10/13/1997 247

CONGRESS STILL USING RIDERS TO PUSH PERSONAL AGENDAS - KYL/DOMENICI RIDER STILL ALIVE

Despite the fact that anti-environmental riders led to a government shutdown in previous years, Congress is back doing what it does best: making special deals and handing out special favors for its friends from behind closed doors. These riders are an affront to the public, which in the past has plainly rejected Congressional efforts to roll back or undermine environmental protections and to interfere in the management of public lands.

Fifteen anti-environmental riders found their way to the Interior Appropriations Bill currently before Congress. From striping funds for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to turning portions of the Lake Clark National Park in Alaska over for corporate degradation, these riders are all special deals that have not considered the public's point of view.

We have written a letter to President Clinton and Members of Congress urging them to remove these riders and specifically the rider added by Senators Kyl and Dominici. This rider removes the ability of the Forest Service to comply with a current Court Order to stop all grazing activities which violate current management plans. This injunction came about as a result of a suit filed, by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity and Forest Guardians, to prevent activities in the Southwest National Forests which violate current management plans. We have obtained over 40 organizations' and many individuals' signatures to our letter.