[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S5486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Domenici, Mr. 
        Hatch, Mr. Inouye, and Ms. Murkowski):
  S. 931. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a 
program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches 
on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other 
recreational users of public land; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, today I introduce, with Senators 
Campbell, Domenici, Hatch, Inouye, and Murkowski, the Federal Land 
Recreational Visitor Protection Act of 2003.
  Across our State of Alaska, Western States, and areas of the 
Northeast, local governments and businesses struggle each year to 
remove potential avalanches or recover form the disastrous effects of 
avalanches. The West Wide Avalanche Network calculated avalanche damage 
totals for the Western U.S. between $600 thousand and $800 thousand 
annually. These costs do not include the economic losses from town cut-
off by avalanches. In our state alone, the Safety Center estimates 
upwards of $18 million in direct damages both to private property and 
economic losses over the past 5 years.
  While such damage can bring hardships to many local communities, none 
can compare with the loss of a friend or family member. The U.S. 
averages 30 deaths a year from avalanches, a majority of which are 
results of recreational activities in unmitigated avalanche areas. Some 
States set aside money for rescues prior to the winter season, knowing 
that the resources required to clear all avalanche threats are not at 
hand.
  This bill brings those resources to the entities that need them the 
most, enabling us to significantly reduce the effects of avalanches on 
visitors, recreational users, transportation corridors, and our local 
communities.
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