[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         GAYLORD NELSON APOSTLE ISLANDS STEWARDSHIP ACT OF 1998

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                      FEINGOLD AMENDMENT NO. 3808

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. MURKOWSKI submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him 
to the bill (S. 1966) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study 
whether the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore should be protected as a 
wilderness area; as follows:

       On page 4, after line 24, insert the following:
       (g) Transfer of Appropriated Funds.--
       (1) In general.--All amounts made available to the Denali 
     Commission for fiscal year 1999 shall be transferred to the 
     Secretary of the Interior for use in carrying out subsections 
     (c) and (d).
       (2) Unexpended balance.--Any balance of amounts transferred 
     under paragraph (1) that remain unexpended at the end of 
     fiscal year 1999 shall be returned to the general fund of the 
     Treasury of the United States.

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I am submitting an 
amendment to S. 1966, Gaylord Nelson Apostle Islands Stewardship Act of 
1988, a bill that I introduced on April 22, 1988. In keeping with my 
belief that progress toward a balanced budget should be maintained, I 
am proposing that a section be added to the bill which offsets the $4.1 
million in authorized spending for the Apostle Islands contained in my 
original bill, with the $20 million in funds appropriated in FY 99 to 
the Denali Commission. The Secretary of the Interior would be required 
to transfer $15.9 million above the money that it needs to take actions 
at the Apostle Islands back to the Treasury.
  Mr. President, the Denali Commission is not currently authorized. 
Authorization for this new commission was included in the Senate 
version of the FY 99 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, but was 
removed in conference. Nevertheless, the appropriators decided to set 
aside $20 million in funds pending the authorization of the Commission. 
Whatever the merits of this proposed commission may be, Mr. President, 
I am concerned that we have set aside such a large amount of money when 
we have acute appropriations needs at places like the Apostle Islands 
National Lakeshore, for an unauthorized program.
  I am further concerned, Mr. President, about creating a new Federal 
commission to address economic development and other State specific 
issues when Congress is seeking to back away from such commitments. For 
example, in the same bill that provides funds for the Denali 
Commission, the Congress terminates appropriated funds for the 
Tennessee Valley Authority, known as TVA, an action I have had 
legislation to accomplish since I became a Member of the Senate. I 
applaud congress for acting to end appropriated funds for TVA, but I 
fear we may take a step backward if we create a new entity that we now 
need to fund.
  I look forward to Senate Energy Committee consideration of the 
Gaylord Nelson Apostle Islands Stewardship Act of 1988, and its 
eventual passage.

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