[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 145 (Friday, October 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2089-E2090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE CORRIDOR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 24, 1997

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, to say I am disappointed with the outcome 
of the Interior Appropriations Conference Report as it pertains to the 
Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Corridor would be an 
understatement. The level of funding agreed to by the conferees does 
not in any way reflect the priority this is to the administration, to 
the House, and most importantly to the Nation.
  The administration requested $2.8 million for the wildlife corridor, 
which is truly a national treasure. I wholeheartedly supported this 
$2.8 million request, and was successful here in the House in securing 
this amount. To see this amount reduced by $1.9 million in conference 
reflects a true lack of vision not to mention a lack of commitment to 
preserving one of America's most priceless legacies.
  By providing only $900,000 for land acquisition, the conferees have 
ignored the importance of acting now to purchase lands from individuals 
willing to sell valuable wildlife habitat to the refuge. And let me 
point out that this is not a parochial issue. For years the Lower Rio 
Grande Valley NWR has ranked first among the Nation's wildlife refuges. 
It is famous for its wealth of birds. Half of all bird species in the 
United States are found here.
  The unparalleled wildlife richness is in danger. Twenty-one species 
in the Valley are federally listed as endangered or threatened, and 
another 3 species are considered imperilled in Texas. More than 100 of 
the 465 bird species found in the Valley are considered by the Texas 
Partners in Flight program to be ``species of special interest.''
  Funding for the conservation land acquisitions through the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has fallen short of the existing need 
for years. This year, the President and the Congress agreed in the 
Balanced Budget Agreement to provide an additional $700 million for the 
LWCF. This was to be in addition to the $166 million included in the 
President's request for fiscal year 1998. While the conferees have 
retained the total request, restrictions have been imposed that 
directly undercut funding for high-priority land acquisitions such as 
the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Diverting these 
already scarce funds to other uses, including

[[Page E2090]]

construction of a road and maintenance of buildings and other 
structures in refuges and parks, undercuts the entire purpose of the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund and reduces America's ability to 
conserve its vulnerable wildlife.
  This initiative ranks among my highest priorities here in Congress. 
As I have this year, I will in the next session continue to do all I 
can to see that this refuge receives the attention and the funding it 
deserves. I hope my House colleagues will join with me in this 
deserving effort.

                          ____________________