[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 113 (Tuesday, September 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8416-S8420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                            2003--Continued

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time for 
working on this bill be extended past the hour of 12:30, until Senator 
Burns and I can clear these amendments.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                Amendment No. 4523 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of 
Senator Boxer.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment is 
laid aside. The clerk will report.
  Mr. REID. Yes. I failed to ask that. I appreciate that, Mr. 
President.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid], for Mrs. Boxer, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 4523.

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

 (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate regarding 36 undeveloped 
  oil and gas leases in the Southern California planning area of the 
                        outer Continental Shelf)

       At the appropriate place, add the following:

     SEC.   . SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OFFSHORE OIL LEASES.

       (a) Congress finds that--
       (1) There are 36 undeveloped oil leases on the land in the 
     Southern California planning area of the Outer Continental 
     Shelf that have been under review for an exceptionally long 
     period of time, some going back over thirty years, and have 
     yet to be approved for development pursuant to the Outer 
     Continental Shelf Lands Act:
       (2) The oil companies that hold these 36 leases have 
     expressed an interest in retiring these leases in exchange 
     for equitable compensation and are engaged in settlement 
     negotiations with the Department of the Interior regarding 
     the retirement of these leases; and
       (3) It would be a waste of taxpayer dollars to continue the 
     process for approval or permitting of these 36 leases when 
     both the lessees and the Department of the Interior have said 
     they expect there will be an agreement to retire these 
     leases.
       (b) It is the sense of the Senate that no funds should be 
     spent to approve any exploration, development, or production 
     plan for, or application for a permit to drill on the 36 
     undeveloped leases while the lessees are discussing a 
     potential retirement of these leases with the Department of 
     the Interior.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the pending amendment, which I have offered 
at the request of Senator Boxer, is a sense-of-the-Senate amendment 
regarding southern California offshore oil leases. The amendment notes 
that several leases have not been developed and that the leaseholders 
are negotiating with the Government to retire those leases. During 
these negotiations, the amendment urges that no funds be spent on 
development of the leases.
  The amendment has been agreed to by Senator Burns.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana is recognized.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I would normally object to any amendment 
that would withdraw any lands from energy development or consideration. 
However, this one is just a little bit different. This is already tied 
up in litigation. I think anytime we shield land from energy 
exploration, we do not do this country a great favor, nor do we help 
our situation in the Middle East.
  So I think should it be in any other form--there are litigation 
discussions now ongoing that could possibly expose this Government to a 
massive takings litigation. However, the way it is worded, it is only a 
sense of the Senate, and I do not object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4523) was agreed to.
  Mr. REID. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. BURNS. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.


                Amendment No. 4524 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Bennett, I send an 
amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Montana [Mr. Burns], for Mr. Bennett, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 4524.


[[Page S8417]]


  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To set aside forest legacy program funds for the Castle Rock 
       Phase 2 project and Chalk Creek (Blonquist) project, Utah)

       On page 65, line 7, strike ``Program,'' and insert 
     ``Program (of which $2,000,000 is for the Castle Rock Phase 2 
     project, $1,600,000 is for the Chalk Creek (Blonquist) 
     project, and none is for the Range Creek #3 project, 
     Utah),''.

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, the amendment reallocates funding provided 
in the bill for Forest Legacy projects in the State of Utah. The 
amendment is fully offset, and both sides have agreed to it. I urge its 
adoption.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the amendment?
  Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4524) was agreed to.
  Mr. BURNS. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. REID. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 4525 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending 
amendment be set aside, and I send an amendment to the desk on behalf 
of Senator Cleland and Senator Thompson.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid], for Mr. Cleland, for 
     himself and Mr. Thompson, proposes an amendment numbered 
     4525.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

   (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate concerning adequate 
                 funding for the National Park Service)

       On page 64, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:

