A Short-Term Solution:
Cut Interior’s Funding for Bogus Claims

In July, 2003, Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) proposed an amendment to the Interior Department appropriations bill that would have defunded the Bush administration's attempt to grease the skids in approving bogus proposed highways under the Civil War-era law. The amendment would have eliminated funding for processing claims under the Disclaimer Rule in 2004, temporarily stopping the public lands giveaway under RS 2477.

In a close vote on the House floor (226-194), pro-development interests - led by Rep. Taylor (R-N.C.) - modified Udall's amendment so that funding in the bill is barred only where it would ease highway claims through National Parks, National Monuments, National Wildlife Refuges and designated wilderness areas. Thus, the Taylor amendment leaves nearly 400 million acres - approximately two-thirds - of our wild public lands vulnerable the Bush administration's extreme development policies. On the other hand, even the Republican-controlled House has now recognized just how extreme the administration's policies are and they have exempted 200 million acres originally threatened by the Bush administration.

Whether the provision will remain in the final bill is unknown; the funding bill faces a Senate vote sometime in September. Stay tuned for more updates on this issue.

Read more about the Udall Amendment

Background

• One-page fact-sheet on the Udall Amendment

Conservation Groups Support the Udall Amendment

• Individual letters sent in July 2003 from the League of Conservation Voters and from the Sierra Club in favor of the Udall amendment and other conservation amendments to the Interior Department Funding bill
• Individual letters sent in July 2003 specifically supporting the Udall amendment from the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Trout Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation, the Public Lands Foundation, as well as a short group letter
• July print ad in favor of the Udall amendment from a coalition of conservation groups

Private Property Owners Support the Udall Amendment

• Letter from a Utah property owner whose property is threatened by an RS 2477 claim in support of the Udall amendment

Editorial Support for the Udall Amendment

• Salt Lake Tribune’s July 17, 2003, editorial in favor of the Udall amendment

Political Leaders Oppose the Public Lands Giveaway

• Fact sheet summarizing the views of a number of political leaders - most from the West - who oppose using the Disclaimer Rule to grease the skids for RS 2477 proposed highways

Read the Debate and See How Your Representative Voted

• Congressional Record transcript of proceedings on the House floor - the debate on the Udall amendment starts on page H7094 and runs through H7102. The vote appears beginning in the far right column of page H7102 and continuing on to H7103.