[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13329-S13331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN HONOR OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND JOHN CHAFEE


                        The National Park System

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to honor two visionary 
statesmen--President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator John Chafee. Today, 
October 27, 1999, we celebrate what would have been President Theodore 
Roosevelt's 141st birthday. Last Friday, we celebrated John Chafee's 
77th--and much to our sadness his last.
  Working at opposite ends of the 20th century, these two outstanding 
leaders contributed greatly to the cause of preserving our precious 
natural resources for this and especially for future generations.
  President Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City. 
He is remembered as one of our finest Presidents. He is honored as such 
by being the only 20th century President to join Presidents Washington, 
Jefferson, and Lincoln at Mount Rushmore.
  In 1901, after the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore 
Roosevelt became America's youngest President. As a child, Roosevelt 
was faced with poor health and asthma. To escape the pollution of New 
York City, Roosevelt's father would often take him to Long Island for 
extended visits. It was there that Roosevelt began his lifelong 
devotion to the outdoors and to vigorous exercise. His dedication to 
the ``strenuous life'' was a hallmark of his career.
  In 1884, his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on 
the same day. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch, 
the Elkhorn, located in the Badlands of the Dakota Territory.
  Today, a portion of this ranch is included in the national park named 
in his honor--the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. 
History shows Roosevelt to be a true visionary as one reviews his many 
accomplishments. The Panama Canal, one of the world's engineering 
marvels, would not have been complete without President Roosevelt's 
tenacious leadership. He is remembered by business and labor as a 
``trust buster'' who spearheaded the dissolution of a large railroad 
monopoly in the Northwest using the Sherman Antitrust Act.
  In 1905, Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating an end to 
the Russo-Japanese War.
  But perhaps his greatest contribution to future generations of 
Americans was his passionate advocacy of conservationism. The history 
of our Nation is marked by activism on public lands issues. The 
beginning of the 19th century was marked by President Thomas 
Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory. That one purchase 
added almost 530 million acres to the United States. The Louisiana 
Purchase changed America from an eastern coastal Nation to a 
continental empire.
  Roosevelt set the tone for public lands issues at the beginning of 
the 20th century. His words and his actions created a new call to 
America's environmental ethic. Theodore Roosevelt said, ``We must ask 
ourselves if we are leaving for future generations an environment that 
is as good, or better, than what we found.''
  He lived up to his challenge. Mr. President, listen to what Theodore 
Roosevelt contributed to the public lands legacy of the United States. 
During his period in the White House, from 1901 to 1909, Theodore 
Roosevelt designated 150 national forests; the first 51 Federal bird 
reservations; 5 national parks; the first 18 national monuments; the 
first 4 national game preserves; and the first 21 reclamation projects.
  Theodore Roosevelt also established the National Wildlife Refuge 
System, beginning with Pelican Island in Florida, which was designated 
in 1903. Together, these projects equaled Federal protection for almost 
230 million acres--a land area equivalent to that of all the east coast 
States from Maine to Florida and just under one-half of the area of the 
Louisiana Purchase.
  Theodore Roosevelt's contributions to the public land trust cannot be 
equaled. Perhaps even greater was his contagious passion for the ethic 
of conservation that he managed to instill for the first time in 
America's consciousness, the idea of conservation and environmental 
protection as goals worthy of pursuit.
  Mr. President, Senator John Chafee was a leader in the Theodore 
Roosevelt model. Senator Chafee was a major participant in every piece 
of environmental legislation that passed the Congress since the early 
1980s. He authored the Superfund program, created in 1980 to direct and 
fund the cleanup of hazardous waste dump sites and leaking underground 
storage tanks.
  In 1982, he sponsored the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, a law that 
resulted in the preservation of thousands of acres of coastline 
throughout the Nation.
  He led major reform of the Clean Water Act in 1986, introducing more 
thorough controls on industrial pollution and a new emphasis on non-
point source pollution.
  He created the National Estuary Program to protect coastal resources 
and

[[Page S13330]]

