In perhaps just the most recent example of legislative might, U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska is determined to kick the National Park Service out of the water at Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.
The Republican, outraged that park rangers handcuffed a 70-year-old last fall when he failed to meet their requests to answer a few questions and show them his boat registration papers, Congressman Young attached a rider to the Interior funding bill last week that "(F)orbids the National Park Service from enforcing regulations activities on waters in Alaska’s Yukon-Charley National Preserve."
If you read news accounts of what transpired, it seems as if misunderstandings and over-reactions on both sides precipitated the confrontation. While a bench trial in the matter has yet to return a verdict on who was in the wrong, Congressman Young has made up his mind.
“I am very pleased that my colleagues (on the House Appropriations Committee) were able to see the glaring overreach by the Park Service in Yukon-Charley. The inclusion of my request (to forbid NPS enforcement on the Yukon River) is important to preserving the freedoms of Alaskans, and to protecting ANILCA," the Republican said in a prepared statement.
Another "highlight" of the Interior funding bill cited by Congressman Young is a provision to block "judicial review from any effort to delist gray wolves in Wyoming and the Great Lakes states."
Support Essential Coverage of Essential Places
Comments
Wise words, JLA.
Congressman Young continues to be a disgrace to his country and to the state he represents. I am somewhat mollified by the fact that the verdict of GUILTY for Mr. Wilde is likely to come down before the Senate takes up the measure and so this bold abuse of Young's disproportionate influence in the House is stripped from the bill in conference. In other news, my fellow Alaskans who are foolish enough to fall victim to his false populism will no doubt award him with another term, much to the chagrin of every thinking Alaskan with a world view larger than a pea.
By the way his little clause goes far beyond what is being reported in the press including this article. It actually strips authority from any bureau in Interior to perform enforcement anywhere on the Yukon River. No more hunting or fishing checks in the various national wildlife refuges up and down the river either...
Those accounts are largely those false claims manufactured out of thin air by defendant's attorney attempting to try the case in the media before the various court hearings, and those of highly selective reporting by the hometown newspaper trying to sensationalize what was actually fairly boring and cut and tried testimony. Add the typical yellow commentary masquerading as reporting from Craig Medred with Alaska Dispatch in his continuing futile quest for a Pulitzer, and it is no surprise that the typical person paying attention to this issue would not know anything much about what actually happened or why.
Update - response to Young from NPS.
What I meant about "going overboard" is that it seemed a little bit crazy to expect someone to be boarded in the middle of the river.
From what I understand about most NPS law enforcement is that they're typically deputized by local law enforcement to give them the authority to enforce state and/or local laws. It doesn't sound if the local law enforcement in Alaska is to keen on giving NPS law enforcement that authority.