From: alra@governance.net Subject: Last Chance – Deadline Tuesday, Aug 3rd Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003 Last Chance – Deadline Tuesday, Aug 3rd E-mail your Testimony Questionnaire to: committee@energy.senate.gov today. It must be there no later than 12:00 PM Midnight, Tuesday, Aug 3rd. You can fax it to: (202) 224-6163 Get your testimony in about the giant land grab and $3.1 billion per year trust fund. Make sure you get your concerns in the official record. There is an outline below. You just fill in a few blanks. Remember, we agree with all the statements, but you don’t have to. The New CARA bills HR 4100 and S 2590 must be stopped. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on S 2590 on Tuesday, July 20th. That means you have 10 working days (two weeks) to fax or e-mail your testimony to the committee by Tuesday, August 3rd. Use the unformed version below or download your Testimony Questionnaire off www.landrights.org and fax it to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee no later than Tuesday, August 3rd. Look below for an unformatted version of the Testimony Questionnaire. All you have to do is mark AGREE, DISAGREE, OR NO OPINION. It is better if you write something yourself at least a paragraph or two in length but you don’t have to. You can print out the form below, fill it out and fax it to the Senate or you can e-mail it by using your editor. Just fill in the blanks. Testimony Questionnaire: Fax or E-mail deadline Tuesday, August 3rd. Americans Outdoors Act – S 2590 — Testimony Questionnaire Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing July 20, 2004 United States Senate Honorable ___________________ U. S. Senate, Washington, DC. 20510 Please review my responses to the following statements and consider this document to be my testimony regarding Americans Outdoors Act (S 2590) for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Tuesday, July 20th. I understand that I can attach additional comments and pages. Please consider a photocopy of this document as valid as the original. I am deeply concerned about AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT. I consider this a rebirth of the old CARA, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act even though it does not now contain any provision for Federal land acquisition. It is my understanding that it is common knowledge in Washington, DC that Federal land acquisition will be added back in by amendment at a later date. The Energy Committee appears to not be handling S 2590 in a straightforward and forthright manner. Everyone is fully aware that a Federal lands component will be added to S 2590. There seems to be a rush to judgment on an incomplete bill. I urge you to hold a hearing on the entire bill and not participate in what seems to be a “bait and switch” tactic. These kind of tactics do not place the Senate in a favorable light. Please make sure my testimony becomes part of the official record of this hearing. Please circle your answer - You may write additional comments by each question or in the comment section on the back. Your personal comments make this document more valuable. 1) Condemnation will be allowed by AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT before it passes Congress. Even Federal condemnation using S 2590 funds can occur if authorized by legislation. I oppose condemnation (eminent domain) by BOTH Federal and state agencies. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 2) No AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT funds, whether they be by the State, local or Federal governments, should be used to force any landowner, farmer, rancher, mining claim owner, homeowner or other rights holder to sell against his will. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 3) Federal and state land acquisition buys private land and removes it from the tax rolls thereby increasing the tax burden of other local taxpayers and reducing important services such as schools, hospitals and libraries. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 4) All lands with Endangered Species will be targets of land acquisition. With AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT funding, many more species will begin to look endangered. No land will be safe. Please don’t use S 2590 funds to expand Federal control over my land. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 5) It is likely that a small percentage of AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT will go to urban parks and ball fields for soccer moms. Please consider separate legislation giving them their fair share. Don’t sell me out and threaten my community just to dole out some congressional pork to urban areas. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 6) I believe S 2590 will eventually provide hundreds of millions of dollars each year for environmental groups and land trusts. I should not be forced to allow my tax dollars to support organizations that want to destroy my economic livelihood. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 7) Hunters and sportsmen will gradually lose access to acquired lands as they are converted into off-limits areas. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 8) The AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT supports efforts by Green groups to designate hundreds of new areas of private land as new Federal areas. They’ll just say, “Let the Trust Fund pay for it.” AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 9) The Federal land agencies are over $12 billion behind in deferred maintenance according to the appropriations committee. The Feds should take better care of what they own now before buying more. