Huge Eminent Domain land closures for Parks
Please call your Congressman & ask them to
oppose HR3998, the National Legacy Study Act
oppose a Unanimous Consent Vote on HR 3998
insist upon a recorded vote on HR 3998
Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@pacifier.com
Web Address: http://www.landrightsorg
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003
Eminent Domain Vote Tuesday - Call, Fax and E-mail by Monday
Sneak Attack Kelo Type Eminent Domain Vote On HR 3998 Tuesday, Call Now
-----You must call your Congressman Tuesday, December 3rd and Wednesday,
December 5th
-----This is an all out call to action. You must call, call, and call
again. Also send faxes and e-mails. If you don't have your Congressman's
fax or e-mail address, call them to get it. Ask for the staff person who
handles National Parks or the Resources Committee. Call any Congressman at
(202) 225-3121.
-----Your Congressman can stop HR 3998 from being voted on by unanimous
consent. All he or she has to do is object to the unanimous consent motion.
-----Your Congressman can insist on a recorded vote. He must insist on a
recorded vote.
Stranahan House, Rim of the Valley, Mississippi River, and six other bills
are joined together in the giant HR 3998 National Legacy Study Bill and will
be voted on the floor of the House Tuesday by unanimous consent in a sneak
attack against private property rights.
If HR 3998 passes Congress, it will lead to Kelo type Eminent Domain
procedures by the National Park Service to take private property from
thousands of unsuspecting and innocent property owners.
-----HR 3998 includes Rim of the Valley and the whole Mississippi River
Trail Park. Thousands of landowners in these areas have no idea they are
in jeopardy. They are going to face eminent domain by the National Park
Service.
58,000 landowners in the proposed Rim of the Valley Park in California alone
are in the land acquisition zone. Thousands more along the Mississippi.
-----Any Congressman can throw up his hands and stop this unanimous consent
motion on the House floor. They must do it stop this voice vote that will
eventually hurt so many landowners. You must call your Congressman to
insist that he or she vote no on the unanimous consent motion and insist
that there be a recorded vote on HR 3998.
He or she must vote against HR 3998, the National Legacy Study Act.
-----You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121.
-----You must call all day Monday and Tuesday to oppose HR 3998 and insist
on a recorded vote.
Stranahan House in Florida is just one part of HR 3998 and is particularly
egregious. The local non-profit that owns the Stranahan House already got
the local government to try to take the private land around the Stranahan
House using Kelo type eminent domain. They lost in court. Now they're
trying to substitute the Federal eminent domain power of the National Park
Service to condemn the land. This endangers you and every other landowner
if they get away with it.
There is a secret plan of attack by supporters of the National Legacy Study
Act (HR 3998) (Omnibus Parks Bill) to vote by unanimous consent shortly
after Congress comes into session on Tuesday, December 4th or Wednesday,
December 5th You must get your calls in early and often.
That means that if no Congressman objects, 10 new National Park studies will
pass by voice vote by unanimous consent with no accountability. You won't
even know how your Congressman voted.
Here is a summary of the National Legacy Study Act. HR 3998 is a massive
Omnibus Parks Bill joining together 10 proposed parks into one giant Omnibus
Parks Bill.
-----Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and the Bush Administration are
letting their supporters down. Most of HR 3998 is supported by the Interior
Department and the National Park Service. They are endangering private
property rights and encouraging eminent domain by the National Park Service.
HR 3998 has no provision preventing Eminent Domain or Condemnation. In the
absence of a provision preventing it, Eminent Domain or Condemnation are
automatically allowed by the National Park Service.
A vote for HR 3998 is a vote for Eminent Domain and Condemnation.
A vote for HR 3998 is a vote against private property rights.
-----You must call your Congressman today to insist that he or she oppose HR
3998 and allowing the use of Kelo type eminent domain in HR 3998. HR 3998
should include a provision prohibiting the use of eminent domain.
You must insist that the vote on HR 3998 be a recorded vote so you and
everyone else will know who voted and how their Congressman voted. Every
Congressman may be called at (202) 225-3121.
