Harry Reid: “last week I proposed an amendment to this bill that would prevent the administration from privatizing parts of the Park…”

“last week I proposed an amendment to this bill that would prevent the administration from privatizing parts of the Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, and related agencies. I would like to submit for the Record some statements supporting my amendment. These are from the National Parks Conservation Association, the Wilderness Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the American Federation of Government Employees. These organizations support my amendment because they share my belief that our National Parks and National Forests are public treasures that should be managed for posterity, not for profit. Their letters cite many reasons why privatizing the operation of our National Parks and Forests would reduce the quality of maintenance and service. As the letter from the Wilderness Society points out, the director of the National Parks Service wrote an internal memo warning that the administration's privatization policy could reduce visitor services, and cause layoffs of Parks Service workers. These organizations realize that if we lose dedicated foresters, fire fighters, archaeologists and scientists, we will lose valuable knowledge about our precious public lands. Protecting our National Parks and Forests is not just a job for these dedicated workers; it is a way of life. No job description can do justice to their dedication.”