[House Report 105-814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 2d Session                                                     105-814
_______________________________________________________________________


 
                     EASTERN WILDERNESS ACT OF 1998

_______________________________________________________________________


October 12, 1998.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                            ADDITIONAL VIEWS

                        [To accompany H.R. 1567]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 1567) to provide for the designation of additional 
wilderness lands in the eastern United States, having 
considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment 
and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
  The amendment is as follows:
  Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Eastern Wilderness Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF AREAS IN WILDERNESS SYSTEM.

  (a) Purpose and Intent.--In order to assure that an increasing 
population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing 
mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United 
States and its possessions, leaving no lands designated for 
preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is necessary 
to increase and expand the existing wilderness areas in the eastern 
United States. These wilderness areas shall be administered for the use 
and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them 
unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to 
provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their 
wilderness character, and for the gathering and dissemination of 
information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness. As the 
bulk of wilderness lands exist in the western United States, the 
purpose and intent of this Act is to provide the means to designate 
additional qualifying lands as wilderness in the eastern United States.
  (b) Management.--The inclusion of an area of Federal lands in the 
National Wilderness Preservation System pursuant to this Act 
notwithstanding, the area shall continue to be managed by the 
department or agency having administrative jurisdiction thereover 
immediately before its inclusion in the National Wilderness 
Preservation System unless otherwise provided by Act of Congress. If 
the area was previously private or State land, the area shall be 
managed by the department or agency with the largest presence in the 
area.
  (c) Wilderness.--For purposes of this Act, a wilderness, in contrast 
with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is 
recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are 
untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. 
An area of wilderness is further defined as an area of undeveloped 
Federal, State, or private land retaining its primeval character and 
influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is 
protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and 
which--
          (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the 
        forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially 
        unnoticeable;
          (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive 
        and unconfined type of recreation;
          (3) is east of the 100th meridian and has at least 500 acres 
        of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its 
        preservation and use in an unimpaired condition;
          (4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other 
        features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical 
        value; and
          (5) if significantly trammeled by man, could otherwise 
        qualify as wilderness through natural reclamation.
For the purposes of this Act, the term ``natural reclamation'' means a 
process whereby, with minimal assistance or interference from man, land 
may in time, through the natural physical and biological processes of 
ecological succession, be restored to a state where man's imprint is 
substantially unnoticeable.
  (d) Scope of Act and Relationship to Other Law.--This Act shall apply 
only to lands east of the 100th meridian and nothing in this Act shall 
apply to any lands designated as components of the national wilderness 
preservation system before the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. STUDY.

  The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are 
hereby directed to study and inventory all Federal lands of 500 acres 
or greater which are east of the 100th meridian and which qualify as 
wilderness according to the definition of wilderness in section 2(c) 
above.

SEC. 4. REVIEW.

  (a) Study.--Within 10 years after the date of approval of this Act, 
the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall 
review those areas identified as having wilderness characteristics 
during the inventory required in section 3 and shall from time to time 
report to the President their recommendation as to the suitability or 
nonsuitability of each such area for preservation as wilderness.
  (b) Procedure.--
          (1) The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
        Interior shall, prior to submitting any recommendations to the 
        President with respect to the suitability of any area for 
        preservation as wilderness--
                  (A) give such public notice of the proposed action as 
                they deem appropriate, including publication in the 
                Federal Register and in a newspaper having general 
                circulation in the area or areas in the vicinity of the 
                affected land;
                  (B) hold a public hearing or hearings at a location 
                or locations convenient to the area affected. The 
                hearings shall be announced through such means as the 
                respective Secretaries involved deem appropriate, 
                including notices in the Federal Register and in 
                newspapers of general circulation in the area: 
                Provided, That if the lands involved are located in 
                more than one State, at least one hearing shall be held 
                in each State in which a portion of the land lies; and
                  (C) at least 30 days before the date of a hearing, 
                advise the Governor of each State and the governing 
                board of each county in which the lands are located, 
                and Federal departments and agencies concerned, and 
                invite such officials and Federal agencies to submit 
                their views on the proposedaction at the hearing or by 
no later than 30 days following the date of the hearing.
          (2) Any views submitted to the appropriate Secretary under 
        the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection with respect 
        to any area shall be included with any recommendations to the 
        President and to Congress with respect to such area.
  (c) Recommendation.--The President shall advise the President of the 
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of his 
recommendations with respect to designation as wilderness of each such 
area, together with a map thereof and a definition of its boundaries. 
Such advice by the President shall be given within 2 years of the 
receipt of each report from the Secretaries. A recommendation of the 
President for designation as wilderness shall become effective only if 
so provided by an Act of Congress.
  (d) Management of Study Areas.--During the period of review of such 
areas and until Congress has determined otherwise, the appropriate 
Secretary shall continue to manage such public lands under his 
authority under this Act and other applicable law in a manner so as not 
to impair the suitability of such areas for preservation as wilderness: 
Provided, That, in managing the public lands the Secretary shall by 
regulation or otherwise take any action required to prevent unnecessary 
or undue degradation of the lands and their resources or to afford 
environmental protection. Such lands shall continue to be subject to 
such appropriation during the period of review unless withdrawn by the 
Secretary under the procedures of section 204 of the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976 for reasons other than preservation 
of their wilderness character. Once an area has been designated for 
preservation as wilderness under this Act, the provisions of this Act 
shall apply with respect to the administration and use of such 
designated area.

SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT OF WILDERNESS AREAS.

  (a) In General.--Except as otherwise provided in this Act, each 
agency administering any area designated as wilderness under this Act 
shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the 
area and shall so administer such area for such other purposes for 
which it may have been established as also to preserve its wilderness 
character. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, wilderness areas 
shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, 
scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.
  (b) Commercial Enterprises, Roads, Structures, Etc.--Except as 
specifically provided for in this Act, and subject to existing private 
rights, there shall be no commercial enterprise and no permanent road 
within any wilderness area designated by this Act and, except as 
necessary to meet minimum requirements for the administration of the 
area for the purpose of this Act (including measures required in 
emergencies involving the health and safety of persons within the 
area), there shall be no temporary road, no use of motor vehicles, 
motorized equipment or motorboats, no landing of aircraft, no other 
form of mechanical transport, and no structure or installation within 
such area.
  (c) Special Provisions.--The following special provisions are hereby 
made:
          (1) Within wilderness areas designated by this Act, the use 
        of aircraft or motorboats, where these uses have already become 
        established, may be permitted to continue subject to such 
        restrictions as the appropriate Secretary deems desirable. In 
        addition, such measures may be taken as may be necessary in the 
        control of fire, insects, and diseases, subject to such 
        conditions as the Secretary deems desirable.
          (2) Nothing in this Act shall prevent, within wilderness 
        areas designated by this Act, any activity, including 
        prospecting, for the purpose of gathering information about 
        mineral or other resources, if such activity is carried on in a 
        manner compatible with the preservation of the wilderness 
        environment. Furthermore, in accordance with such program as 
        the Secretary of the Interior shall develop and conduct in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, such areas 
        shall be surveyed on a planned, recurring basis consistent with 
        the concept of wilderness preservation by the Geological Survey 
        to determine the mineral values, if any, that may be present; 
        and the results of such surveys shall be made available to the 
        public and submitted to the President and Congress.
          (3) Within wilderness areas designated by this Act--
                  (A) the President may, within a specific area and in 
                accordance with such regulations as he may deem 
                desirable, authorize prospecting for water resources, 
                the establishment and maintenance of reservoirs, water 
                conservation works, power projects, transmission lines, 
                and other facilities needed in the public interest, 
                including the road construction and maintenance 
                essential to development and use thereof, upon his 
                determination that such use or uses in the specific 
                area will better serve the interest of the United 
                States and the people thereof than will its denial; and
                  (B) the grazing of livestock, where established prior 
                to the effective date of this Act, shall be permitted 
                to continue subject to such reasonable regulations as 
                are deemed necessary by the Secretary of Agriculture.
          (4) Commercial services may be performed within the 
        wilderness areas designated by this Act to the extent necessary 
        for activities which are proper for realizing the recreational 
        or other wilderness purposes of the areas.
          (5) Nothing in this Act shall constitute an express or 
        implied claim or denial on the part of the Federal Government 
        as to exemption from State water laws.
          (6) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the 
        jurisdiction or responsibilities of the several States with 
        respect to wildlife and fish on public lands.

SEC. 6. PRIVATE PROPERTY.

