Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2929 - California Desert Protection Act of 1991

(House Rules) and SENT to House 11/15/91
(Lehman (D) California and 75 others)

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 2929 and urges Congress to act favorably on H.R. 3066, the Administration's proposal to provide appropriate protection for the California Desert. If H.R. 2929 were presented to the President in its current form, the Secretaries of the Interior and Defense would recommend a veto.

Of particular concern, the bill would:

—   Designate an amount of land in the California Desert that far exceeds what is suitable for protection as wilderness and park land. It would include lands that lack even the minimum wilderness characteristics necessary to qualify for wilderness study.

—   Transfer 1.5 million acres of the East Mojave Scenic Area to the National Park Service (NPS) even though the NPS does not believe these lands are eligible for inclusion in the Park System.

—   Jeopardize the current level of operations at five major military installations in southern California.

—   Fail to include provisions that allow continued military aircraft training flights conducted annually over the southern California desert.

—   Foreclose the option to expand the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, where ground combat units trained for Desert Storm. Large training areas are essential to prepare for the increasing mobility of armored warfare.

—   Impede the testing and development of new weapons systems.

— Deny the Army and the Marine Corps the ability to conduct joint training operations by blocking a proposed transit corridor between Army and Marine Corps facilities.

—   Reduce the effectiveness of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range by restricting air approaches.

—   Create more than 825,000 acres of inholdings of private and State-owned lands, raising problems for BLM management of wilderness areas.

—   Prohibit mineral exploration and development on 7.3 million acres in one of the world's most highly mineralized areas. Over 5 million of these acres have not been studied to determine their mineral potential.

—   Eliminate almost half of the livestock grazing on public lands in the Desert through a 25-year sunset provision.

—   Transfer huge blocks of land to the Death Valley and Joshua Tree Monuments in the National Park System, causing serious management problems for both the NPS and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

—   Establish a federally reserved water right for wilderness lands. The issue of water rights should be addressed under State law.

—   Restrict utility rights-of-way to existing or short-term expansion needs, cutting off flexibility to meet the future needs of southern California.

—   Prevent visitors and local residents from using vehicles on more than two thousand miles of roads.

In contrast to H.R. 2929, the Administration proposal is based on 15 years of studying the California Desert resources. This review process involved detailed inventories, public hearings, environmental impact statements, and coordination with other Federal agencies. The result is a comprehensive management plan that provides protection to areas with wilderness values, while taking into account the need for other uses of public lands, such as recreation, mineral development, and military activities. The conclusions of this comprehensive management plan are reflected in H.R. 3066, which we strongly endorse.