[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE NATURAL RESOURCE SUMMIT OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 1997

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few moments 
to talk about one of the silver linings in the cloud of apprehension 
and mistrust left behind by the 104th Congress in its handling of 
environmental issues. One of the very good things that came out of that 
Congress was the formation of the Natural Resource Summit of America. 
The NRSA is a coalition of now 37 organizations determined not to let 
natural resource policy in this country fall victim to the sort of 
extremism that was all too often evident in that 104th Congress.
  The existence of one more environmental coalition isn't usually cause 
for notice. But the NRSA is different, because in this one collection 
of separate and independent groups, you see the first very impressive 
signs of the profound change occurring in the debate over natural 
resources. For the first time in a very long time, hunters, anglers, 
environmentalists, outdoor publications, outdoor business groups, 
natural resource scientists, and others have come together around a 
common set of principles.
  One of the NRSA's leaders is Helen Sevier, the Chair and CEO of 
B.A.S.S., Inc., the parent company of the Bass Anglers Sportman 
Society. Joined by my distinguished colleague Sherwood Boehlert, I had 
the pleasure of meeting Helen and hearing her speak last summer at the 
NRSA's first grassroots meeting in Birmingham. When I listened to her 
describe the NRSA, it was clear that the groups were uniting not only 
around common environmental principles, but also around common sense 
and an end to partisanship and extreme language.
  That day in Birmingham, she recalled being labeled as an 
``environmental extremist'' for opposing the Clean Water Act 
reauthorization process in the House in the 104th Congress:


       We said, ``wait a minute, these guys really don't get it. 
     They don't understand the way Americans really feel about 
     their natural resources. They don't appreciate the 25 years 
     of phenomenal progress that has been made improving our 
     Nation's air and water quality. And they don't recognize the 
     needs that still exist to restore ecosystems and fish and 
     wildlife habitat.'' So we thought that if the environmental 
     groups and the concerns they expressed on natural resource 
     legislation were considered by Congress to be extreme, or not 
     representative of the values of average Americans, then by 
     merging the image of the hunting and fishing groups with the 
     environmentalists we may be able to refocus congressional 
     attention on the importance of natural resource values among 
     their constituents.


  Mr. Speaker, the attention of Congress is already being refocused by 
cooperative efforts like that of the NRSA. On issues like protection of 
land and water habitats, clean water, wetlands, and forests, the vast 
outdoor community has shown its concern and its strength. The NRSA 
recently sent a letter to every Member of Congress stating the groups' 
priorities. They include maintaining the integrity of our public lands 
and waters and keeping them public, strengthening the Clean Water Act, 
and enhancing funding for the stewardship of public lands and natural 
resources.

  These priorities are the result of more than a year of discussions 
between some very different people: a pair of scientists, one from the 
American Fisheries Society another from the National Wildlife 
Federation, a land protection specialist from the Sierra Club, a 
conservation expert from the B.A.S.S., an editor at Sports Afield 
magazine, a lawyer from the Environmental Defense Fund, just to name a 
few. These discussions produced a framework for action and a set of 
common sense shared goals.
  Mr. Speaker, we are going to hear a lot from the NRSA in the coming 
months about natural resource policy. But I think we can learn more 
from than a set of positions on issues. We can learn that groups and 
individuals who share a vision of the future and are dedicated to the 
hard work of getting there, should refuse to let traditional 
partisanship, extreme rhetoric, or simple complacency stand in their 
way. It's a lesson the NRSA appears to have learned and an example for 
this Congress to follow.

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