[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 41 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OCALA NATIONAL FOREST

  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the proposed 
sale of 300,000 acres of national forest lands, which includes almost 
1,000 acres of the Ocala National Forest in my congressional district.
  The administration's 2007 budget proposes this sale. Their rationale 
for selling our national forest lands is to raise $800 million for 
rural roads and schools; and they say these parcels are not crown 
jewels of our national forests. Well, a picture is worth a thousand 
words, so let me show you a photograph of a specific piece of land in 
the Ocala National Forest which is marked for sale by the 
administration. This looks like a crown jewel to me. Does anyone really 
believe that this piece of land would look better as a shopping center, 
strip mall, or as a condominium development?
  While our budget shortfall is temporary, ruining pristine national 
lands is permanent. We cannot sell national forest land every time 
there is a budget shortfall. This is a dangerous precedent for Congress 
to set. Our financial problems need to be addressed over the long 
terms, not through the shortsighted sale of national forest treasures 
to the highest bidder.
  Mr. Speaker, our national forest lands are worth protecting. Millions 
of Americans each year use our national forests to go hiking, fishing, 
hunting, camping, swimming, horseback riding, and canoeing. The Ocala 
National Forest also provides a habitat for thousands of animal species 
such as rare birds and black bears.
  Mr. Speaker, to sum it all up, I believe the idea of selling off our 
national forest lands is environmentally reckless and financially 
shortsighted, and I am not alone. On March 7, I submitted a Florida 
delegation letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was signed 
by both of our U.S. Senators, Republican Senator Mel Martinez and 
Democrat Senator Bill Nelson. It was also signed by an overwhelming 
bipartisan majority of our U.S. House Members. This letter specifically 
opposes the sale of 1,000 acres of the Ocala National Forest, and, in 
general, also opposes the sale of 300,000 acres of forest lands all 
across the country in 41 different States.
  On March 13, all four of the living former Chiefs of the U.S. Forest 
Service sent a letter to Congress also strongly opposing the auctioning 
off of 300,000 acres of national forest lands. On March 28, I submitted 
a bipartisan letter with Congressman Ben Chandler, the Democrat from 
Kentucky, to the House Budget Committee, signed by 54 Congressmen 
opposing the sale of 300,000 acres of national forest lands.
  Well, where do we go from here? The U.S. Department of Agriculture 
will continue to receive comments on this proposed sale until May 1. It 
is our hope and request that the administration withdraw this proposal.
  Fortunately, the House budget which we will be voting on this week 
does not contain any language endorsing the administration's proposal 
to sell these forest lands. If the administration does not withdraw 
their proposal, I am confident and optimistic that this House will vote 
down this proposal with a very large bipartisan vote. Our children and 
grandchildren deserve no less.

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