Will GOP Hold Land Agencies Accountable?

Will Congress Review the Closure of Clear Creek?

The Recreation HQ appreciated the candor of Doc Hastings’ opening comments today from his post as the new Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. HQ took special note of Chairman Hastings’ acknowledgement that Republicans between 2001-2006 basically failed to hold federal land agencies accountable during the Bush administration.

See Text of Hastings’ Speech Today
http://naturalresources.house.gov/UploadedFiles/HastingsOpeningStatementAM-01.26.11.pdf

HQ believes the OHV community will in short order be able to gauge the sincerity of Chairman Hastings’ commitment to hold oversight hearings by the issues placed on the committee and subcommittee hearing schedules.

Of special interest to the HQ is if this Congress will hold oversight hearings on issues of special interest to the OHV community such as the landscape-level closure (the largest of its kind in the USA) of the Clear Creek Management Area to all users in 2008, abuse of the 2005 Travel Management Rule, and the BLM’s Wild Lands program.

Be assured, HQ will be holding the 112th Congress accountable.



112th Congress Introduces Bill to Address FS TMR Road/Trail Closures

Single Track Trail Closed by TMR that OHVers Want Reopened

The Recreation HQ salutes Congressman Wally Herger’s continued fight to stop the closure of many Forest Service roads and trails in his District. Congressman Herger ramped things up today by introducing a bill that requires the FS to complete post Subpart B project level trail planning before implementing Subpart B of the Travel Management Rule. That Rule in CA closed thousands of miles of historic trails and roads and also prohibited OHV travel (mostly ATVs and UTVs) on most ML-3 roads.


BRC News Release with Link to Herger Bill
http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=722&filter=media

This is not the first time that Herger as fought for our access rights. Earlier this year, he sent a letter to Secretary Harris Sherman about FS road and trail closures.

HQ Blog with Links to Letters and Overview
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/08/congressman-herger-sends-letter-to-sec.html

This fight for access is welcomed news after yesterday’s punch in the gut announcement by green groups that GOP congressmen had introduced new Wilderness Bills instead of proposing access legislation, or bills to address tax-payer funding of eco-lawsuits, or presidential misuse of the Antiquities Act.

HQ hopes to see a lot more access related legislation and/or scheduling of oversight hearings regarding excessive trail closures in Region 5 and elsewhere.

1st Land Use Bills from New Congress are Wilderness Bills - What the Heck!

112th Congressional Agenda?

Today, The General is expressing his grave disappointment in the GOP when the very 1st “land-use” bills introduced in the 112th Congress were not bills designed to address road and trail closures by TMR, or the ongoing closure of 70K acres at CCMA to all users, or the reintroduction of EAJA reform legislation to address taxpayer funding of eco-lawsuits gone wild, instead they selected to champion two Wilderness bills in Southern California.

San Diego Union on the Wilderness Bill
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jan/06/wilderness-proposal-gets-new-life-congress/



Rather then being able to call BRC or AMA and offer kudos regarding an access bill that they had been working on that was introduced today, The General had to call his good friends and colleagues at the California Wilderness Coalition today and congratulate them for being the first out of the blocks with land-use legislation.

See CWC News Release on CA Wilderness Bills
http://www.calwild.org/index.html

HQ had high hopes for this new pro-access Congress, but those hopes were dashed on the rocks today by the announcement of two Wilderness Bills.

Let’s see what new land-closure initiatives this new Congress unveils tomorrow and in the coming weeks.