     SEC. 1__. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR 
                   THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the National Park Service is responsible for the 
     preservation and management of the natural and cultural 
     resources of the National Park System for the enjoyment, 
     education, and inspiration of the present and future 
     generations;
       (2) the National Park Service is the caretaker of some of 
     the most valued natural, cultural, and historical resources 
     of the United States;
       (3) the National Park System provides countless 
     opportunities for the citizens of the United States to enjoy 
     the benefits of the heritage of the United States;
       (4) the National Park Service is struggling to accommodate 
     an increasing number of visitors while maintaining the 
     National Park System; and
       (5) in an effort to support the purposes of the National 
     Park System, in recent years Congress has, with respect to 
     units of the National Park System, substantially increased 
     the amount of funding available for operations, maintenance, 
     and capital projects.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that Congress should--
       (1) to the maximum extent practicable, continue efforts to 
     increase operational funding for the National Park System; 
     and
       (2) seek to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog by 
     fiscal year 2007.
  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I would like to thank Senator Byrd and 
Senator Burns, along with their staffs, for the hard work they have put 
into the Fiscal Year 2003 Interior Appropriations bill. I know that, 
with the current budgetary constraints, it was not easy task to craft a 
bill which would fund all of the agencies and programs which fall under 
this legislation. The FY 2003 Interior Appropriations bill includes 
close to $.6 billion for the National Park Service. This is an increase 
of nearly $100 million above the FY 2002 funding level and I know it 
will go a long way in helping the National Park Service meet their 
responsibilities to maintain our National Park system. However, the 
National Park Service currently has an estimated $600 million annual 
shortfall in operations funding which has significantly contributed to 
a backlog of unmet needs, threatening the natural, historic, and 
cultural treasures that the National Park Service was established to 
protect.
  The National Park Service is charged with managing 83 million acres 
of land, 385 sites, habitat for 168 threatened or endangered species, 
more than 80 million museum objects, 1.5 million archeological sites, 
an 26,000 historic structures. Park Service employees do a remarkable 
job of preserving our heritage and welcoming park visitors, nearly 300 
million each year, however, it has become clear that if the Park 
Service is to continue the good work they do, the Congress must provide 
substantial increase in funding so as to alleviate the maintenance 
backlog which is contributing to the physical deterioration of our 
parks and cut-backs in services provided.
  The Chichamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in 
Georgia and Tennessee, has more than 1,400 monuments and plaques, most 
erected during the 1890's and early 1900's to honor those who lost 
their lives during the Civil War. Many of these historic monuments have 
been vandalized or otherwise damaged over the years and have not been 
repaired due to a lack of funding. Another National Park Service site 
in Georgia, the Ocmulgee National Monument, was established to preserve 
the cultural remnants of 12,000 years of human habitation in the 
Southeastern United States. While Ocmulgee boasts the second-largest 
museum collection in the park system, there is no museum curator on 
site to monitor the artifacts. Funding limitations have also impaired 
the Park Service's efforts to teach visitors about the park's cultural 
resources. Most recently, a week-long program introducing local youth 
to the park was discontinued, and instead of receiving a guided tour of 
the park as in the past, visitors are fortunate if there is a ranger 
available to hand them a brochure upon entering the park.
  Earlier this year, Senator Thompson and I were joined by 26 of our 
colleagues in requesting that the Senate Interior Appropriations bill 
include increased funding for the National Park Service. While the 
Committee did not increase funding as much as we had hoped for, we are 
most appreciative for the increase of nearly $100 million. Today, 
Senator Thompson and I have again worked together to introduce an 
amendment expressing the Sense of the Senate that the National Park 
Service is of tremendous importance and value to the American people 
and that the Congress should significantly increase operational funding 
and eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog by 2007. I thank Senator 
Akaka and Senator Graham for their leadership on this issue and 
appreciate their co-sponsorship of this amendment.
  Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. President, as we debate the Interior Appropriations 
bill, I would like to take this opportunity to focus attention on 
underinvestment in our national parks, an issue of particular 
importance to me and the millions of Americans who visit our national 
parks each year. Earlier this year I joined 27 of my colleagues in 
writing to Chairman Byrd and Senator Burns to request a $280 million 
increase above the fiscal year 2002 level for the National Park 
Service's operating budget. While the bill before us does not reach 
that goal, it is a step in the right direction and provides almost $98 
million more than last year's funding level. I thank Chairman Byrd and 
Senator Burns for their leadership, and especially for their commitment 
to continue working to increase operational funding for the National 
Park Service and to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog by 2007.
  Our national parks are a precious resource that we have a 
responsibility to protect. I have seen first hand the important role 
that our national parks play in conserving our natural resources and 
shaping our national heritage, and I have also witnessed the problems 
associated with a lack of resources for our parks. The Great Smoky 
Mountains National Park, located in my home State of Tennessee, is the 
Nation's most visited national park, welcoming more visitors each year 
than the Grand Canyon and Yosemite combined. Unfortunately, the Great 
Smoky Mountains National Park, like so many other parks across the 
country, is struggling to cope with an increasing number of visitors, a 
deteriorating infrastructure, and a general lack of resources. While 
Congress has regularly increased funding to operate and maintain the 
National Park

