Asa Hutchinson: “this amendment supports one of our most fundamental rights, the right of property ownership. This fundamental right, I…”

“this amendment supports one of our most fundamental rights, the right of property ownership. This fundamental right, I believe, is threatened by an Executive order signed by the President on September 11 designating the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. This initiative is intended ``to help communities and protect the river resources in a way that integrates natural resource protection, economic development, and the preservation of historic and cultural values.'' Who could be opposed to that? That, I think, is a goal that all of us share. However, in the eyes of those who live along these historic rivers, this initiative is just another Washington power grab for valuable river front property. It is another Washington intrusion under the guise of a program that has never--has never--been authorized or appropriated. This Executive order allows for eight Cabinet Departments--the Departments of Defense, Justice, Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, and Energy--along with four Government agencies--the EPA, the NEA, the NEH, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation--to decide what happens to America's rivers. I ask you, what does a Washington bureaucrat know about the Arkansas River or the White River, or any of the 16 leading candidates to be designated as American heritage rivers?”