Action Items Below.
Summary of HR 3998.
HR 3998, by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) authorizes 10 separate studies for new
National Trails and Parks. These are often giant areas incorporating
hundreds of thousands of acres and the land of thousands of farmers,
ranchers and other landowners.
People are usually confused by the word trail. It can actually mean the
condemnation of thousands of acres on either side of the proposed trail. It
becomes a huge park. The people along the Mississippi River have no idea
how much danger they are in. Their Congressmen have a chance to stop this
bill now. If it passes, landowners along the Mississippi will enter a 20
year reign of terror.
-----Go to www.landrights.org to read my testimony on the National Trail Act
and the Appalachian Trail to see how bad things are when you are facing land
acquisition and eminent domain by the National Park Service.
-----Also at www.landrights.org read my testimony on HR 701, (CARA), the
Conservation and Reinvestment Act. This testimony will give you lots of
documented horror stories about how the National Park Service treats private
landowners and local communities.
-----HR 3998 is asking a giant bureaucracy, the National Park Service, if it
wants more land, more money, more power or more people. It is very rare
indeed for the Park Service to turn down more land, more power as well as
more money.
A few parts of HR 3998, the National Legacy Study Act, are relatively
harmless. But you cannot oppose part of a bill. It is all or nothing. The
limited good parts of HR 3998 that are defeated now will make their way back
in future bills.
-----Here are the 10 areas included in the National Legacy Study Act: (Pay
particular attention to Stranahan House, Title IX, Rim of the Valley, Title
VIII, and the Mississippi River, Title V).
-----Title I- Harry Truman Birthplace Study Act (HR 3265, Rep. Ike Skelton,
D-MO) -- Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study whether it is
feasible to include the Harry S. Truman Birthplace State Historic Site in
Lamar, Missouri, as part of the National Park System (NPS). The Interior
Department supports HR 3265.
-----Title II- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Extension Study Act
(HR 3616, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-MO) -- Authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior to determine the suitability and feasibility of extending the Lewis
and Clark National Historic Trail to include Eastern sites associated with
the expedition. The additional sites include those associated with the
preparation or return phases of the Lewis and Clark expedition, commonly
known as the "Eastern Legacy", including sites in Virginia, the District of
Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois. Interior Department supports HR
3616.
-----Title III- Battle of Matewan Study Act (HR 3821, Rep. Nick Joe Rahall,
D-WV) -- Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study the feasibility of designating the Matewan Historic District
in West Virginia as a unit within the National Park Service system.
Currently all of the Matewan Historic District is within Chairman Rahall's
district. Interior Department Supports HR 3821.
-----Title IV- Battle of Camden Study Act (HR 1674, Rep. John Spratt,
D-SC) -- Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability
and feasibility of designating the site of the Battle of Camden and Historic
Camden, as a unit or units of the National Park System. Currently,
"Historic Camden," which is approximately six miles from the battle site, is
an "affiliated area" of the National Park Service and has been authorized as
such since1982. Interior Department Supports HR 1674.
-----Title V- Mississippi River Study Act (HR 2482, Rep. McCollum, D-MN) --
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study
along the route of the Mississippi River in the counties contiguous to the
river from its headwaters in the State of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
The study will evaluate a range of alternatives for protecting and
interpreting the resources along the route of the Mississippi River. This
bill is likely to lead to a monster national park taking land from thousands
of landowners from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The ultimate cost to
taxpayers of this bill along is likely to be over $2 billion. Interior
Department Supports HR 2482
-----Title VI- Fort San Geronimo Study Act (HR 1545, Resident Commissioner
Fortuno, R-PR) -- Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a
study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including Fort San
Geronimo, in Puerto Rico, into the San Juan National Historic Site.
Interior Department Supports HR 2482.
