[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E19]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW WILDLIFE REFUGE AUTHORIZATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of Alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am today introducing the New 
Wildlife Refuge Reauthorization Act of 1997.
  By way of background, our National Wildlife Refuge System is 
comprised of 91.7 million acres of Federal lands that provide essential 
habitat for hundreds of species and offer recreational opportunities 
for millions of Americans.
  The first wildlife refuge at Pelican Island, FL, was created in 1903 
when President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive order setting 
aside three acres of land as a preserve and breeding grounds for native 
birds. Today, the system has 511 refuges, which are located in all 50 
States and 5 territories. These units range in size from the smallest 
of less than 1 acre at Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge in 
Minnesota, to the largest of 19.3 million acres in the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. In the last decade, more than 80 new refuges 
have been added to the system.
  The vast majority of our Nation's 511 refuge units were created 
administratively. In fact, less than 70 refuges have been designated by 
Congress. The authorizing committees, therefore, have had little, if 
any, input in the establishment of the other 460 refuges, which include 
the 192,493-acre Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, 
the 254,400-acre Hawaiian Island National Wildlife Refuge, and the 
572,000-acre Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. These 
Executive orders have set aside a huge amount of privately owned lands.
  Under current law, funding for refuge acquisitions comes from two 
primary sources: No. 1, annual appropriations from the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund [LWCF], and No. 2, the Migratory Bird Conservation 
Fund, which is financed from the purchase of a yearly duck stamp and 
refuge entrance fees.
  In the past, more than $1 billion in taxpayer money has been 
appropriated from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire lands 
that become additions to existing units or entirely new wildlife 
refuges. This represents a substantial expenditure of money by the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] without adequate input by Congress.
  By contrast, the Migratory Bird Commission, whose membership includes 
four bipartisan Members of Congress, regularly meets to evaluate and 
decide how Migratory Bird Conservation Fund will be spent. Under normal 
conditions, a Governor of a State, after consulting with local 
citizens, will recommend that a new refuge be created or that 
additional land be added to the system. It is a process that has worked 
effectively for a number of years.
  Regrettably, the checks and balances that exist on the uses of the 
Migratory Bird Conservation Fund simply do not exist in the allocation 
of money from the LWCF. Therefore, lacking such a review mechanism, we 
have a responsibility to carefully examine the recommendations of the 
USFWS and, if we so choose, to legislatively create any new wildlife 
refuge using LWCF money in the future. This is an essential change.
  Under the terms of the New Wildlife Refuge Reauthorization Act, no 
funds could be expended from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to 
create a new refuge without prior congressional authorization. This 
bill does not affect any land additions to the existing 511 wildlife 
refuges or those created with money from the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Fund.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress must have a more meaningful role in the 
acquisition of hundreds of acres of new Federal lands. We should 
authorize new wildlife refuges just as we authorize new flood control 
projects, highways, national parks, scenic rivers, and weapons systems. 
After all, we are talking about the expenditure of millions of 
taxpayers dollars. Furthermore, at a time when the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service has a $440 million backlog of unfinished wildlife 
refuge maintenance projects, a comprehensive review of the service's 
priorities is appropriate.
  I urge the adoption of the New Wildlife Refuge Authorization Act and 
want to thank our distinguished colleague from California, Richard 
Pombo, for his leadership in this important effort. By enacting this 
legislation, we will ensure that private property owners and their tax 
dollars are more adequately protected in the future.

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