  (a) Private Property.--In any case where State owned or privately 
owned land is completely surrounded by public lands within areas 
designated by this Act as wilderness, such State or private owner shall 
be given such rights as may be necessary to assure adequate access to 
such State owned or privately owned land by such State or private owner 
and their successors in interest, or the State owned or privately owned 
land shall be exchanged for federally owned land in the same State of 
approximately equal value under authorities available to the 
appropriate Secretary: Provided, however, That the United States shall 
not transfer to a State or private owner any mineral interests unless 
the State or private owner relinquishes or causes to be relinquished to 
the United States the mineral interest in the surrounded land.
  (b) Access to Valid Occupancies.--In any case where valid mining 
claims or other valid occupancies are wholly within a designated 
wilderness area, the appropriate Secretary shall, by reasonable 
regulations consistent with the preservation of the area as wilderness, 
permit ingress and egress to such surrounded areas by means which have 
been or are being customarily enjoyed with respect to other such areas 
similarly situated.
  (c) Acquisition.--Subject to the appropriation of funds by Congress, 
the appropriate Secretary is authorized to acquire State owned or 
privately owned land in order to establish the wilderness area or lands 
within the boundaries of any area designated by this Act as wilderness 
if--
          (1) the owner consents to such acquisition; and
          (2) the acquisition is specifically authorized by Congress.
  (d) Compensation.--Any private or State land taken by an Act of 
Congress pursuant to this Act will constitute a ``taking'' under the 
fifth amendment and the owner of the land shall be compensated at fair 
market value.

SEC. 7. ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS.

  (a) Land.--The appropriate Secretary may accept gifts or bequests of 
land within wilderness areas designated by this Act for preservation as 
wilderness. The Secretary may also accept gifts or bequests of land 
adjacent to wilderness areas designated by the Act for preservation as 
wilderness if he has given 60 days advance notice thereof to the 
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives. Land accepted by the Secretary under this section 
shall become part of the wilderness area involved. Regulations with 
regard to any such land may be in accordance with such agreements, 
consistent with the policy of this Act, as are made at the time of such 
gift, or such conditions, consistent with such policy, as may be 
included in, and accepted with, such bequest.
  (b) Private Contributions.--The Secretary of Agriculture or the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to accept private contributions 
and gifts to be used to further the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 8. REPORT.

