Washington Newsletter

August 2009

Recess

It's August and both the House and the Senate will be in recess for much of the month.  Recess is a word that I truly came to appreciate when I first went to school.  It meant getting out of the classroom so I could play outside with my classmates.

The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English defines "recess" as "a temporary cessation from work, esp. of Congress..."  I am not kidding though it's almost too good to be true, but the definition specifically cites Congress when defining the word "recess."

This year when Members of the House and the Senate return to Washington in September after their "temporary cessation from work," they will face a mounting pile of homework. Nagging issues like budget shortfalls, health care reform, climate change legislation and rising unemployment are going to be front and center. These are all tough issues with no easy answers unless raising taxes is an easy answer, and I hope that is not the case.

There is a propensity on the part of many policymakers and some interest groups to address any social ill by suggesting that adding a tax here and there will solve the problem.  The temptation is always there and little thought is ever given on who really ends up paying most of the freight for those tax increases.  I'll let you in on a little secret, those paying the freight will be you and I!

Abbey Nomination

In our last newsletter, we mentioned that Robert Abbey had been nominated by President Obama to serve as the next Director of the Bureau of Land Management.   As this newsletter is being prepared, his nomination was just reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and I anticipate the full Senate will approve his nomination prior to leaving town for the recess.

Snowmobiles and Yellowstone

This issue keeps coming back as sure as it snows in Wyoming in December.  The Obama Administration is taking a new look at the continuing battle of how many snowmobiles should have access to Yellowstone National Park.  The issue began in the Clinton Administration and continued to evolve in the Bush Administration, only to be sprinkled here and there by lawsuits.  Now, the Obama Administration is weighing in, proposing that the number of snowmobiles permitted into the park on a daily basis be reduced from 720 to 318.

The proposed limit would be in effect through the 2010/2011 winter season so a more complete review/study can be completed before setting a permanent number for the park.
 
If you care to submit comments, you can do so by accessing:  www.regulations.gov.  Be sure to reference your remarks by noting the Regulatory Information Number 1024-AD73 (RIN).

New Director of the National Park Service

President Obama continues to make changes in the leadership of the various land agencies.  In July, he nominated career employee, Jon Jarvis, as the next Director of the National Park Service.   Since 2002, Jarvis has served as head of Park Service's Pacific West Region.

Mr. Jarvis has worked for the Park Service for more than 30 years and has a reputation of not shying away from difficult issues either with Members of Congress or other federal land agencies. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on his nomination just the other day and he came under some tough questioning about the Yellowstone/snowmobile issue.  I guess they decided to give him an early taste of what it is like to be on the hot seat as Director of the Park Service.  I think an effort will be made to move his nomination forward in the next couple of days so he can spend August unpacking boxes and getting settled in his new office.

Recreational Trails Programs

High drama continues between key transportation players in the House and Senate over which course to take on the highway reauthorization program.  House Chairman Oberstar wants a six year extension and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Boxer and the Obama Administration want a simple 18-month extension.  The difference in opinion boils down to the issue of money.  An 18-month extension costs far less than a 6-year extension.  Both chambers and the Administration did agree on a temporary patch, funding the program through the end of September.  The temporary fix will cost $7 billion, not small change by any means.

Our interest, besides wanting our roads and bridges fixed, is the fact that the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a part of the transportation bill.  At the end of the day, we think the RTP will be preserved.  What we don’t know at this stage is how RTP will be structured and funded under either the 18 month or 72 month scenario.

ARRA members have been very active in contacting their members in the House and the Senate expressing support for RTP.  We thank you for this involvement.  We will keep you posted on further developments.

Not Everything Happens in Washington...which is a Good Thing

Since ARRA is based in the Nation's Capital, it's very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that all things start or end inside the beltway.  Some people refer to this syndrome as "Potomac Fever."  We hope we never give ARRA members the impression that we suffer from this malady, but sometimes it helps to be reminded that the real work of advocating responsible recreational practices is happening beyond the beltway, in fact, far beyond the beltway.

This point was driven home to us the other day when we received in the mail a DVD prepared by Partners in Conservation, a group dedicated to teaching young people about responsible use of our public lands.  The Partners organization, working in conjunction with the Clark County (Nevada) Desert Conservation Program, produced two videos, one targeted for pre-teens and the other for teens, about riding on public lands and the appropriate ways to do just that.  Issues highlighted in the videos include the importance of wearing the appropriate gear, staying on the trail, safety first, and remembering to pick up their trash and take it out as they leave the public lands and go back home.  These are important lessons for all of us, but especially so for our young people just learning to ride on public lands.  Good practices, once learned, will stay with you for a lifetime. We are pleased that the Partners in Conservation are so active in working with our youth.

Sincerely,

Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access