[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 59 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E724-E725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. ROBERT A. WEYGAND

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 701) to 
     provide Outer Continental Shelf Impact Assistance to State 
     and local governments, to amend the Land and Water 
     Conservation Fund Act of 1965, the Urban Park and Recreation 
     Recovery Act of 1978, and the Federal Aid in Wildlife 
     Restoration Act (commonly referred to as the Pittman-
     Robertson Act) to establish a fund to meet the outdoor 
     conservation and recreation needs of the American people, and 
     for other purposes:

  Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Chairman, as an original sponsor of H.R. 701, the 
Conservation and Reinvestment Act, I am in strong support of this 
important legislation.
  By providing an estimated $17 million per year for wildlife 
protection, open space preservation, urban parks, and coastal 
protection to my home state of Rhode Island, CARA will go a long way in 
providing the resources and investment necessary to fund vital 
conservation and recreation programs.
  As many of my colleagues know, I am a landscape architect by 
profession. I began my public service career by serving on my local 
planning board. Later, as Lieutenant Governor, I served as chairman of 
Rhode Island's Land Use Commission. During that time, I wrote Rhode 
Island's current land use and zoning laws which the won praise of 
planning organizations nationwide. I have spent the last 25 years 
working on ways to improve land use planning for communities and 
states. I can say with a high degree of expertise that providing a 
steady and stable conservation funding stream will improve the ability 
of states and communities to plan better and manage their growth. This 
legislation provides this critical funding stream.
  As communities continue to struggle with uncontrolled growth and the 
loss of sensitive environmental lands, this legislation provides states 
with the resources they need to address these issues. Many of us in 
Congress

[[Page E725]]

have been working hard to make our communities more livable. CARA takes 
us one step closer to making communities across the country more 
livable.
  As I travel across Rhode Island, my constituents urge me to make 
their communities more livable by improving the environment in which 
they live. In the northern part of my state, I continue to hear that we 
need more green and open space, more parks for their children to safely 
play. This legislation will provide the funds that communities, such as 
my home town of North Kingstown need to provide additional parks and 
open space.
  In the southern part of my State, the coastal areas, I continue to 
hear that we need to take further action to address coastal erosion, 
and prevent further damage to sensitive wetlands and salt ponds. As 
many of you know, Rhode Island is subject to severe winter storms and 
hurricanes. These storms do untold damage to habitat and salt ponds, 
and increase coastal erosion. This bill will provide Rhode Island with 
several million dollars per year to address the problems resulting from 
these storms.
  Many Members have taken to the floor to talk about the environmental 
importance of this bill. I agree. I would also like to address the 
potential economic benefits. For a state who's economy and way of life 
is largely dependent upon the Atlantic Coast and Narragansett Bay, 
preserving and restoring critical habitat and coastline is not only 
important to Rhode Island's environmental health but vital to its 
economic stability. Protecting our coastline will undoubtedly result in 
cleaner water which in turn, yields improved fish stocks for both the 
recreational and commercial fisheries. Both are significant economic 
generators for Rhode Island.
  One of Rhode Island's largest economic generators is the tourism 
industry. People from all over the world come to Rhode Island to sail, 
visit its beaches, and experience the natural beauty of its coastal 
landscape. Taking steps to protect the State's natural beauty will 
undoubtedly result in an improved tourism industry.
  Mr. Chairman, CARA is good for our environment, it is good for our 
economy, it will ease growth pressure on our communities, and I 
strongly urge my colleagues to support it.

                          ____________________