Ralph Regula

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, these are IHS's words, not mine.

Mr. REGULA. Certainly, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, we are not sure whether we will or not, depending on how the distribution turns out. The Indian Health Service says that adding $26 million will have minimal negative impact on a tribe such as what the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Parker) described, and be the fairest way to do it. That is a matter of fairness.

Mr. REGULA. Reclaiming my time, we are trying to achieve what the gentleman is talking about. That is why we put in the $26 million extra that we had to find somewhere else.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I would like to point out to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pappas) that in this bill there is almost $3 million for the State of New Jersey, all Land and Water conservation money. Also, I would point out that last year we spent $15 million on the Sterling Forest in the State of New Jersey, again, Land and Water conservation money. There is only so much of it, and we have a responsibility to the Federal lands. We have $10 billion worth of backlog maintenance in our National Parks, 375 National Parks, 50 Forests, about 30 Fish and Wildlife, millions of acres of Bureau of Land Management; a total of almost 700 million acres that we are responsible for, to say nothing of all of the cultural institutions in this city, to say nothing of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Mr. Chairman, 75 percent of the Indians do not even have adequate health care or dental care. We are stretched thin. Yesterday this House, by an 80-vote margin, we voted to have the National Endowment for the Arts. We voted in another amendment not to bring back State Land and Water conservation money. I think in view of all of that, this attempt would fly in the face of the House's action, and more importantly, fly in the face of the House's responsibility to take care of those 700 million acres of Federal lands. The National Governors Association advises us that 47 States have budget surpluses, and I think the State open spaces are a responsibility of the States. We are a Federal legislative body, and our number one priority has to be Federal responsibilities. Even in the arts there are State arts associations; many of them take responsibility and are financed by the States. They get some money from NEA. This amendment to cut the NEA in half in the face of the House's action yesterday and to transfer money to the Land and Water Fund just does not fit with the policies adopted by this Congress. I would strongly urge the House Members to vote against this amendment. I do not think it is good policy. We do not have the money, and our primary area of responsibility, which is the public lands, is faced with a $10 billion backlog of maintenance. This is roads and camp sites and housing and all kinds of needs. It would be irresponsible simply to shift money out to the States. We used to have revenue-sharing and we eliminated it because there was not any revenue to share. The same thing is true of the State Land and Water Conservation Fund. We cannot even use all of it for Federal projects in terms of land acquisition, and it simply does not make good policy to adopt an amendment such as this. I would strongly urge the Members to vote against it.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Alaska.

Mr. REGULA. Yes, I yield to the gentleman from Alaska.

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, our bill presently does not mention the Tongass, as the gentleman knows.

Mr. REGULA. So the gentleman is not interested in stopping logging in the Tongass; is that correct?

Mr. REGULA. The gentleman wants to help to keep the jobs.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, if these are reconstructed roads, then the gentleman does not have a problem with that?

Mr. REGULA. So what is the gentleman suggesting?

Mr. REGULA. Is this applicable only to the $1 million?

Mr. REGULA. That is correct. But does this amendment only apply to the $1 million? Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. REGULA. It is for new roads.

Mr. REGULA. That is going to be their decision.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I think the Forest Service would make that decision. There is money for road building.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I thought we had settled the Tongass matter in 1997 with the law of the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller), and apparently not, because we are getting another bite of the apple proposed tonight. At the time the 1997 Miller Tongass law passed, 3,000 people were put out of work; 1,600 were left. If this amendment is agreed to, 600 more workers will be out of work almost immediately. I am somewhat surprised, and I have not been to the Tongass, but there must be some concern about 600 families that are suddenly going to be out of jobs, because from what little bit I know of Alaska, I do not think they are making any steel or bearings or tires or refrigerators in Alaska. If these people do not work in the timber industry, where will they work? Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California. Maybe he can answer that.

Mr. REGULA. If the gentleman will continue to yield, I just quote from the bill: ``Nothing in this section waives any legal environmental requirement with respect to the actual road construction.''

Mr. REGULA. I want to make it clear that we are not disregarding the law. This is simply to expedite this action and this provision in the bill is for that purpose. I think we agree that it ought to be done. They are entitled to it. What we are trying to do is to get for these natives something that they were given by an original agreement, that has been delayed through various bureaucratic problems. Let us get on with it.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, the gentleman from Virginia established the 250 feet from information he received from the Forest Service. But, in any event, the Native Americans were promised this easement, and I think it is an obligation of this body to keep our word.

Mr. REGULA. Staff advises me that the gentleman from Virginia got the information to establish the 250 foot right-of-way from the Forest Service, and that this was not an uncommon width in Alaska because of the unique topographical conditions as well as soil conditions that they need to address in establishing the access road.