steered the bill to enactment over a Presidential veto in 1987.
  In the 1980s, Senator Chafee turned his attention to the air, leading 
efforts to adopt the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, taking steps to 
control acid rain and toxic chemical emissions.
  In 1993, Senator Chafee wrote the law establishing the nation's first 
indoor air hazard research and response program.
  With his clear head, methodical mind, and ability to broker a 
compromise, Senator Chafee led us through these legislative battles to 
today's result--a legal infrastructure of environmental law that 
ensures our own health and safety and preserves the public land trust 
established by Theodore Roosevelt.
  On this day, as we celebrate the 141st anniversary of the birth of 
Theodore Roosevelt and pay tribute to the work of Senator John Chafee, 
we must ask ourselves, ``Can we meet the challenge posed by Theodore 
Roosevelt and leave an environment for future generations that is as 
good or better than it was when we found it?'' Are we worthy inheritors 
of the legacy of John Chafee?
  Senator Chafee leaves us with his model to follow as a member of this 
body which took Roosevelt's challenge to heart and led the Environment 
and Public Works Committee to take actions on the environment that have 
left us better off than when he arrived in the Senate.
  Sadly, I argue that we, the Senate, are struggling with a backlog of 
neglect and are ill prepared to assure the well being of one of the 
most prominent examples of America's environmental heritage: our 
national parks.
  In 1916, Congress created the National Park Service ``. . . to 
conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the 
wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such 
manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the 
enjoyment of future generations.''
  My friend and colleague, the Presiding Officer, and I have the 
privilege of living in two of our States which have been especially 
blessed by God and blessed by preceding generations willing to take the 
steps to protect the beauties of the Yellowstone, or of an Everglades. 
The challenge that we have is worthy of the standard that has been set 
by Theodore Roosevelt and the others who have made it possible for us 
to enjoy those wonders of nature.
  Today, the ``unimpaired'' status of our national parks is at-risk.
  On April 22, 1999, the National Parks and Conservation Association 
identified this year's ten-most endangered parks.
  In his opening remarks, Mr. Tom Kiernan, president of the NPCA, 
stated that these parks were chosen not because they are the only parks 
with endangered resources, but because they demonstrate the resource 
damages that are occurring at all of our parks.
  These parks demonstrate the breadth of the threats facing our park 
system.
  For example, Chaco Culture National Historical Park in Chaco Canyon, 
New Mexico, contains the remains of thirteen major structures that 
represent the highest point of Pueblo pre-Columbian civilization.
  What is the status of this great world treasure?
  In the words of the NPCA, it is ``. . . falling victim to time and 
neglect.'' Weather damage, inadequate preservation, neglected 
maintenance, tourism impacts, and potential resource development on 
adjacent lands threaten the long-term life of these structures.
  Another example: All of the parks in the Florida Everglades region 
were included on the list of the most endangered.
  In this area, decades of manipulation of the water system led to loss 
of significant quantities of Florida's water supply to tide each day, a 
90-percent decline in the wading bird population, invasion of non-
native plants and animals, and shrinking wildlife habitat.
  Mr. President, you will be particularly interested and saddened by 
what the National Park and Conservation Association calls Yellowstone 
National Park, the ``poster child for the neglect that has marred our 
national parks.''
  We have all heard Senator Thomas and others speak about the 
degradation of the sewage handling and treatment system at Yellowstone 
National Park--a situation that has caused spills into Yellowstone Lake 
and nearby meadows, sending more than 225,000 gallons of sewage into 
Yellowstone's waterways, threatening the water quality of this 
resource.
  I recently had an opportunity to visit yet another example of 
neglect, Ellis Island National Monument in New York Harbor. The state 
of the historical resources in this important part of the history and 
heritage of America--the space through which millions of people first 
gained their exposure and appreciation and commitment to America--is 
unconscionable.
  While there are a handful of buildings that have been restored to 
their previous level of majesty, over 30 buildings where immigrants 
came to the United States lie abandoned, in disrepair, and 
deteriorating.
  Particularly troubling was damage to the hospital buildings, which, 
when restored, will be a valuable tool in recreating an important era 
in our nation's history.
  The hospital on Ellis Island provided care for immigrants who were 
detained temporarily for medical reasons.
  This marked one of our country's earliest efforts at providing for 
public health and disease control and prevention.
  Broken windows and leaky roofs have allowed the elements to wreak 
havoc on these buildings and trees are sprouting from the floorboards 
of what was once an immigrant dormitory.
  Lead paint flakes fall from the walls and rats scurry down historic 
hallways.
  There are efforts being made to block further deterioration, but the 
existing damage is extensive.
  Small scale actions to prevent further destruction are wholly 
inadequate in the face of the extensive damage to these buildings which 
are so important to our nation's history.
  Mr. President, the sad circumstances of Chaco Canyon, of the 
Everglades, of Yellowstone, of Ellis Island, the sad circumstances of 
these few examples by no means mean that they are the extent of the 
challenge of our national parks.
  In fact, estimates of the maintenance backlog at our national parks 
reach as high as $3.5 billion. The National Park Service has now 
developed a 5-year plan to meet this requirement based on its ability 
to execute funds and the priorities of the National Park System.
  This year the National Park Service requested $194 million in order 
to commence the process of meeting this accumulated backlog of 
maintenance needs.
  I am pleased to say, Mr. President, that I believe Members of 
Congress should take some pride in the fact that as a result of this 
year's appropriations process the House and Senate have modified the 
National Park Service request of $194 million and increased it to 
$224.5 million. This is a very commendable step forward.
  I am proud of the actions of the appropriations committees. I know 
that there is likely to be further executive and legislative 
considerations of the budget of the National Park Service before we 
complete our action. But I hope that we will continue to maintain this 
level of commitment to meeting the backlog of urgent maintenance needs 
in our national parks.
  Although these actions demonstrate a willingness to work to meet the 
needs of the National Park Service, I believe we cannot adequately 
address the extent of needs, including the needs of natural resources 
within the Park System and the external threats to those natural 
resources with a piecemeal approach.
  There is a limit to what we can do with the tools we have today. The 
Senate is working to fund 21st century needs for construction and 
natural resource preservation using a 19th century, year-to-year annual 
appropriations process. What the National Park Service needs is a 
sustained, reliable funding source that will allow it to develop 
intelligent plans based on a prioritization of needs with confidence 
that the funds will be available when they are necessary to complete 
those plans. This approach will allow common sense to prevail when 
projects are prioritized for funding.
  Let me use the example which is closest to me. That is the effort 
about to be launched for restoration of the Florida Everglades. We are 
now over half a century into man's major manipulation of the Florida 
Everglades, a

