[rivermobster]

The Role of the Federal Government
During times of natural disasters, such as the recent floods in North Dakota and Minnesota, it's natural for citizens to turn to Washington for assistance. More often than not, the response is swift and helpful. Of course, the experience with Katrina was an entirely different story.

We are now experiencing a different sort of disaster - the state of our national economy. Our federal government has had to step in and provide financial assistance to ailing industries. Vast sectors of our economy including the housing sector, banking and the automobile industry appear to be on the brink of insolvency and with this prospect, thousands of Americans are losing their jobs. The only thing that is certain is the uncertainty of it all.

For policymakers, their plate is full of issues demanding their attention. In addition to worrying about the overall economy, national legislators are talking about reforming health care, establishing a cap and trade program to address global warming, as well as passing legislation geared towards energy independence. In a crisis environment such as the one we find ourselves in, if we aren't careful, the issues we specifically care about in terms of ARRA could well be lost in all the confusion surrounding the other pressing issues. Therefore, we need to be all the more vigilant regarding what is happening in the halls of Congress.


Youth ATVs and Dirt Bikes
ARRA members have been very active ensuring that one issue is being heard on Capitol Hill in very clear and precise terms. The continuing ban of youth ATVs and dirt bikes caused by the overreaching nature of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) has activated ARRA members in a way I have never seen. Since mid-February, ARRA members have sent nearly 500,000 messages to Congress expressing their belief that the current ban on the sale of youth ATVs and dirt bikes is absurd.

Remember, Congress made CPSIA the law of the land in an attempt to curb the importation of Chinese manufactured toys that contained lead. It made perfect sense that the Congress would want to protect our children from such harmful substances, especially since the very youngest children tend to put everything within reach into their mouths.

Little did we know that the law geared towards trinkets and toys would be so sweeping that it would require pulling all youth ATVS and dirt bikes from retail showroom floors throughout the United States. Congress now recognizes that this is a problem as does the Consumer Product Safety Commission, but identifying a problem is one thing, solving it calls for determination and that seems to be lacking in both the Congress and the Commission. It seems that both entities are hoping that the other one will take the necessary steps to correct the problem. I call this collective inaction a failure to accept responsibility.

The good news is that so many communications are flowing from ARRA members into Capitol Hill that we have had two congressional offices say, "enough is enough, don't send any more faxes." We say, until you fix the problem, we will send more!

Finally, we note with some hope that legislation has been introduced in both the House and the Senate designed to remedy this problem. We are thankful to Reps. Rehberg, Burgess, Pomeroy and Simpson and Senator Tester for stepping up to the plate and taking this issue on. It's important we stand behind these members and support their legislative solution to this ridiculous problem. Take a moment now if you want to send your Representative and Senators a message to STOP THE BAN.

Send a message to your Senator
Send a message to your Representative


Omnibus Public Lands Bill Becomes Law
On a vote of 285-140, the House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Public Lands Bill on March 25th. This followed action by the Senate on March 19th when it approved the measure on a 77 - 20 vote. President Obama signed the measure into law on March 30th.

The action by the Senate and the House brought to a close a long fight over this massive public lands bill. ARRA along with other pro-recreation organizations opposed the measure due to its far reaching scope and the fact that it statutorily established the National Landscape Conservation System within the Bureau of Land Management.

The inclusion of more than 160 separate public lands bills into one omnibus measure became too much for the opposition led by Senator Tom Coburn, R. Oklahoma. Coburn vehemently opposed the measure during the closing days of the 110th Congress and was successful in keeping the Senate from voting on final passage before it closed up shop at the end of 2008.

Time was not on the side of Senator Coburn at the beginning of this session. With the Democrats enjoying increased majorities in both the House and the Senate, it was just a question of when this measure would make it to the President's desk. And, as we said, that happened on March 30th.

We want to thank all of you who took the time to contact your Members of Congress to request that they oppose this legislation. While we didn't achieve our objective, our opposition ensured that a dissenting voice was heard loud and clear.


Flame Act Introduced in the 111th Congress
Legislation ARRA supported in the 110th Congress to fund the cost of fighting wildfires was re-introduced in both the House (H.R. 1404) and the Senate (S. 561) on March 11, 2009. The legislation addresses the annual funding problem associated with wildfire expenses by creating a special catastrophic wildfire fund so federal land managers will no longer be forced to reprogram funds from other Forest Service and BLM activities in order to pay for wildfire fighting costs.

The legislation enjoys bi-partisan support in both chambers and we are encouraged that this measure may well make it over the goal line. The House of Representatives wasted little time in moving this bill forward. On March 25th, the House passage of H. R. 1404 was achieved by a vote of 412-3. We hope that the Senate will act with equal speed. If that happens then recreation budgets at both the Forest Service and the BLM will no longer be subjected to reprogramming practices during the summer fire season.


Managing Stress
Let's be real, we are living in stressful times. Money is short, jobs are scarce, and we don't know what to expect in terms of what will happen next with the global economy. Visiting your closest public lands, whether a local, state, or national park or forest, is an economical way to release stress both for you and your family.

The weather is getting warmer, the snow is beginning to melt, so do yourself a favor and go hiking, biking, boating or take your off highway motorcycle or ATV for a spin. When your day in the countryside is over, you will be in a better frame of mind to meet the challenges of the next day.

Sincerely,

Larry E. Smith
Executive Director
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access