John Chafee: “I am proud to be listed as a cosponsor of the California desert bill now before us, and commend Senator Feinstein and…”

“I am proud to be listed as a cosponsor of the California desert bill now before us, and commend Senator Feinstein and the chairman of the Energy Committee, Senator Johnston, for their efforts to bring this measure to the floor. I have long supported legislation to conserve America's landscapes. Indeed, my keen interest in this area dates back to my time as Governor of Rhode Island during the mid-1960's, when I signed into law legislation to establish an open space program in my State. But as the Senator from California knows, I did not sign onto this bill until about a month ago. Many had raised concerns with me about the legislation, and before I joined as a cosponsor, I wanted to make sure that I had all the facts. One of the greatest concerns surrounding S. 21 has been its cost. As has been pointed out by many, the proposed new national parks and wilderness areas do contain some large privately owned parcels, and some have argued that acquiring those lands will be extremely expensive. Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that acquiring these lands could cost anywhere between $100 and $300 million over the next 10 years. That is not an insignificant amount of money. However, after looking at this issue in more detail, I have learned that there are some sizable holes in the CBO estimate.”