[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.

                          ____________________