Political Quotes

“I support Senator Bumpers' amendment because it strikes language in the supplemental appropriations bill which is not only highly controversial and bad for public lands, but it also has nothing to do with emergency funding--the purpose of this supplemental appropriations bill. Rights-of-way is a principle of property use that allows for continued use of a pathway across public land when it can be proven that the path existed before the land was reserved for Federal designation--so a road that existed prior to the designation of the Yosemite National Park would be a valid right-of-way. In our Nation, any individual or local government can claim a right-of-way. The validity of this claim must then be determined. In 1988, then Secretary of the Interior Hodel developed policy guidelines for dealing with right-of-way claims over public land. The Hodel policy effectively deferred authority over rights-of-way determination to States and provided very broad guidelines to assist States in making these determinations. The guidelines allowed for a right-of-way to be granted if merely a large rock or vegetation was removed from an area. Once a right-of-way authority is granted, a small dirt footpath through Yosemite National Park could be converted to a six-lane paved highway.”