  At the opening of each session of Congress, the Secretaries of 
Agriculture and the Interior shall jointly report to the President for 
transmission to Congress on the status of the wilderness system, 
including a list and descriptions of the areas in the system, 
regulations in effect, and other pertinent information, together with 
any recommendations they may care to make.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 1567 is to provide for the designation 
of additional wilderness lands in the eastern United States.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    During the 1960s Congress became concerned that expanding 
settlement and the trend toward urbanization would eventually 
envelop the entire country, leaving no land in a natural and 
pristine state. Congress attempted to address this problem by 
passing the Wilderness Act of 1964. That Act established the 
National Wilderness Preservation System, giving Congress the 
ability to set aside designated wilderness areas where ``the 
earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where 
man himself is a visitor who does not remain.''
    About 100 million acres of wilderness have been designated 
west of the 100th meridian, the traditional demarcation line 
between the eastern and western United States, and Congress has 
recently considered designating several million more acres.
    Unfortunately, the Act hasn't served the East very well. To 
date, only a little more than four million acres of wilderness 
have been designated east of the 100th meridian. Because 
wilderness is so rarely designated in the East, important 
ecosystems that should be preserved are quickly disappearing, 
and existing wilderness areas are becoming overcrowded.
    Wilderness designation in the East is difficult. First, the 
Wilderness Act specifies that wilderness areas should generally 
be at least 5,000 acres. Because most of the East was settled 
long before the West, it is difficult to find areas of 5,000 
acres that are still in a wilderness condition. Second, the 
Wilderness Act allows land to be designated as wilderness only 
if it is significantly untrammeled by man. Because the East has 
been settled so long, many areas that almost qualify as 
wilderness don't quite make the cut because they have some 
evidence of man's activities. Finally, because the Wilderness 
Act is directed mainly at federal public lands, it is harder to 
find qualifying areas in the eastern states, where the federal 
government owns much less land.
    H.R. 1567 would direct the Secretaries of Agriculture and 
Interior to study and inventory all federal, state, and private 
lands east of the 100th meridian of 500 acres or greater which 
could qualify as wilderness. During the 15 years following the 
date of enactment, and after public hearings, the Secretaries 
will periodically report to the President their recommendations 
for wilderness preservation. Within two years of receiving 
these reports, the President will provide Congress with a map 
of the areas, a definition of their boundaries and his 
recommendation for designation. The areas will become 
wilderness only through an act of Congress.
    H.R. 1567 would solve several of the problems that have 
made wilderness designation in the East so difficult. First, 
H.R. 1567 decreases the acreage threshold in the East from 
5,000 to 500. This makes it much easier to find qualifying 
areas. In addition, H.R. 1567 expands the definition of 
wilderness to include areas that could eventually qualify as 
wilderness through natural reclamation. This provision 
addresses the problem that so little of the East is 
``untrammeled by man'' and dramatically increases the acreage 
of land that may be preserved.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 1567 was introduced on May 8, 1997, by Congressman 
James V. Hansen (R-UT). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
National Parks and Public Lands and the Subcommittee on Forest 
and Forest Health. On June 17, 1997, the National Parks and 
Public Lands Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 1567. On July 
31, 1997, the National Parks Subcommittee met to mark up H.R. 
1567. Congressman Hansen offered an en bloc amendment to change 
the short title of the bill to ``The Eastern Wilderness Act of 
1997,'' delete a reference to the Bureau of Mines, shorten the 
study period to 10 years, define the term ``natural 
reclamation,'' and mandate compensation for any private or 
state land taken pursuant to the bill. The amendment was 
adopted by voice vote. Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) then 
offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute which 
applied the terms of the bill nationwide. The amendment failed 
by voice vote. The bill as amended was then ordered favorably 
reported to the Full Committee on Resources by a roll call vote 
of 9-2, as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Republicans               Yea       Nay     Present       Democrats         Yea       Nay     Present
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hansen.........................        X   ........  .........  Faleomavaega.....        X   ........  .........
Gallegly.......................  ........  ........  .........  Markey...........  ........  ........  .........
Duncan.........................  ........  ........  .........  Vento............  ........  ........  .........
Hefley.........................        X   ........  .........  Kildee...........  ........        X   .........
Gilchrest......................        X   ........  .........  Romero-Barcelo...  ........  ........  .........
Pombo..........................  ........  ........  .........  Hinchey..........  ........        X   .........
Chenoweth......................  ........  ........  .........  Underwood........  ........  ........  .........
Linda Smith....................        X   ........  .........  Kennedy..........  ........  ........  .........
Radanovich.....................        X   ........  .........  Delahunt.........  ........  ........  .........
Jones..........................        X   ........  .........  Green............  ........  ........  .........
Shadegg........................  ........  ........  .........  Kind.............  ........  ........  .........
Ensign.........................  ........  ........  .........  Doggett..........  ........  ........  .........
Bob Smith......................  ........  ........  .........  .................  ........  ........  .........
Hill...........................        X   ........  .........  .................  ........  ........  .........
Gibbons........................        X   ........  .........  .................  ........  ........  .........
                                -------------------------------                   ------------------------------
      Total Republicans........        8   ........  .........      Total                1         2   .........
                                                                 Democrats.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health was 
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1567 on August 
14, 1997.
    On November 5, 1997, the Full Resources Committee met to 
consider H.R. 1567. Congressman Hansen offered an en bloc 
amendment to restrict the wilderness study of state and private 
lands to those intermixed with or adjacent to federal lands. By 
unanimous consent, Congressman Hansen further amended his 
amendment to require prior written consent from a private land 
owner before his land may be studied for wilderness 
designation. Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ) offered a substitute 
amendment for the Hansen amendment to exclude state and private 
lands from the wilderness study. The Saxton amendment was 
adopted by voice vote and the Hansen amendment, as amended by 
the Saxton substitute, was adopted by voice vote. Congressman 
George Miller (D-CA) offered an amendment to require both owner 
consent and Congressional authorization for the acquisition of 
state or private lands within the boundaries of wilderness 
areas designated pursuant to H.R. 1567; the amendment was 
adopted by unanimous consent. The bill as amended was then 
ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by 
voice vote.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 2(l)(3) of rule 
XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and clause 
2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, 
the Committee on Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact H.R. 1567.

