🚀 go-pugleaf

-------------- Enclosure number 1 ----------------
To:            All Forest Activists
From:          Jim Jontz and Steve Holmer
Date:          September 19, 1996


OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL IS NOW RIDER FOCUS 
WESTERN LEADERSHIP, EASTERN VOTES NEEDED


     The Interior Appropriations bill has been pulled from the Senate
calendar, perhaps permanently, as leaders of Congress and the White House
begin negotiations over a budget agreement for the new fiscal year that begins
October 1, 1996.

     The event that triggered the removal of the Interior spending bill from
the Senate calendar was a 50-50 tie vote on a motion to table an amendment
by Sen. Dale Bumpers and Judd Gregg to raise public lands grazing fees.  The
amendment received 12 GOP votes, a positive sign that Senators are thinking
about environmental/taxpayer issues.

     It is possible that the Interior spending bill will be revived and taken up
again by the Senate.  However, it is much more likely that the funding for the
various agencies included in the Interior bill (such as the Forest Service) will
be rolled into what is called an "Omnibus Appropriations" bill that would
cover several subjects.

     We are operating under the presumption that there will be
amendments offered to this bill.  We are still seeking votes for such an
amendment, and sponsors to offer it.  

     One of the important consequences of this change is that we have more
time.  We must take advantage of this opportunity to turn up the heat on the
Democratic Senators who are letting us down (Murray, Wyden, Boxer, and
Feinstein), and push for some movement on the swing votes (Reid, Cohen,
Snowe, Roth, Gregg, Specter, Kassebaum, Heflin, and Byrd).

Senator             Fax            Phone (202)     Staff    
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)     415/956-6701      224-3553  Linda Delgado
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)  202/228-3954      224-3841  Kathy Lacey
Patty Murray (D-WA) 202/224-0238           224-2621  Marla Marvin
Ron Wyden (D-OR)    202/228-2717           224-5244  Alexandra Buelle

Robert Byrd (D-WV)  202/228-4467           224-3954    Marty McBroom
Bennett Johnston (D-LA)  202/224-2952      224-5824    Tom Williams
Howell Heflin (D-AL)     202/224-3149      224-4124    Beau Greenwood
John Breaux (D-LA)  202/224-4268           224-4623    Adam Lawrence
Harry Reid (D-NV)   202/224-7327           224-3542    Gregg Danes
William Cohen (R-ME)     202/224-2693      224-2523    Kate Lambreau
William Roth (R-DE)      No Fax            224-2441  Ashley Miller
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)     202/224-1946      224-5344    Clark LeBlanc
Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS)   202/224-3514      224-4774    Jodey Martin
John Warner (R-VA)  202/224-6079           224-2023    Ann Loomis
Judd Gregg (R-NH)   202/224-4952           224-3324    Rick Murphy


     We have time, but not too much time.  The Congress must pass
legislation by the end of this coming week to prevent the government from
shutting down.  SO THIS IS IT.  We need such a volume of calls from
constituents that these Senators cannot ignore the issue any more.  What
we are getting from the Western Democrats is particular is a lot of buck-
passing.  They need to be confronted with the details of specific sales that
will proceed if the rider isn't stopped.  They need to be asked to take
responsibility.  

     The second consequence of the shift to the Omnibus Appropriations bill
is that the White House becomes more important.  The final version of the
Omnibus Appropriations bill will be negotiated between the Congress and the
White House.  Nothing will become law that the President doesn't sign.  The
President has enormous leverage in these negotiations, which we must
convince him to use for Rider repeal.  The White House has asked the Senate
to repeal the Rider in the spending bill, but will they "draw a line in the sand"
and insist on the repeal -- or is this just lip service?

     For that reason, it is critical that the White House make repeal of the
Rider a priority.  We must pull out all of the stops the next few days to insist
that the President fulfill his commitments to do everything possible to end the
Rider.  

     Please contact Chief of Staff Panetta at 202/456-6797, fax 202/456-
2883 and urge him to insist on an end to the rider as part of the 1997
spending agreement.  Calls should also be going to the general White
House comment line (202/456-1111 9-5 EST) and email
president@whitehouse.gov continually for the next two weeks until an
agreement is reached.