Ed Whitfield: “Mr. Chairman, I represent the First District of Kentucky, which includes the Land Between the Lakes. LBL is a…”

“Mr. Chairman, I represent the First District of Kentucky, which includes the Land Between the Lakes. LBL is a 170,000-acre national recreation and environmental education area managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. LBL supports a $400 million regional tourism industry and provides high-quality recreation and environmental opportunities to over 2 million visitors a year. Mr. Chairman, TVA has been working to create a new public and private partnership to increase the rate of return from LBL. User fees are being collected from the public, and the need for Federal subsidies is expected to decrease as management builds more efficiencies into the LBL system. As reported by the Committee on Appropriations, the recommended Federal contribution to LBL is $3.1 million, a reduction of $3 million from the budget request of $6.1 million. Although I appreciate the serious budgetary constraints under which the committee is operating, I fear that this reduced level of funding will frustrate TVA's ability to manage a smooth transition to LBL self-sufficiency.”