                        COST OF THE LEGISLATION

    Clause 7(a) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the 
Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out 
H.R. 1567. However, clause 7(d) of that rule provides that this 
requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in 
its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
under section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XI

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(B) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, H.R. 
1567 does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(D) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee has received no report of oversight findings and 
recommendations from the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight on the subject of H.R. 1567.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(C) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the following cost estimate for H.R. 
1567 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                   Washington, DC, January 6, 1998.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1567, the Eastern 
Wilderness Act of 1997.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Victoria V. 
Heid.
            Sincerely,
                                         June E. O'Neill, Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1567--Eastern Wilderness Act of 1997

    CBO estimates that enacting this bill would not have a 
significant impact on the federal budget. Because H.R. 1567 
would not affect direct spending or receipts, pay-as-you-go 
procedures would not apply. H.R. 1567 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 and would have no 
significant impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    H.R. 1567 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Secretary of the Interior to study and inventory all federal 
lands of 500 acres or greater east of the 100th meridian that 
qualify as wilderness as defined by the bill. Within 10 years 
of the bill's enactment, the two Secretaries would be required 
to recommend to the President land suitable for wilderness 
designation as a result of such study.
    The Federal Government owns roughly 43 million acres east 
of the 100th meridian, of which about 4 million acres is 
already designated wilderness. The Department of the Interior 
has jurisdiction over almost 12 million acres of federally 
owned land, the Forest Service (within the Department of 
Agriculture) has jurisdiction over about 25 million acres, and 
other agencies have jurisdiction over another 6 million acres.
    Assuming that the Secretaries of Agriculture and the 
Interior would study only that federal land under their 
jurisdiction that is not already designated as wilderness, we 
estimate that enacting H.R. 1567 would require that about 33 
million acres be reviewed for suitability for wilderness 
designation over the next 10 years. Under current law, many of 
the acres under Agriculture and Interior jurisdiction would be 
studied and inventoried for wilderness designation as part of 
the regular cycle of land management reviews. Therefore, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 1567 would require additional 
costs of less that $500,000 per year over the next 10 years, 
subject to appropriation of the necessary funds. CBO assumes 
for this estimate that the Secretaries of Agriculture and the 
Interior would not study the 6 million acres of federal land in 
the East outside their jurisdiction.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Victoria V. 
Heid. This estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                    compliance with public law 104-4

    H.R. 1567 contains no unfunded mandates.

                        changes in existing law

    If enacted, H.R. 1567 would make no changes in existing 
law.

                            ADDITIONAL VIEWS

    HR 1567 sets in place a procedure to study, designate and 
manage wilderness lands in the eastern United States that is 
for the most part duplicative of the existing Wilderness Act. 
In fact, whole sections of the bill are taken verbatim from the 
Wilderness Act. When the Committee held hearings on HR 1567 in 
June 1997, the Administration testified in opposition to HR 
1567, citing the bill's deviation from existing wilderness 
policy and its redundancy with many provisions of the 
Wilderness Act.
    Of significant concern to many was that HR 1567 provided 
for the study of all state and private lands east of the 100th 
meridian for possible wilderness designation. The Wilderness 
Act only provides that Federal lands be studied and designated 
wilderness. The inclusion of state and private lands in HR 1567 
provoked substantial opposition from Committee members and the 
Committee voted to delete the provision from the bill. As 
amended by the Committee, HR 1567 is a fairly innocuous measure 
that is nevertheless repetitive of existing law and therefore 
unnecessary.
    What troubles me about HR 1567 is that instead of dealing 
with the needs of our national parks, addressing the $10 
billion backlog in maintenance in our parks, forests and other 
public lands, or reforming the subsidized use of public 
resources, the Committee's majority continues to devote most of 
our time to such superfluous and symbolic legislation as HR 
1567.
    It has been obvious from the beginning of the debate in 
Committee that HR 1567 was little more than a cynical effort to 
``tweak'' Members of Congress from Eastern states who have 
strongly supported wilderness designations in the West. We 
believe there is overwhelming public support--in the West and 
nationally--for park improvements and expansions, for 
wilderness designations and for other congressional actions to 
preserve the natural resource legacy of this country. We are 
neither reluctant nor apologetic about initiating and 
supporting such efforts whether in Utah, California, New Jersey 
or elsewhere.
    The fact is that this legislation is utterly unnecessary. 
Over the past 30 years, Congress has provided for the study and 
designation of Federal lands in the eastern United States. In 
fact, an Eastern Wilderness Act was signed into law in 1975. 
Numerous eastern areas were designated wilderness prior and 
subsequent to 1975. If there are new proposals to designate 
wilderness in the East, we should consider them in the context 
of the existing Wilderness Act and in a manner consistent with 
that law's policies and framework.
                                                     George Miller.

                                
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