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 10) The House version of S 2590 provides $3 billion per year, most of it available for land acquisition, that avoids having to compete in the congressional appropriations process each year. In its final form, I believe that S 2590 will be close to the present House version (HR 4100) that takes a higher priority for funding than cancer research, prescription drugs, healthcare, education or the military. This is wrong. Land Acquisition (S 2590) should not have a privileged status in the Federal budget process. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 11) Some local communities adjacent to Federal areas think S 2590 funding will help tourism. Actually, the record of Federal land agencies when they get land acquisition money is to drive out inholders and landowners, reduce economic activity, destabilize the local real estate market and eliminate small business while locking up the land and locking out the people. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 12) Many groups supporting the S 2590 expect to get huge amounts of pork money from it. This is the worst kind of pork barrel politics with the States and local governments asking for scarce Federal dollars. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 13) Land acquisition has always been used as a weapon by the Federal, State and local land agencies to regulate and control private land. They don’t need to zone it. They just threaten to own it. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 14) Eventually the AMERICANS OUTDOORS ACT will cause hundreds of small communities in and around existing Federal, State and local park areas to be wiped off the map. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 15) Large amounts of S 2590 will go to the Nature Conservancy and other land trusts to buy land and sell it to the government, often at a profit, undermining the economic ecosystem of local communities. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION 16) Additional UN Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites will be the result if S 2590 passes Congress. I don’t want any loss of US Sovereignty. AGREE DISAGREE NO OPINION (Your written comments here will make this document more valuable.) (If needed, use additional sheets or attach a personal letter.) To validate your comments please fill in completely (PRINT) and be sure to sign. Signature_________________________________ Name____________________________________________ E-Mail___________________________________ Fax ___________________ Phone ____________________ Address_______________________________ Town______________________ State_____ Zip____________ Please do not fail to mail your testimony even if you receive it late. To bypass the four to six week delay caused by the anthrax screening process, please return it in the enclosed envilope. It will then be sent by Federal Express to Washington DC and hand delivered to your Senator. Fax or e-mail deadline — Tuesday, August 3r, 2004 Energy Committee Fax Number: FAX: (202) 224-6163. E-mail address: committee@energy.senate.gov Energy Committee Fax List Republicans: Pete Domenici (R-NM) – Chairman FAX: (202) 224-6163 -- E-mail: http://domenici.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm Don Nickles (R-OK) FAX: (202) 224-6008 -- E-mail: http://nickles.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Larry Craig (R-ID) FAX: (202) 228-1067 -- E-mail: http://craig.senate.gov/webform.html Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) FAX: (202) 228-4609 -- E-mail: http://campbell.senate.gov/e-mail.htm Craig Thomas (R-WY) FAX: (202) 224-1724 -- E-mail: http://thomas.senate.gov/html.contact.html Lamar Alexander (R-TN) FAX: (202) 228-3398 -- E-mail: http://alexander.senate.gov/contact.cfm Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) FAX: (202) 224-5301 -- E-mail: http://murkowski.senate.gov James Talent (R-MO) FAX: (202) 228-1518 -- E-mail: senator_talent@talent.senate.gov (Note there is an underscore between senator and talent.) Conrad Burns (R-MT) FAX: (202) 224-8594 -- E-mail: http://www.senate.gov/~burns/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Contact Gordon Smith (R-OR) FAX: (202) 228-3997 -- E-mail: http://gsmith.senate.gov/webform.htm Jim Bunning (R-KY) FAX: (202) 228-1373 -- E-mail: http://bunning.senate.gov/guestbook.htm Jon Kyl (R-AZ) FAX: (202) 224-2207 E-mail: http://kyl.senate.gtov/con_form.htm (Note there is an underscore between con and form.) Democrats: Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) FAX: (202) 224-2852 -- E-mail: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov (Note: There is an underscore between senator and bingaman.) Daniel Akaka (D-HI) FAX: (202) 224-2126 E-mail: senator@akaka.senate.gov Byron Dorgan (D-ND) FAX: (202) 224-1193 -- E-mail: senator@dorgan.senate.gov Bob Graham (D-FL) FAX: (202) 224-3808 E-mail: bob_graham@graham.senate.gov (Note: there is an underscore between bob and graham.) Ron Wyden (D-OR) FAX: (202) 228-2717 -- E:mail: http://wyden.senate.gov/mail.htm Tim Johnson (D-SD) FAX: (202) 228-5765 E-mail: http://johnson.senate.gov/ContactPage/emailform.htm Mary Landrieu (D-LA) FAX: (202) 224-9735 -- E-mail: http://landrieu.senate.gov/newsite/webform.html Evan Bayh (D-IN) FAX: (202) 228-1377 E-mail: http://bayh.senate.gov/Webform1.htm Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) FAX: (202) 228-3954 -- E-mail: http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html Charles Schumer (D-NY) FAX: (202) 228-3027 E-mail: http://schumer.senate.gov/webform.html Maria Cantwell (D-WA) FAX: (202) 228-0514 E-mail: http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html Please forward this message as widely as possible. -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.