Award List Reveals Congressional Support for National Parks
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PRESS RELEASE
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | |
| Date: | February 26, 2003 |
| Contact: | Kate Himot, NPCA, 202-454-3311 |
Award List Reveals Congressional Support for National Parks
Washington, D.C. - Forty-nine senators and 166 representatives in the 107th Congress (2000-2002) today were recognized with a "Friend of the National Parks" award from the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for pro-park voting records. NPCA posted its biannual list of congressional park supporters on the Web, where visitors to the NPCA Web site can type in their zip codes to learn if their representatives and senators voted to protect national parks and, if not, send them an email encouraging them to do so.
"Our national parks rely on Congress for protection under federal law and for adequate funding," said NPCA President Thomas Kiernan. "This award honors those who stood up to defend the precious places that symbolize our history and illustrate our nation's natural wonders. All of Congress should join them. Americans want our national parks protected. The Bush administration is weakening the ability of superintendents to protect the parks, undercutting key provisions of the Clean Air Act, supporting oil and gas drilling in some parks, permitting increased snowmobiling in our oldest park, and not fulfilling a presidential campaign pledge to fund and fix dire park needs. Our national parks deserve better treatment. Constituents can now find out which members of Congress are ignoring the public's interest and instead weakening national park protections, by visiting www.eparks.org."
The Friend of the National Parks award was established in 1999 to track and publicize congressional members' votes on significant park issues. The parks group examined six key House votes and three key Senate votes from the 107th Congress. Senators who voted pro-park two out of three times received the award as did House members who supported parks on four out of six votes.
"Our national parks rely on Congress for protection under federal law and for adequate funding," said NPCA President Thomas Kiernan. "This award honors those who stood up to defend the precious places that symbolize our history and illustrate our nation's natural wonders. All of Congress should join them. Americans want our national parks protected. The Bush administration is weakening the ability of superintendents to protect the parks, undercutting key provisions of the Clean Air Act, supporting oil and gas drilling in some parks, permitting increased snowmobiling in our oldest park, and not fulfilling a presidential campaign pledge to fund and fix dire park needs. Our national parks deserve better treatment. Constituents can now find out which members of Congress are ignoring the public's interest and instead weakening national park protections, by visiting www.eparks.org."
The Friend of the National Parks award was established in 1999 to track and publicize congressional members' votes on significant park issues. The parks group examined six key House votes and three key Senate votes from the 107th Congress. Senators who voted pro-park two out of three times received the award as did House members who supported parks on four out of six votes.
