking the consent of the
affected localities. What concerns me is a proposal that results in
Kentuckians writing to me to say, ``no one seems to listen'' isn't that
something?--``no one seems to listen to what the majority of landowners
and farmers, who are directly involved, are saying.''
With my amendment, we will be listening to the people of western
Kentucky. My amendment, unlike the proposal in the bill, has the
support of citizens in Kentucky who live around the Land Between the
Lakes and helps to preserve a vital natural resource we already have.
I urge my colleagues, if we get to the Interior bill, that they
support the adoption of my amendment.
I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
____________________