Ken Calvert: “I rise today with reservations regarding the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, CARA, in its current form.…”

“I rise today with reservations regarding the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, CARA, in its current form. Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, I cannot support this bill as it presently exists. I have concerns about the lack of property rights protection in this legislation. I will offer a condemnation amendment to address the fundamental flaw in this bill. My amendment will ensure that landowners are not forced to sell their property and are treated fairly in the process. CARA provides for $900 million to be appropriated annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the purposes of purchasing land, including private property, farms and ranches. Private landowners are understandably nervous that with such huge sums of money available, their land may be easily condemned for public use. CARA contains no private property rights protection for LWCF funds provided to State and local governments and very minimal protection with Federal funds. It comes down to the basic right that government should not be able to force taxpaying citizens off their land, land that has sometimes been owned for generations by families. I do not think anyone believes this should take place. My amendment goes a long way in preventing this from happening. I agree that money for parks and recreation, historic preservation and wildlife restoration are worthy endeavors. However, I cannot support a bill which forgoes the rights of American citizens.”