Bob Dole: “I will vote against final passage of this bill, but do so with some reservation. When considering public lands issues…”

“I will vote against final passage of this bill, but do so with some reservation. When considering public lands issues, the Senate has traditionally given great latitude to the two Senators from the State in which the land lies. In this instance, both Senators favor the bill. However, our former colleague and the current Governor of California, Pete Wilson, has serious objections to the bill. As well, all four Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who represent the area in question are opposed to the bill in its present form. I don't think there is much difference in opinion about whether the California Desert is a treasured national resource that deserves protection. But, as articulated by both the chairman and ranking members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior have pointed out, we simply do not have the resources to pay for the management technique envisioned by this legislation. We have a responsibility to protect all of our natural treasures, and passing this bill will further exacerbate the lack of funds available to operate other national parks--including Yosemite, Death Valley, and the Golden Gate National Park in San Francisco. Until we find some way to better care for the parks we have already created, it would be a mistake to create additional park lands.”