-----Title VII- Wolf House Study Act (HR 442, Rep. Marion Berry, D-AR) --
Authorizes the Department of the Interior to study the suitability and
feasibility of designating the Wolf House in Norfolk, Arkansas as a unit of
the National Park System. Problems with the bill: The Interior Department
feels the Wolf House should be part of the Arkansas State Park System. It
does not support HR 442.
-----Title VIII- Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act (HR 1835, Rep. Adam B.
Schiff, D-CA) -- Authorizes the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study. The title
implies this is just a corridor but it actually is a huge new area that
includes the mountainous areas and lots of private property around the San
Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi, and Conejo Valleys. It will
convert a large portion of the Angeles National Forest and smaller parts of
the Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests. The study requires the
Secretary of the Interior to evaluate a range of alternatives for protecting
resources of the corridor including designation as a unit of the National
Park System.
The size and magnitude of this potential designation is unprecedented in
terms of cost and number of people affected. It incorporates 169,000
landowners in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Real estate in the Los
Angeles area is some of the most expensive in the country. The cost of this
of the Rim of the Valley National Park could be well over $2 billion
dollars. Believe it or not, the Bush Administration Interior Department
supports HR 1835.
-----Title IX- Stranahan House, Trading Post and Campsite Study Act (HR
3120, Rep. Debra Wasserman Shultz, D-FL) -- Authorizes a special resource
study of the Stranahan House in Broward County, Florida to see if it should
be designated as a unit within the National Park Service system.
-----Problems: Abuse of Federal Eminent Domain (Condemnation). The
non-profit group that currently owns and manages the Stranahan House got the
local government to use Kelo type eminent domain to try to take this
property under the guise of creating a park. This attempt was stopped in
state court. Now the local non-profit that owns Stranahan House is seeking
to use the power of Federal eminent domain by substituting the National Park
Service to condemn this property. The Interior Department and the Park
Service do not support HR 3120.
-----Title X- Butterfield Overland Trail Study Act (HR 1266, Rep. John
Boozman, R-AR) -- Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a
resource study along the "Ox-Bow Route" of the Butterfield Overland Trail
that traverses the States of Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Rep. Boozman stated he would like to
include language in the bill that would direct the Secretary to take private
property rights into consideration when conducting the study. The Interior
Department Supports HR 1266.
>>>>>If all of these bills eventually pass Congress and become law, the
>>>>>eventually cost to the taxpayer could exceed $10 billion.
The National Legacy Study Act is an Omnibus Parks bill that includes 10 new
areas from around the country.
In one example of the bills included in HR 3998, the Rim of the Valley
passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee when several Congressman
who have parts of the Rim of the Valley in their districts failed to even
show up to oppose it. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) and Rep. Buck McKeon
(R-CA) did not stop Rim of the Valley when they had a great chance. They
still can if you call them now. If Rim of the Valley passes, it will be
their fault. They are not standing up for their constituents.
All your Congressman has to do is call the House Republican Leadership to
register their objection to any unanimous consent vote on HR 3998. They
must also request a recorded vote.
If either one had shown up to oppose HR 3998 in Committee, the Rim of the
Valley portion of HR 3998 likely could have been stopped. The same is true
for the Mississippi River portion of HR 3998.
HR 3998 is one of the most far-reaching land grab bills in the past 20
years. It is time for all landowners and people who live or appreciate
rural America to stand together and fight.
It is time for the Republicans to show they are fighting for you.
Action items:
-----1. You must call your Congressman immediately to urge him or her to
oppose HR 3998, the National Legacy Study Act. Call any Congressman at
(202) 225-3121. Ask for the staff person's e-mail address who handles
National Park issues or the Resources Committee.
-----Reasons to oppose HR 3998, the National Legacy Study Bill.
-----A. HR 3998 does not prevent Eminent Domain.
-----B. The Park Service Eminent Domain power is being used as a substitute
for local Kelo type Eminent Domain power. If successful, this will happen
elsewhere in the US. It could happen to you.
-----C. If the areas included in HR 3998 pass Congress, the cost could
eventually be over $10 billion.
