hitting closer to home

[akram]

I get the action alerts from the Blue Ribbon Coalition and tend to dismiss some of them cause they aren't up here and I don't have time to read them all. Well not anymore. I didn't think this one had anything to do with us until I got to reading into it more.

The obama administration is disturbing land in AK now. I wont put my opinions here but let you make your own. Please read all the resources I post up and if you find more share them. They are trying the same thing Clinton did to create monuments and take over public and private land which will impact public use of the areas. Cost was estimated at over $2,000,000,000 (yes I meant to put that many 0's in there), and we wonder why we can't get the budget straightened out.

If we don't get involved then this will just be a stepping stone to what else they will be allowed to do. I'm not saying this will shut down areas but it has the potential to and the administration is keeping it a secret. The BRC has tried to get information through the Freedom of Information Act but has been denied and appealed it and denied as have other organizations.

Right now two representatives have introduced House Resolution 1254 to require the Department of Interior to release such information. the Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to vote on this Resolution on 28 April 2010. Please contact your congressman and senators concerning this matter. Contact the committee members and ask them to c-sponsor/sponsor this resolution.

Blue Ribbon Coaliton Action Alert ON this page there are several other links. Also there are some instructions on what you can do to help out including how to get the contact info for our sentators and congressman as well as some talking points to help you out.

BRC Media Release

Bue ribbon Coalition Letter

The leaked memo


a letter Generator to help write your own letter


I am trying to get this on as many websites as possible. So pass it along, email, fax it, call someone whatever. Once again if we don't get involved this will just be the first step to possibly shutting us out of what we like to do.

[akram]

Don't know if anyone else here is doing anything with this or not. I have written letters to people and sent e-mails. I really hope you all do the same. If we don't keep fighting then we will lose everything. And just to let you know our Congressman is on board for this. http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentS...tID=173806

[akram]

Updated info from BRC

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!
Important Update on Obama Monument Update Alert and H. Res. 1254
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
We just got word from Capitol Hill that the markup on H. Res. 1254, originally scheduled for today, has been postponed until Wednesday, May 5, 2010. This is the House Resolution directing the Department of the Interior to stop its stonewalling and transmit to the House of Representatives all information related to the secret memo regarding the potential designation of National Monuments.
This means we still have time to urge House Natural Resources committee members to cosponsor H. Res. 1254. Please read our Action Alert below and TAKE ACTION!
Also, please forward this alert to friends and family.
Thanks for taking action on this important issue.
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Policy Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102

[akram]

update

OBAMA NATIONAL MONUMENT UPDATE
REQUEST FOR RECORDS VOTED DOWN
TRANSPARENCY IN OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IN QUESTION
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
On Wednesday, May 5, 2010, the House Natural Resources Committee voted down (by a margin of 20-22) a motion offered by Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA) to favorably report H. Res. 1245 out of Committee. The Resolution is an attempt by Congress to require the Secretary of the Interior to turn over specific information related to potential National Monument designations.
Interestingly, the Department of the Interior (DOI) delivered nearly 400 pages of emails to the Committee less than 24 hours before it was scheduled to vote on the Resolution. However, the agency withheld some 2,016 pages of additional documents directly related to potential Monument designations.
The controversy began with the discovery of an internal DOI document labeled "NOT FOR RELEASE" which details plans for 14 new or expanded national monument designations, totaling some 13 million acres of public and private land.
Rep. Hastings, who has led a bi-partisan effort to require the DOI to disclose information said: “When the federal government is discussing the lockup of 13 million acres of public lands with the stroke of the President’s pen, the American people have a right to know what their government is doing. I encourage my Democrat colleagues to help the Obama Administration adhere to their claims of openness and transparency by bringing this resolution to a vote on the floor of the full House,” said Hastings. “If this Resolution is not brought to the House floor in a timely manner, I promise this Committee will see plenty of similar Resolutions until the Department of Interior reveals what they are hiding.”
House rules provide that the Democrat Majority on the Committee had 14 legislative days to report the Resolution of Inquiry or it would have been eligible to be brought to the Floor of the House of Representatives for a vote as a Privileged Resolution. A future Floor vote on the Resolution is now entirely subject to the will of the Majority.
Meanwhile, legislation that would remove a President's unilateral authority to designate National Monuments is moving slowly. The bill is titled the Preserve Land Freedom For Americans Act of 2010 (HR 4996) is sponsored by North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx. HR 4996 was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources on April 13, 2010. BRC is encouraging our members to contact their Representatives and encourage them to co-sponsor HR 4996 and work for its passage into law.
We will continue to keep you updated on this and other important issues.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.
Brian Hawthorne Ric Foster
Public Lands Policy Director Public Lands Department Manager
208-237-1008 ext 102 208-237-1008 ext 107