-Caveat Lector-
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles S Cushman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 010 (E-mail) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 7:16 PM
Subject: Trust Fund
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URGENT ACTION REQUIRED
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LAND RIGHTS NETWORK ALERT
American Land Rights Association
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> www.landrights.org
$1.5 BILLION PER YEAR LAND ACQUISITION TRUST FUND
PROPOSED - NO BIGGER THREAT TO PRIVATE LAND
OWNERS - ALL OUT EFFORT TO DEFEAT IT REQUIRED
House Resources Chairman Don Young (R-AK) introduced a bill before Congress
adjourned that would make the present Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF) into a $1.5 billion land acquisition trust fund restarting the
massive private land acquisition offensive that occurred in the 70's and
80's. A major target of the existing Clinton/Gore managed LWCF is removing
ranchers and other owners of private land in rural areas. The Young bill
is a huge threat to private property ownership.
The Young Land Acquisition bill was introduced as a trial balloon at the
end of the 105th Congress. It would create an off-budget, unappropriated
land acquisition trust fund that would guarantee Federal agencies the money
to attack landowners year after year. You will never be free of harassment
by Federal land agents. The new trust fund would support huge land trusts
such as the Nature Conservancy. These land trusts often operate in secret
to buy private land with Federal tax dollars.
Because it would be off budget, the new land acquisition trust fund would
not have to go through the normal appropriations process. Land acquisition
funding would not have to compete with other priorities for Federal
dollars. It would become a new entitlement for the Nature Conservancy and
other green groups. You would lose the opportunity you now have to head
off land acquisition by testifying before the appropriations committees of
Congress.
The Young Trust Fund bill has 20 co-sponsors. Among them are
Representatives Baker (R-LA), Tauzin (R-LA), Schaffer (R-CO), Gibbons
(R-NV), and Radanovich (R-CA). These are all generally friendly to private
property owners. The rest of the co-sponsors do not support property
rights.
Why are our supposed friends introducing such a dangerous bill? To please
what we call the "hook and bullet" crowd, the fishermen and hunters. They
want to buy more land for more wildlife refuges. American Land Rights has
always supported the fishermen and hunters. But this huge trust fund is
your enemy.
A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
and supported by Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK). The Murkowski-Landrieu bill
was co-sponsored by Senators Cochran (D-MS), Sessions (R-AL), and Lott
(R-MS). Again, because of space we only listed those who are usually
friendly to private property owners.
The hunters and fishermen carry a lot of weight in Congress. The sponsors
generally represent states on the ocean and are affected by offshore oil
and gas development that supplies most of the money for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF). These bills are designed to give a lot of money
to key coastal states like Mississippi, Louisiana and Alaska to compensate
them for the impacts of oil drilling and encourage their support. But
landowners (you) will be the ultimate victims.
A third bill may be the most dangerous. It is the Gephardt Land
Acquisition Trust, another LWCF trust fund bill just introduced by Rep.
Richard Gephardt (D-MO). It guarantees nearly all the money to the LWCF
with none for hunters and fishermen.
The Gephardt Land Acquisition Trust (our name for it) is likely to be
pushed by the environmental groups, plus Vice-President Gore and Interior
Secretary Bruce Babbitt are supportive. It would supply $900 million per
year in guaranteed funds. $900 million equals the largest land
acquisition year that ever occurred - 1979. That was the year landowners
faced the worst attack of all. If it passes, the Gephardt Trust Fund will
make every year as dangerous as 1979 for landowners.
President Clinton and VP Gore will announce today (January 12th) a $1
billion per year program for land acquisition. It is called the "Lands
Legacy Initiative" and will ultimately help convert the Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF) into an unappropriated trust fund.
In addition Gore just announced a massive $10 billion "Better America
Bonds" program that would could force Congress to pay bond costs for
additional billions over a 15 year period for land acquisition, local
parks, rapid transit and other goals. This supports Gore's "Partnership
for America's Resources" (PAR). It will likely use the LWCF as the funding
vehicle. Gore is pandering to urban dwellers promising to improve their
quality of life.