-----D. This is an omnibus parks bill. Park bills should be considered one
by one so the good and bad parts can be considered. The National Park
System should not be watered down by massive omnibus bills. Otherwise, the
money that goes for these new parks takes money away from the really great
parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone.
Large portions of they proposed parks in HR 3998 would not even qualify as
parks under the guidelines of the National Park Service.
-----2. Call your Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Urge him to insist that
the National Legacy Study Omnibus Parks Bill, (HR 3998) be voted on in a
recorded vote. Do not allow any Congressman to hide behind unanimous
consent. You must know how your Congressman voted on HR 3998.
Call ahead of time to ask what the position of your Congressman is and how
he or she intends to vote.
Ask your Member of Congress to promise to object to the unanimous consent
motion and insist on a recorded vote. A voice vote for unanimous consent is
a way for each Congressman to avoid taking responsibility for his or her
individual vote. They don't have to be responsible for spending such huge
amounts of money (over $10 billion) or putting you, your private property
and community in jeopardy.
It is very dangerous to vote on an omnibus bill like the National Legacy
Study Act. It includes a whole bunch of bills that are very dangerous and
should be voted on individually. A lot of bad stuff will be slipped by in
this massive HR 3998 that will eventually cost $10 billion or more.
-----3. Forward this message to at least five people and your whole list if
possible.
-----The League of Private Property Voters has announced that if a Unanimous
Consent vote is used, all Members present at the vote will be given credit
for supporting the HR 3998 and Eminent Domain. Also all Congressmen who
fail to show up will be given proper credit in the next Private Property
Congressional Vote Index and in alerts sent directly into Congressional
districts.
-----It is important to understand that any Congressman can stop the
Unanimous Consent Motion. So if they fail to do so, they must be given
credit for supporting the contents of the bill.
Alerts will go out to all Members districts showing who showed up and who
didn't and how they voted.
You have a huge chance to strike a blow for private property rights. You
have a chance to really make a difference in the process in Washington, DC.
You can fight for an open and transparent Congress. Congressional secrecy
must be stopped. You must deluge you're your Congressman's office with calls
opposing HR 3998. You must insist on a recorded vote on HR 3998. Call, fax
and e-mail your Congressman. Get others to do the same. Any Congressman
can be called at (202) 225-3121.
You must call all day Monday and Tuesday, December 4th and 5th. Call
several times. Get others to do the same. Watch C-Span to watch the vote
and any debate if there is any debate.
Under Unanimous Consent, there will be little or no debate. Call your
Congressman at (202) 225-3121 to find out if the vote has taken place yet
and how he or she voted. Make sure when you call before the vote that you
ask his or her position on the bill and let us know. Send a note to the
following e-mail.
Chuck Cushman
American Land Rights Association
ccushman@pacifier.com
(360) 687-3087
Please forward this message as widely as possible. This is a historic vote.
Minority Members (Republicans)
Ranking Minority Member: Don Young (R-AK) - Fax (202) 225-0425 email: pamela.day@mail.house.gov
Jim Saxton (R-NJ) - Fax (202) 225-0778 - email: andy.oliver@mail.house.gov
Elton Gallegly (R-CA) - Fax (202) 202-225-1100 - email: brian.feintech@mail.house.gov
John Duncan (R-TN) - Fax (202) 225-6440 - email: scott.fischer@mail.house.gov
Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) - Fax (202) 225-0254 - email: edith.thompson@mail.house.gov
Ken Calvert (R-CA) - Fax (202) 225-2004 - email: dave.ramey@mail.house.gov
