[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 57 (Thursday, April 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2016, NATIONAL LANDSCAPE 
                        CONSERVATION SYSTEM ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2008

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, today I am pleased to rise in support of the 
National Landscape Conservation System Act. This bipartisan 
legislation, supported by the National Wildlife Federation, 
EarthJustice, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and more, would 
officially establish America's newest conservation system. With 26 
million acres of land under its jurisdiction, the National Landscape 
Conservation System, NLCS, protects our nation's crown jewels.
  From the Lewis and Clarke National Historic Trail to Nevada's Red 
Rock Canyon, this legislation works to conserve the fabric of the West. 
In 2000, the Secretary of the Interior established the National 
Landscape Conservation System to protect the best of the lands and 
waters managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This bill provides 
statutory recognition of the existing National Landscape Conservation 
System as well as its permanent establishment as a land conservation 
system equivalent to that of the National Park Service. At no cost to 
the taxpayer, Congress has the opportunity to protect these lands for 
millions of Americans for generations to come.
  Nothing in this legislation changes the way in which NLCS lands are 
currently administered, including hunting and recreation management. 
H.R. 2016 adds no land to NCLS, nor does it contain any provisions 
diminishing private property rights. Following in Theodore Roosevelt's 
footsteps, I strongly encourage my colleagues to join me in passing 
this landmark legislation.

                          ____________________