Statement on Gateway Communities Cooperation Act
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PRESS RELEASE
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | |
| Date: | September 24, 2002 |
| Contact: | Craig Obey, Vice President, Government Affairs, 202-669-9689 |
Washington, DC - Legislation approved by the House of Representatives today would make it harder to protect our national parks. The so-called "Gateway Communities Cooperation Act" amends the National Environmental Policy Act to place the desires of local gateway communities above the national interest.
This bill weakens the role Americans nationwide will play in protecting our national parks, placing local special interests first. It turns park rangers into paper pushers who have to respond to the whims of local political officials before they protect our national treasures.
The National Park Service and gateway communities have had enormous success working together without the kind of straightjacket the bill imposes. The innovative transportation solutions at Zion, Rocky Mountain, and Acadia national parks are prime examples. Those solutions evolved from years of effort and the development of trust between the parks and the communities. Genuine cooperation between the parks and gateway communities should be commended, but this bill oxymoronically tries to mandate cooperation.