[[Page S8418]]

System, we need to do more. The Federal Government has a fundamental 
responsibility to ensure that the Nation's 385 national parks are 
preserved for the enjoyment of current and future generations.
  Since 1980, park visitation has grown by more than 40 percent and 
Congress has added more than 60 new park units. More visitors means 
more stress on roads, campgrounds, and trails, and requires higher 
staffing levels to ensure that visitors are kept safe and resources are 
protected. One might say our parks are being loved to death, and 
Congress must make it a priority to provide the funding necessary to 
keep pace with increasing needs. The threats facing the parks can no 
longer be ignored, and each year of delay only compounds the problem.
  The amendment I am offering with Senator Cleland makes clear the 
Senate's commitment to meeting our responsibility to our national 
parks. The amendment expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress 
should, to the maximum extent practicable, continue efforts to increase 
operational funding for the National Park System and to eliminate the 
deferred maintenance backlog by 2007. The President has promised to 
address the maintenance backlog, and I commend his efforts. The 
deterioration of our national parks did not happen overnight, and a 
solution is going to require a long-term commitment from both the 
administration and Congress.
  The national parks exist for the use and enjoyment of all Americans 
and teach us important lessons about ourselves and the natural world in 
which we live. At a crucial time in our Nation's history, Americans 
should able to visit our national parks and experience them as they 
were meant to be enjoyed. A neglected and underfunded National Park 
System is not the legacy that I want to leave to our children and 
grandchildren. I am pleased that the Senate has recognized the 
importance of adequately funding our national parks, and it is my hope 
that Congress will continue to provide increased funding in the years 
to come.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I join my colleagues, Senator Cleland and 
Senator Thompson, in offering an amendment to the Interior 
Appropriations bill that shows the Senate's support for funding our 
national parks.
  I am cosponsoring this amendment after hearing comments from park 
employees, park supporters, and park visitors about the importance of 
providing adequate funds to maintain our nation's natural treasures 
during my Third Annual National Parks Issues Forum, held at Zion 
National Park in Utah.
  Tomorrow marks one year since the horrific terrorist attacks on our 
Nation. Events such as these remind us of the importance of having 
places of refuge were we can go to refresh and renew our spirits. John 
Muir wrote in his book Our National Parks, ``Thousands of tired, nerve-
shaken, overcivilized people are beginning to find out that going to 
the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that 
mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of 
timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life.''
  John Muir's thoughts still ring true. Our national parks, be they 
mountains, deserts, or rivers of grass, are critically important places 
for Americans to go and escape the trials of civilized life.
  Our Nation's cultural and natural heritage are preserved in our 
parks. We have demonstrated our initial commitment to preserving this 
heritage by setting aside these special places as national parks. We 
must now continue to demonstrate our commitment to these special places 
by providing a level of funding adequate to operate and maintain them.
  Throughout the park system there are historic structures and 
buildings that require rehabilitation; there are utility systems that 
require repair or replacement; there are roads that require paving. In 
addition there are units that are woefully understaffed. Given our 
current fiscal constraints, we must be sure to invest each of our 
dollars in those places that will do the most good and make the biggest 
impact in our parks.
  I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Senator Akaka's 
