[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 BACK COUNTRY LANDING STRIP ACCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. C.L. ``BUTCH'' OTTER

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 3, 2001

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the ``Back Country Landing 
Strip Access Act.'' This bill, which was introduced in the last 
Congress by Chairman Hansen of the Resources Committee, will prohibit 
the federal government from closing airstrips on public lands without 
the consent of the state aviation authority. I am grateful to Chairman 
Hansen for letting me re-introduce this bill this year, and would like 
to thank him and the 23 other original co-sponsors of this bi-partisan 
bill. I would also like to thank my fellow Idahoan, Senator Crapo, for 
introducing this legislation in the other body.
  Last year, Idaho and the other western states were threatened by some 
of the largest firestorms in the history of this country, in which more 
than 7 million acres of forest lands burned. People around the nation 
watched transfixed as brave firefighters battled on the ground and in 
the sky to protect lives and property. Most of those watching may not 
have been aware that the firefighters on the ground in these wilderness 
areas were supplied from airstrips on public land. Or that the aerial 
firefighting efforts depended on back country airstrips as safe havens 
in the case of emergency. Had back country landing strips not existed, 
firefighting efforts would have been crippled.
  Incredibly, for eight years before the fires the federal government 
had sought to remove these airstrips. Amazingly, the Departments of 
Agriculture and Interior had removed numerous airstrips on public lands 
without even consulting with pilots, land users or state aviation 
authorities. This heavy handed land management by unelected federal 
bureaucrats has placed innumerable lives in danger. Imagine if you were 
a pilot and attempted a dead-stick landing onto an airstrip on your 
chart, only to find a grove of trees planted in your path. Or, if you 
evacuated a camper with a medical emergency, and the runway you need 
had been destroyed by government inaction, the results would be 
devastating. The Back Country Landing Strip Access Act is a common 
sense measure that will prevent the closure of landing strips, and will 
require public notice and state approval for any such proposal.
  When this bill was introduced in the last Congress, many federal 
officials complained that it would place an unreasonable burden upon 
land management agencies. But how is it unreasonable for the federal 
government to seek the permission of a state before closing a field 
that a local community depends upon? Why is it unreasonable for rural 
communities to fly in the supplies and equipment they need to survive 
in winter?
  Mr. Speaker, I know this bill will work if enacted because we in 
Idaho have been working with this system for years. When Congress 
established the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area in 
1980, a provision was added that prohibited the federal government from 
closing any airstrip in the wilderness without the express written 
concurrence of the State of Idaho. This provision has not ruined the 
wilderness area. To the contrary, it has allowed the elderly, the 
handicapped and children to enjoy wilderness areas they would otherwise 
be unable to reach. It has preserved the ability of outfitters to bring 
sportsmen to the heart of the wilderness with a minimum of disruption. 
In short, it is a model for what we seek to accomplish in this bill.
  This bill is a common sense measure to restore cooperation between 
federal and state governments. It does not force the reopening of 
closed airfields. It does not require the federal government to spend 
extra money to maintain back country strips. In fact, this bill 
authorizes the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to enter into 
cooperative agreements with local groups to maintain back country 
strips.
  America's public lands should not be allowed to become ``no-fly 
zones.'' I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this vital 
legislation, and I am pleased to introduce it today.

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