Bottom line. Don't let the snake out of the box. Call and write both your
Senators and your Congressman today urging them to oppose these bills when
they are reintroduced. Ask our friends in Congress to fight these new
bills immediately to keep them from gaining support. Some of our friends
have clearly not read the bills very carefully. Perhaps that is because
the bills were introduced in the last few days of the last Congress. It is
hard to imagine any other reason they could be co-sponsors.
You're being tested. Certain Congressmen and Senators and their staff are
betting that you have gone to sleep and they can sneak these bills past you
without a fight. You must let them know quickly that they are wrong. All
three bills are dangerous. Focus on making sure that any land acquisition
money must go through the appropriations process each year. It is not
right to set up a special off-budget trust fund to buy land at the expense
of other important priorities.
Here is what you need to do to stop the Billion Dollar Trust Fund.
1. Call your Senators to oppose the Billion Dollar Trust Fund at (202)
224-3121. If you call quickly you may be able to keep your Senator from
co-sponsoring the new bill.
2. Call your Representative to oppose the new bills at (202) 225-3121.
Again, the more controversy you make quickly, the better chance your
Representative will not sign on.
3. Write your Congressman and Senators opposing the trust fund. Write:
Honorable____ , US
Senate, Wash. DC 20510. Or write: Hon.______, House of Reps., Wash. DC
20515. Ask them to write you explaining why they are supporting a new
unappropriated trust fund. Ask for an explanation why they think the
Nature Conservancy and other giant land trusts need a new entitlement when
they receive hundreds of millions of dollars already.
4. Join the "Keep Private Lands In Private Hands Coalition." Fax a note
back or even just a copy of one page of this fax with your name, phone and
fax on it saying, "sign me (us) up."
5. Send a copy of this fax or E-mail to at least five other people, your
whole list if possible.
6. Make photocopies of this alert and pass them out or mail them to your
friends.
WHY THE BILLION DOLLAR LAND ACQUISITION TRUST FUND IS A BAD IDEA
+ Green groups will seek to designate hundreds of new areas as parks and
refuges.
+ Billions of dollars of private land will be taken off the tax rolls,
forcing your taxes up.
+ Access through private land, the only access to large areas of Federal
land, will be cut off.
+ Hundreds of small communities will have their tax base destroyed by
Federal land buying.
+ Twenty-six million acres of private land in ME, NH, VT and NY will become
a larger target.
+ Hundreds of small communities in existing Federal areas will be wiped off
the map.
+ Federal In-Lieu of tax program fails to make up for lost tax revenue to
counties.
+ No private property will be safe when Congress is in session with these
funds available.
+ Every program should have to compete for appropriations. No more
entitlements.
+ There should be no net loss of private land in America. Any more
purchases should be made from money gained through the sale of Federal l
and.
+ Land acquisition has always been used as a weapon and threat to control
private landowners.
For reference purposes the old bill numbers in the 105th Congress were:
Young-HR 4717, Gephardt-HR 4467, and Murkowski/Landrieu-S 2566. They will
all have new numbers in the next week or two.
The General Accounting Office has numerous reports critical of Federal land
acquisition and the Federal agencies. We'll send you a list in later
messages.
Join the KEEP PRIVATE LAND IN PRIVATE HANDS COALITION. Send back this
coupon with your name, the name of the organization you represent if any,
your phone and fax number. We'll keep informed about the fight to defeat
the $1 billion per year unappropriated land acquisition trust fund and
other issues involving Federal land acquisition nationwide.
Name____________________Organization ____________________
Address __________________Town _______State ____ Zip ___
Phone ____________________ Fax ___________________
E-Mail ______________________ Web Address _______________
Return to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Check our Web site at www.landrights.org
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