[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E195-E196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   H.R. 3590, H.R. 2954 AND H.R. 3964

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 2014

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, last week, I voted against three bills 
designed to weaken important environmental laws and roll back 
protections for our wilderness areas, parks, and wildlife.
  Many of my constituents love Oregon's public lands and use them for 
hiking, hunting and fishing. They value efforts to conserve and 
responsibly manage these lands. H.R. 3590, the ``Sportsmen's Heritage 
and Recreational Enhancement Act,'' will not, however, ensure 
responsible management and access. Rather, it contained measures to 
roll back important environmental laws, to curb public engagement in 
management decisions and limit the Environmental Protection Agency's 
ability to appropriately regulate toxic lead in ammunition.
  I joined a number of my colleagues in offering an amendment to H.R. 
3590 to ensure the Secretary of the Interior maintains the authority to 
consider climate change when making decisions regarding conservation 
and recreational activities on public lands. I was disappointed that 
this amendment failed, and I will continue to use every opportunity to 
elevate the importance of climate change.
  H.R. 2954, the misleadingly named ``Public Access and Lands 
Improvement Act,'' also weakens protections for wildlife conservation 
at treasured places like Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons 
and Cape Hatteras.
  Finally, H.R. 3964, the ``Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency 
Water Delivery Act,'' will do nothing to help with serious drought 
conditions in California and overrides state and federal protections 
for wildlife and water quality. The bill sets a dangerous precedent by 
favoring certain water interests over others, disrupting the State's 
ongoing efforts to bring people together to find long-term, science-
based solutions to manage this severe water crisis.

[[Page E196]]

  Our precious natural resources and public lands face serious 
challenges when it comes to climate change, recreation management, and 
fish and wildlife conservation. Unfortunately, these bills did nothing 
to alleviate those problems.

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