Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to protect National Parks through collaborative efforts on lands inside and outside of National Park System units.

This legislation is based on very successful watershed protection legislation enacted for the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land management, now commonly referred to as the Wyden amendment. The Wyden amendment, first enacted in 1998 for fiscal year 1999, has resulted in countless Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management cooperative agreements with neighboring State and local land owners to accomplish high priority restoration, protection and enhancement work on public and private lands. It has not required additional funding, but has allowed the agencies to leverage their scarce restoration dollars thereby allowing the federal dollars stretch farther.

The legislation I introduce today will allow the Park Service to use a similar authority to attack natural threats to National Parks, such as invasive weeds, before they cross onto Parks' land. The National Park Service tells me that if they have to wait until the weeds hit the Parks before treating them the costs for treatment rise exponentially and the probability of beating the weeds back drop exponentially.

I ask unanimous consent that examples of projects the National Park Service would with this authority, as well as the groups with which they would partner be printed in the Record. I am please that Senator Akaka is joining me as an original co-sponsor of this legislation and I hope my other colleagues will join me as co-sponsors of this legislation and in ensuring its swift passage.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

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