[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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