[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 186 (Friday, December 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE PUBLIC LANDS REHABILITATION AND JOB CREATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 11, 2009

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in 
support of the Public Lands Rehabilitation and Job Creation Act.
  The landscape of America is dotted with national treasures, including 
our national parks, monuments, and forests. From Yosemite National Park 
in my home state of California to Acadia National Park in Maine, 
national parks are of recognized for the natural splendor that 
surrounds us and conserving our precious natural resources for future 
generations must be a priority.
  Since 1916, the National Park Service has admirably preserved and 
protected our natural treasures. In recent years, however, a log jam of 
maintenance and safety issues has developed. Structures are unsound, 
trails overgrown, roads impassable, and cabins unusable. A lack of 
resources, both money and manpower, has contributed to this situation. 
If we invest in repairing, rebuilding, and rehabilitating these 
resources now, we will not only have a safer infrastructure and a 
brighter future, we will employ tens of thousands of people across the 
nation.
  Since January 2008, the number of unemployed Americans has grown each 
month. In some areas, the unemployment rate has reached more than 
twenty percent. We have taken steps to stimulate the economy and catch 
people in the social safety net, but we have not done enough. While a 
stronger safety net helps families survive, in the end, Americans don't 
want unemployment checks, they want to work.
  We have people without work and work without people. The solution 
could not be clearer. We can put people back to work now and restore 
our national treasures by passing this bill to increase funding for the 
National Park Service and National Forest Service.
  Despite almost 8,000 permanent and seasonal employees, nearly every 
park manager asserts that their current staffing level is woefully 
insufficient to take on identified maintenance issues. Within four to 
six months of receiving additional funds, the Park Service can prepare 
needed plans and complete essential hiring. These new employees will 
resurface roads; rehabilitate trails; repair visitor centers, museums, 
and campsites; and restore wild areas to their previous pristine 
nature. The new opportunities will range from lower-skilled, entry-
level work to highly paid, highly skilled, professional and master 
craftsman jobs.
  Similarly, the Forest Service can create at least fourteen and a half 
direct hire jobs in well-paying fields like engineering, design, and 
construction for every million dollars we invest in road repair and 
decommissioning.
  Opportunities to improve roads, buildings, and other infrastructure 
exist in urban and rural areas across the nation, from the Theodore 
Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City, to Fort Sumter in South 
Carolina; and from Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego to the 
Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan.
  Without additional investment, our infrastructure problems will 
continue to grow and hinder use and enjoyment of our nation's natural 
resources. Theodore Roosevelt once said that we should ensure the 
mountains and trees and canyons and streams are preserved for our 
children and our children's children, ``with their majestic beauty all 
unmarred.'' If we continue to neglect our greatest national treasures, 
our problems will fester and future generations will have less to 
enjoy.
  We can cure this oversight through increased investments that will 
put more than 50,000 Americans back to work, performing needed, 
meaningful tasks that our children and grandchildren will enjoy for 
years to come.
  Congress rarely has a chance to act on opportunities this well 
paired. We should put Americans back to work and preserve our public 
lands for future generations. We cannot let this opportunity slip by. 
We need these jobs, and we need to pass the Public Lands Rehabilitation 
and Job Creation Act.

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