Chris Cannon (R-UT) - Fax (202) 225-5629 - email: matthew.landoli@mail.house.gov
Tom Tancredo (R-CO) - Fax (202) 226-4623 - email: macarthur.zimmerman@mail.house.gov
Jeff Flake (R-AZ) - Fax (202) 226-4386 - email: chandler.morse@mail.house.gov
Rick Renzi (R-AZ) - Fax (202) 226-9739 - email: jim.lester@mail.house.gov
Steve Pearce (R-NM) - Fax (202) 225-9599 - email: tim.charters@mail.house.gov
Henry Brown (R-SC) - Fax (202) 225-3407 - email: chris.berardini@mail.house.gov
Luis Fortuno (R-PR) - Fax (202) 225-2154 - email: javier.delaluz@mail.house.gov
Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA) - Fax (202) 225-3392 - email: ryan.work@mail.house.gov
Bobby Jindal (R-LA) - Fax (202) 226-0386 - email: chris.gillott@mail.house.gov
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) - Fax (202) 226-5866 - email: Ashley.callen@mail.house.gov
Tom Cole (R-OK) - Fax (202) 225-3512 - email: scott.parman@mail.house.gov
Rob Bishop (R-UT) - Fax (202) 225-5857 - email: casey.hammond@mail.house.gov
Bill Shuster (R-PA) - Fax (202) 225-2486 - email: stephen.martinko@mail.house.gov
Dean Heller (R-NV) - Fax (202) 225-5697 - email: leeann.walker@mail.house.gov
William Sali (R-ID) - Fax (202) 225-3029 - email: matthew.hite@mail.house.gov
Douglas Lamborn (R-CO) - Fax (202) 226-2638 - email: melissa.carlson@mail.house.gov
Majority Members (Democrats):
Chairman - Nick Rahall (D-WV) - Fax (202) 225-9061 - email: jim.zoia@mail.house.gov
Dale Kildee (D-MI) - Fax (202) 225-6393 - email: travis.talvitie@mail.house.gov
Eni FH Faleomavaega (D-AS) - Fax (202) 225-8757 - email: lisa.williams@mail.house.gov
Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)-Fax (202) 225-4580-email: wendy.clerinx@mail.house.gov
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) - Fax (202) 226-1134 - email: patricia.villarreal@mail.house.gov
Frank Pallone (D-NJ) - Fax (202) 225-9665 - email: eric.gordon@mail.house.gov
Donna Christensen (D-VI) - Fax (202) 225-5517 - email: brian.modeste@mail.house.gov
Grace Napolitano (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-0027 - email: joe.sheehy@mail.house.gov
Rush Holt (D-NJ) - Fax (202) 225-6025 - email: christopher.hartmann@mail.house.gov
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) - Fax (202) 226-2301 - email: david.watkins@mail.house.gov
Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU) - Fax (202) 226-0341 - email: jed.bullock@mail.house.gov
Jim Costa (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-9308 - email: tom.wanley@mail.house.gov
David Daniel Boren (D-OK) - Fax (202) 225-3038 - email: jason.buckner@mail.house.gov
John Sarbanes (D-MD) - Fax (202) 225-9219 - email: jason.gleason@mail.house.gov
George Miller (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-5609 - email: ben.miller@mail.house.gov
Edward Markey (D-MA) - Fax (202) 226-0092 - email: jeff.duncan@mail.house.gov
Peter DeFazio (D-OR) - Fax (202) 225-0032 - email: susan.brown@mail.house.gov
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) - Fax (202) 226-0774 - email: moira.campion@mail.house.gov
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) - Fax (202) 225-3290 - email: kimber.colton@mail.house.gov
Ron Kind (D-WI) - Fax (202) 225-5739 - email: david.degennaro@mail.house.gov
Lois Capps (D-CA) Fax - (202) 225-5632 - email: jonathan.levenshus@mail.house.gov
Jay Inslee (D-WA) - Fax (202) 226-1606 - email: garth.vanmeter@mail.house.gov
Mark Udall (D-CO) - Fax (202) 226-7840 - email: stan.sloss@mail.house.gov
Joe Baca (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-8671 - email: susie.saavedra@mail.house.gov
Hilda Solis (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-5467 - email: megan.uzzell@mail.house.gov
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) - FAX (202) 225-5823 - email: josh.albert@mail.house.gov
Heath Shuler (D-NC) -FAX (202) 226-6422 - email: sean.obrien@mail.house.gov
Please forward this message as widely and quickly as you can.