Political Quotes

“H.R. 3752, the American Land Sovereignty Protection Act of 1996, asserts the power of Congress under article IV, section 3 of the United States Constitution over management and use of lands belonging to the United States. So that everyone understands, the concern here is the U.S. Congress--and therefore, the people of the United States--are left out of the domestic process to designate ``World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves.'' This will require the participation of the U.S. Congress and the citizens of this Nation in the process. Within the last 25 years, more and more of our Nation's land has become subject to international land-use restrictions. A total of 67 sites in the United States have been designated as ``UN Biosphere Reserves or World Heritage Sites.'' These land designations under the World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve programs have been created with virtually no congressional oversight and no congressional hearings. The public and local governments are rarely consulted. The World Heritage Site program is based on a treaty. This bill does not suggest that the United States shrug off the World Heritage Site program. We have a domestic law implementing the program and H.R. 3752 proposes to change that domestic law so that Congress must approve the sites. In the case of Biosphere Reserves, the program is not even authorized by a single U.S. law or even an international treaty. That is wrong.…”