You are here

Is the Centennial Initiative In Need of Life Support?

Share

Published Date

March 29, 2007

    Uh-oh. Looks like the green George is trying to shroud himself in with his National Park Centennial Initiative is going to turn into a pretty shabby patina.
    After all, did you hear what Representative Dave Obey told Mary the other day when discussing the initiative?
    "I regard it more as a press release than a serious program," said Dave.
    That's quite a comment from the Democrat from Wisconsin who chairs the House Appropriations Committee and so just might know a thing or two about how soon the initiative should be placed on life support.
    "He's not going to get this bill without a radically different way to pay for this initiative," Rep. Obey told Mary during a hearing into the Park Service's proposed FY08 budget.
    As I noted earlier this month, the administration has been pretty non-committal when pressed about exactly how it would fund the $3 billion program.
    But, as Congressman Obey pointed out during the hearing, as reported by Greenwire, administration plans to use cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund to underwrite it just won't fly.
 

Comments

Dave Obey sounds more than willing to tear down the Centennial Challenge. I would suspect maybe a little political posturing. Of course the only way for the Government to come up with $3 Billion in spending (over a number of years) is to cut other programs. Sen Obey may not be the best source for info on the Centennial Challenge....unless of course you ask him if he wants to support it. If he doesn't then does that make him anti-eco? I say he puts up or shuts up

Rep. Dave Obey (not Senator) is a very strong supporter of national parks and environmental causes, but he is one of the few legislators secure enough in his own skin that he says what he believes. He doesn't do much posturing. He also doesn't have any respect for the administration's privatization agenda and will likely fight any effort to put private interests above public interests. That's likely why he's so skeptical.

If Rep Obey is chairing the appropriations committee and such a staunch supporter of the NPS then why do the shortfalls exist in the first place?

Ummm...ok, I never thought I'd be in a position to defend the Democrats, but it would be helpful to use arguments that make sense. Given that this is the first budget with a Democratic Congress in a dozen years, I'm not sure how Obey could be responsible for that. There's enough wrong with government, right? There's no need to resort to bad or trivial arguments.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

Your support helps the National Parks Traveler increase awareness of the wonders and issues confronting national parks and protected areas.

Support Our Mission

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.