[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H6357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REDUCING RED TAPE

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House Subcommittee on 
Federal Lands is holding a hearing soon on H.R. 5129, the Guide and 
Outfitter Act--we call it the GO Act--which I have sponsored to make it 
easier for Americans to access and enjoy their public lands.
  I began working on this legislation after an annual endurance run in 
my district, which had been held for years, was canceled after Federal 
agencies demanded a costly new study of the event's environmental 
impacts, a study the small, nonprofit group that held the event 
couldn't afford. That's right, Federal agencies were concerned that 
people running on existing trails could have negative impacts on the 
environment.
  The GO Act cuts this red tape by creating a categorical exclusion to 
ensure activities which have already been permitted do not need 
duplicative studies in order to continue. It creates a one-stop joint 
permitting system so races and other events that might stretch across 
Forest Service lands, BLM, and National Park land, et cetera, don't 
need to repeat the permit process over and over and over with every 
single agency.
  The bill caps fees to keep them affordable and allows existing 
permits to be easily extended so that public access and events can 
continue.
  I am proud to say this bill will help get more Americans outside, Mr. 
Speaker, for less money and with less red tape. That is a goal every 
Member of this body can support.

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