leadership on this and other issues of critical importance to the 
national parks. Senator Akaka is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on 
National Parks and I have long enjoyed our work together to improve our 
parks.
  Like Senator Akaka, I believe that our national parks are worthy of 
our investment--worthy of our commitment. I urge my colleagues to help 
provide our parks with an adequate level of funding.
  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, God blessed this Nation with an abundance 
of natural resources and places of unmatched natural beauty. I am so 
glad that as a Nation we have set aside portions of our land for the 
enjoyment of the American people and have preserved our heritage by the 
restoration and maintenance of dozens of historic sites around America.
  However over the course of my nearly thirty years in the Senate, I 
have seen the Federal Government fumble year after year its stewardship 
over the lands it holds as a fiduciary for the American People.
  The Federal Government has continued to add acre after acre year 
after year, when it has been demonstrated that it cannot maintain what 
it already has. This has placed an enormous burden on the National Park 
Service and other Federal agencies who manage and hold in trust land 
for the American people.
  The Park Service is charged with managing 385 sites which comprise 83 
million acres of land drawing 300 million visitors per year. The 
Service is also responsible for, among other things, the care of more 
than 80 million museum artifacts that trace American history.
  According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, the 
National Park Service estimated that its national maintenance backlog 
was $4.9 billion when it submitted its fiscal year 2002 budget request 
to the Congress. Let me say this again, $4.9 Billion.
  The Appropriations Committee has recognized this and recommended an 
increase of $97,990,000 above the fiscal year 2002 enacted level, and 
$500,000 above the budget request, and I'm glad the Committee included 
an additional $20,000,000 in to meet these needs. Included in that is a 
2.9 percent increase for base operations of National Parks in North 
Carolina. That is encouraging but the Federal Government needs to catch 
up.
  According to the figures supplied to me by the National Park Service 
the total amount for ``deferred repair/rehabilitation construction for 
the National Park Units in North Carolina is $65,231,974.
  My friend from Georgia, Mr. Cleland, and my friend from Tennessee, 
Mr. Thompson, have offered a ``sense of the Senate'' resolution that 
calls upon the Federal Government to catch up on the hundreds of 
maintenance and repair projects in our national parks which I support.
  Clearly, the Federal Government is behind the eight ball on its 
fiduciary duty to maintain and operate the National Park System.
  In my State of North Carolina there are 9 sites within the State and 
three other parks service units that we share with other States, 
including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we share with 
Tennessee, the Blue Ridge Parkway that we share with Virginia and the 
Appalachian National Scenic Trail that we share with the states of 
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia , Virginia, Tennessee 
and Georgia. There are a total of 416,620.1 acres of land that the 
National Park Service manages for the federal government in North 
Carolina.
  The Federal Government needs the resources for proper management and 
catching up on the backlog of maintenance and construction projects on 
the Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail, Cape Hatteras National 
Seashore, Carl Sandburg Home and National Historic Site, Fort Raleigh 
National Historic Site, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guilford 
Courthouse National Military Park, Moores Creek National Battlefield, 
and the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
  These parks and historic sites are among the most visited in the 
nation and these units in North Carolina are among the most beautiful, 
spectacular and historically significant in the Nation. The first 
powered flight occurred

