🚀 go-pugleaf

The California Desert Protection Bill (HR 518) did not come to a
vote before the Memorial Day recess. The latest word is that it
may come to a vote as soon as next Wednesday (6/8), or, if not
then, probably the following week. The bill is expected to pass,
but, as before, the concern is with amendments. There is still
time to contact your representative (even if you no he/she
supports the bill in general) and express your views about the
following important amendments:

*    The Larocco amendment: downgrades the proposed Mojave
     National Park to a "preserve" to permit hunting. This bill
     was defeated in the Natural Resources Committee, and a
     similar amendment was defeated in the senate, but Larocco
     (Idaho) is expected to introduce it again on the house
     floor. At last report about 199 rep's were firmly against
     this amendment and about 190 were for it, so it is critical
     that you urge your rep to vote against it if he/she is
     uncommitted.

*    Perpetual grazing: the house and senate versions of the bill
     now both contain identical language allowing "perpetual
     cattle grazing" in the Mojave N.P. AND in areas added to the
     expanded Death Valley N.P. Urge your rep's to vote for
     amendments that would phase out grazing. If perpetual
     grazing is deleted from the house version, there is some
     chance that it will also be cut out of the final bill in the
     conference committee version.

*    Military Overflights and base expansions: the senate
     defeated an amendment by Malcom Wallop (Wyoming) that would
     have allowed unlimited and uncontrolled military overflights
     of all desert parks and wilderness areas. Such an amendment
     may be introduced on the house floor. Urge your rep's to
     vote against it if it does. Also, urge them to oppose any
     attempts to delete any additional wilderness areas from the
     bill in the interest of military base expansion.

*    Finally, ORV groups are still trying to get some routes that
     are closed in the bill reopened. The bill closes 2,500 miles
     of routes but leaves 30,000 more open. The routes to be
     closed were selected for good reasons, i.e., to protect
     fragile riparian areas, critical wildlife habitat,
     archaeological sites, etc. Urge your rep's to oppose any
     attempts to reopen closed routes.

I hope that this will be my last message on this topic, save for
the ones indicating that the bill has passed the house and has
been signed into law.