[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 26, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2108-H2109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        WILDERNESS CONSERVATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Graves) for 5 minutes.

[[Page H2109]]

  

  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise to discuss concerns 
with S. 47, legislation we will soon be voting on in the House of 
Representatives.
  Madam Speaker, S. 47 has some positive things in it. The legislation 
provides for expanded recreational opportunities, expanded 
opportunities to hunt and fish on our public lands, and a lot of things 
that I very much support.
  Madam Speaker, the bill has some pretty profound flaws, one of which 
being process. This is a 700-page bill--a 700-page bill--that has been 
held at the desk. It has not gone through the regular committee 
process.
  This isn't some small bill that folks have been exposed to. This is 
700 pages of text, and it has not gone through the regular legislative 
process and, in fact, is being put up under suspension of the rules, 
where we are not even being provided the opportunity to offer 
amendments or to represent our constituents, other than just voting 
``yes'' or ``no.''
  Madam Speaker, I want to throw out some statistics on what this bill 
does and the implications. It provides 1.3 million acres of land being 
designated as wilderness areas--1.3 million acres; 694 acres of 
recreation and conservation areas; 370,000 acres of mineral 
withdrawals; national monument designations of 2,500 acres; 621 miles 
of wild and scenic rivers; 2,600 miles added to the national trail 
system; and 42,000 acres added to our national parks.
  Now, Madam Speaker, I used to teach outdoor wilderness courses. I 
have spent hundreds, maybe even thousands of nights of my life in the 
outdoors, sleeping out in the wilderness areas, national parks, and 
national forests and others. I love these areas. I enjoy them.
  I am not saying that these things shouldn't happen. I am saying that 
we need to have the ability to go through regular order, just like the 
Senate did this week when they had the ability to offer amendments to 
this bill. We are not being afforded that same opportunity.
  Madam Speaker, my biggest problem or concern with this legislation is 
this: The bill permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund, which, I will say it again: I support the acquisition of lands, 
the protection of lands, so we can enjoy the ecological productivity 
and enjoy time in the great outdoors. However, the bill does not 
address the fact that we have a $17 billion backlog in national park 
maintenance--$17 billion. So we are acquiring more land without a plan 
for addressing the existing backlog maintenance issues that actually 
prohibit or prevent people from enjoying some of these same lands that 
are being acquired.

  We are talking about the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and $9 
billion in funds over the next 10 years being deposited into a Treasury 
receipt account to acquire more land. Guess where this money is coming 
from, Madam Speaker. A hundred percent of these funds is coming from 
the State that I represent and the other five States that produce 
offshore energy. Every penny of it is coming from the State of 
Louisiana, which produces perhaps over 80 percent of all the offshore 
energy of this Nation in Federal waters. It is paying for this fund.
  At the same time, we have lost 2,000 square miles--2,000 square 
miles--of our coast. Guess how much of this bill addresses the problem 
there? With 2,000 square miles of our coast disappearing, the 
ecological productivity being lost, the increased vulnerability to the 
people that I represent, zero, nothing. This bill diverts money for 
conservation and for protection in other States in other areas and does 
nothing for my home State of Louisiana, yet it is coming from our 
revenues that we are producing in our offshore.
  This is a flawed process. This is a flawed bill. We need to go 
through regular order.
  I really can't even believe that this is happening. Here we have 
dozens of hearings on climate change and other things, and the very 
State that is the canary in the coal mine, the State that is 
experiencing the worst ecological challenges or losses as a result of 
sea rise and other challenges, is being completely ignored.
  Where are the climate change advocates right now? Where are you?
  I strongly urge opposition to this bill. We need to go back through 
regular order, consider the largest conservation and the largest 
natural resources bill that we have had since I have been in the 
Congress, and send it through regular order again.
  I urge opposition to this bill.

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