[[Page S13331]]

manipulation which has had many positive effects in terms of protecting 
millions of people from the ravages of flooding but has also very 
fundamentally changed the character of the Florida Everglades. The 
Corps of Engineers has presented to the Congress its recommendation of 
how to remedy the scars that have been imposed on the Everglades. If 
authorized by this Congress, the Everglades restoration plan of the 
Corps of Engineers will be the most extensive restoration of an 
environmental system ever undertaken in our Nation's history and, in 
all probability, in the history of the world. It will be an effort at 
the beginning of the 21st century of the scale, boldness, and challenge 
that  the Panama Canal was at the beginning of the 20th century.

  This is also going to be a project which will challenge America 
financially. The estimate is that over the 20 years to complete this 
project, the total cost will be approximately $8 billion. The State of 
Florida will pay half; the Federal Government will pay half. The math 
indicates that for each year for the next 20 years, the average demand 
on Federal resources for this restoration project will be approximately 
$200 million.
  I think it is critical before we begin this restoration we have the 
maximum assurance of the resources necessary to complete the 
restoration. I use the analogy of open-heart surgery. If one is going 
to open up a system and take a great knife and begin to cleave the 
changes that have occurred in the Everglades over the last 50 years so 
that at the conclusion of this operation we will have a healthier, more 
natural system, it is incumbent upon those who start the surgery to be 
assured they will have the resources to complete the operation. Failure 
to have those resources at any stage throughout this 20-year process 
will certainly result in the death of the patient.
  We have taken some steps to attempt to assure a more reliable source 
of funds for the National Park Service. Your colleague, Senator Thomas, 
led the way to reform with his landmark legislation on the National 
Park Service called Vision 2000. This legislation adopted for the first 
time both concessions reform and science-based decisionmaking on 
resource needs within the Park Service. We took a big step forward last 
year with the extension of the fee demonstration program. The fee 
demonstration program allows individual parks to charge entrance fees 
and to use a portion of the proceeds for maintenance backlog and 
natural resource projects. This action generated about $100 million 
annually for the Park System.
  Now it is time to take the next step. Earlier this year with Senators 
Reid and my colleague, Senator Mack, we introduced legislation entitled 
``The National Park Preservation Act.'' This legislation would provide 
dedicated funding to the National Park Service to restore and conserve 
the natural resources within our Park System. This legislation seeks to 
address the long-term efforts required to truly restore and protect our 
natural, cultural, and historic resources within the National Park 
Service.
  This legislation would allocate funds derived from the use of a 
nonrenewable resource, our offshore drilling in the outer continental 
shelf, to recover the American resource of oil and gas. We would then 
convert those funds derived from the Federal royalty on offshore oil 
and gas drilling for a program of restoration and preservation of our 
natural, cultural, and historic resources within the National Park 
Service. These funds provided by our bill would assure that each year 
the National Park Service would have the resources it needed to restore 
and prevent damages to its resources.
  At the beginning of this century, at a time of relative tranquility, 
President Theodore Roosevelt managed to instill a nation with a 
tradition of conservation with this simple challenge: Can we leave this 
world a better place for future generations?
  At the end of this century, we honor Senator John Chafee who leaves a 
legacy of a legal infrastructure that provides a foundation upon which 
we can continue to meet President Theodore Roosevelt's challenge. Let 
us keep the vision of these great leaders in mind as we embark together 
on our efforts to protect  the National Park System into the new 
century.

  In the words of President Theodore Roosevelt: Nothing short of 
defending the country during wartime compares in importance with the 
great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our 
descendents than it is for us.

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