Bob Bennett: “I believe in national parks. I believe that the national park designation is a better designation, frankly, than the…”

“I believe in national parks. I believe that the national park designation is a better designation, frankly, than the wilderness designation because it allows people into it while the wilderness designation usually does not. I think that the two Senators from California have worked very hard to create a logical solution here. I may not agree with their ultimate decision, but I believe they have acted in good faith. At the same time, I still believe in private property rights, and I believe that people who own private property, even private property that is surrounded by land the Government covets for a national park, should not be treated in a cavalier fashion even if they are large and by virtue of their large land holdings have a degree of advantage thereby. I believe that we have to recognize some basic fundamental rights that people have, and I know from personal experience that many members of the Interior Department who administer Federal lands in which there are inholdings regardless of their size treat those inholdings as Federal land and as the private fiefdoms of the Federal bureaucrats. And the only way I can see to see to it that that does not happen with this land is to offer the amendment I have offered.”