[[Page S8419]]

at the site of the Wright Brothers Memorial on December 17, 1903. Next 
year America will gather at the Wright Brothers National Memorial to 
celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of flight and I am grateful to the 
Appropriations Committee for providing needed funding for this event.
  The Revolutionary War battle at the site of the Guilford Courthouse 
National Military Park that was fought on March 15, 1781 is where 
General Nathanael Greene and his army of 4,400 patriots severely 
crippled Lord Cornwallis's professional troops of 1,900 men. Lord 
Cornwallis lost a quarter of his army and almost a third of his 
officers.
  This was the largest and most hotly contested battle in the 
Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign and led to the American victory 
and British surrender at Yorktown seven months later.
  The beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cape Hatteras 
National Seashore, Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway are 
unmatched.
  Our National Parks are like the front porch of America, they need to 
be swept and keep clean and well maintained at all times because it is 
a reflection of the America people. I do hope the Senate will pass this 
resolution and that the Federal Government will do a better job in the 
months and years ahead managing and maintaining land in the National 
Park Service system for our children and grandchildren.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, this amendment, proposed by Senators Cleland 
and Thompson, is a sense of the Senate amendment pertaining to funding 
for the National Park Service. While noting that Congress has 
substantially increased funding for the Park Service over the past few 
years, the amendment urges Congress to continue that effort and to try 
to eliminate the maintenance backlog by fiscal year 2007. The amendment 
has been cleared by both sides. It is my understanding Senator Burns 
has agreed to the amendment.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, there is no objection on this side. In 
fact, we support the amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4525) was agreed to.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. BURNS. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 4526 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 4526.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows: Q02

 (Purpose: To make a technical correction to the conveyance of land to 
                     the city of Mesquite, Nevada)

       On page 64, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:

     SEC. 1__. CONVEYANCE OF LAND TO THE CITY OF MESQUITE, NEVADA.

       Section 3(f)(2)(B) of Public Law 99-548 (100 Stat. 3061; 
     113 Stat. 1501A-168) is amended by striking ``(iv) Sec. 8.'' 
     and inserting the following:
       ``(iv) Sec. 7.
       ``(v) Sec. 8.''.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, this amendment relates to a community about 
90 miles outside Las Vegas on the Utah border. We have conveyed land to 
them on a previous occasion. This is a technical correction. It 
corrects a subsection number in Public Law 99-548. This has the 
clearance of Senator Burns.
  Mr. BURNS. I have no objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4526) was agreed to.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. BURNS. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 4527 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf 
of Senator Stevens of Alaska.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Montana [Mr. Burns], for Mr. Stevens, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 4527.

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       At the appropriate place in the bill insert the following:
       Section 401(e)(4)(B) of Public Law 105-83 is amended after 
     (Not more than) by striking ``5 percent'' and inserting ``15 
     percent''.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, this simply changes the administrative cost 
cap for the Northern Pacific Research Board, an entity that was created 
by Congress in the fiscal year 1998 Interior bill to conduct marine 
research. The amendment has been cleared by both sides.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4527) was agreed to.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. REID. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 4528 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 4528.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

 (Purpose: To set aside additional funds for permitting of geothermal 
 energy applications, the processing of wind-energy rights-of-way, and 
Bureau of Land Management realty and ownership management in the State 
                               of Nevada)

       On page 2, line 14, strike ``of which'' and insert ``of 
     which not more than $750,000 shall be made available for 
     permitting of geothermal energy applications and the 
     processing of wind-energy rights-of-way in the State of 
     Nevada and $750,000 shall be made available for hiring 
     additional personnel to perform realty work in the State of 
     Nevada; of which''.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in Nevada, which is growing so rapidly, 87 
percent of the land is owned by the Federal Government. There are a 
number of land applications dealing with all kinds of activities in 
public lands, and the BLM has not had money to process those 
applications. What they have done, in an effort to try to speed things 
up, is they have had people who are actually moving the land 
applications come and help them in the offices. It just does not work 
good, even though it may be right. Even though I hate to do this, we 
have clarified the expenditure of funds so they will have more money to 
hire BLM people to do this rather than look to the outside sector, 
which is an obvious, apparent conflict of interest. I should not say an 
obvious or apparent; I should say it appears to me it is a conflict of 
interest.
  This amendment has been agreed to by both sides.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the amendment?
  Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4528) was agreed to.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. BURNS. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 4529 To Amendment No. 4472

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf 
of Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Montana [Mr. Burns], for Mr. Thomas, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 4529.

