John Chenoweth: “one of the reasons for America's strength and her rise in economic ability is because of the wise use of her rivers and…”

“one of the reasons for America's strength and her rise in economic ability is because of the wise use of her rivers and waterways for irrigation, travel, recreation, power, flood control, and all other uses. Mr. Speaker, through the wise use and allocation of our Nation's waters we have literally turned our deserts into gardens, but tonight I rise to alert my colleagues and inform our constituents of the most recent assault by the Clinton administration on private property rights, States rights, and western values. That is the administration's American heritage rivers initiative, created and tendered solely by the White House, and executed without congressional approval. Just before the Memorial Day work period the Council on Environmental Quality, an unauthorized agency existing on misappropriated funds, I might add, published this proposal in the Federal Register entitled ``The American Heritage Rivers Initiative.'' It is in the Federal Register, May 19, 1997, page 27253. I urge my colleagues to read it. Although law requires a 90-day public comment period, this comment period ends June 9, 1997, a mere 3 weeks after its date of publication; 3 weeks, not 3 months, as the law requires. This violates the Administrative Procedures Act and totally ignores the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.”