Extending Authorization for Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 182, which extends the authorization of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission until 2028.

The Cape Cod National Seashore was established in 1961. It comprises more than 40,000 acres on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The enabling legislation also provided for an advisory commission comprised of six Cape Cod communities located within the seashore and the county to consult with the Secretary of the Interior about the development of the seashore. This is as it should be.

The Federal Government must be a good neighbor to the communities that its lands impact, and consulting them as partners is a fundamental point of this principle.

One of the unique aspects of this advisory commission is that the Secretary of the Interior cannot issue commercial, industrial, or recreational permits without the advice of the commission, as long as action is taken in a timely manner.

In addition, the commission meets regularly with the park superintendent to discuss specific seashore issues and to advise him about seashore programs, facilities, and activities, providing valuable local feedback to the national seashore. This feedback helps to promote sound park management, improve public access, and it ensures that the National Park Service is a good neighbor to its surrounding communities.

This is a model of how the Federal Government's land managers should be governed. My only regret is that its provisions don't apply to every community affected by Federal landholdings. I cannot help but note that the Federal Government owns just 1.2 percent of Massachusetts while giving great deference to its local communities. Meanwhile, it owns 46 percent of my State of California and often gives local communities impacted by its lands a dismissive brushoff, which is typical of the experience of our Western States.

In fact, I take this opportunity to ask my colleagues from Massachusetts to consider what would happen to their communities if the Federal Government took over half of the land in their State, removed it from the tax rolls, severely restricted any productive use of that land, and then thumbed its nose at the concerns and complaints of local communities.

Thankfully, this administration has taken a cooperative and supportive position in recent years and has improved conditions greatly, but that doesn't guarantee that future administrations won't revert to the Washington-knows-best approach that has produced no end of problems for the people of our Western States.

Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I ask for adoption of this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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