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

[[Page S8420]]

  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 21, line 24, Insert the following after the 
     semicolon: ``of which $750,000 is to conduct an independent 
     and comprehensive management, operational, performance, and 
     financial review of Yellowstone National Park;''.

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, this amendment earmarks funds for a 
comprehensive financial study of the operations of the Yellowstone 
National Park. Given that this piece of Yellowstone Park lies in my own 
State of Montana, I am very familiar with the park and the issues that 
concern the Senator from Wyoming. I support this amendment and 
understand it has been cleared on both sides.
  Basically what this amendment does, it gives a little extra money to 
look into the books and the financial situation at the park. We have 
heard some disparaging stories. The way we take care of those, as the 
saying goes, is to look into it. It is going to take a little money to 
do that.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, recently ABC ran a series of stories about 
the National Park Service and discussed the $4.9 billion backlog of 
deferred maintenance nationwide in our National Park System. One 
segment mentioned that some operations and park programs may need to be 
curtailed or discontinued as a result of budget shortfalls at 
Yellowstone National Park.
  To be absolutely fair, over the past few years both Senator Byrd and 
Senator Burns have been very generous to the National Park Service and 
to Yellowstone in particular.
  Yellowstone is the world's first national park, created in 1872, and 
one of the biggest. It stretches across volcanic plateaus in northwest 
Wyoming and into southern Montana and Idaho, and contains more than 2 
million acres of geysers, lakes, waterfalls, forests, bison, bears, and 
tourists. But more than that, Yellowstone is very rich in cultural, 
historical and natural resources, and in fact, represents--in one 
part--the multiple facets of park operations and programs found in the 
individual 285 units of the System.
  My amendment would use Yellowstone as a demonstration project for 
business transformation. The National Park Service depends upon several 
sources of revenue to sustain operations and modernize facilities, 
including but not limited to, appropriations, fee income and revenue 
from concessioners, lease holders and permittees. These funding sources 
need to be managed in the most cost-effective and efficient manner 
possible to ensure improvement of services to the park visitor and for 
the protection of natural and cultural resources. Toward this end, I 
believe that improved state-of-the-art business practices need to be 
established in the National Park Service.
  This amendment would require the Secretary of the Interior to 
contract for an independent and comprehensive management, operational, 
performance, and financial review of Yellowstone National Park. As I 
have already stated Yellowstone National Park has a wide range of a 
natural and cultural resources, programs and visitor services and 
provides an optimal environment in which to identify and make 
recommendations for improved management and operational practices that 
can be proliferated throughout the National Park Service and transform 
management to provide cost-effective, efficient and responsive 
programs. I know, the lessons that we will learn from Yellowstone will 
have application to the rest of the units within the System. I would 
suggest that the eventual cost savings, redirection of expenditures, 
and cost efficiencies will more than pay for the cost of this study.
  We all are aware that there is a backlog of maintenance, and Congress 
has attempted to address the situation. But, I have to say that 
throwing money at the problem does not guarantee that there will not be 
a deferred maintenance backlog ten years from now. Unfortunately, we 
have never systematically evaluated the management programs that 
contributed to the backlog in the first place.
  I believe this is a compelling need to establish new and better 
modern business practices within the National Park Service. With the 
passage of this amendment we can take advantage of the expertise that 
the private business sector has to offer so that we can redirect funds 
to address the backlog where we can, and more importantly, ensure that 
measures are taken to prevent a re-occurrence of programs and policies 
which led to the backlog we face today. I believe we can achieve these 
goals while maintaining important park program and operations.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the amendment?
  Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 4529) was agreed to.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. REID. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we have nothing further to bring before the 
Senate at this time.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I see no one else seeking recognition. I 
would suggest we recess the Senate for the party caucuses.
  Mr. REID. There is already an order in effect.
  Mr. BURNS. I move we recess under the previous order.

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