Redwood National Park Expansion Bill Statement on Signing H.R. 3813 Into Law.

I take great pleasure today in signing into law H.R. 3813, which expands the boundaries of the Redwood National Park in California. Enactment of this bill implements one of the recommendations in the environmental message I sent to Congress last year.

This act will permit more people to visit the magnificent groves along Redwood Creek that contain the world's tallest trees and will ensure that those trees are adequately protected. The existing park will be nearly doubled in size by the addition of 48,000 acres of land. Some of the land to be acquired has been damaged by logging operations, and this bill will enable the Secretary of the Interior to restore it to as close to its natural state as possible.

I commend the many supporters of this important legislation. I especially want to thank Representative Phillip Burton and Senator Alan Cranston, both of California, and Senator James Abourezk for their leadership and commitment to the passage of this bill. Thanks also to Secretary Andrus, who made support of this legislation one of the first acts of this administration, and to Senator Clifford Hansen for his help in guiding the bill through the Senate.

At the same time, however, I must express my serious concerns with the extraordinary worker protection provisions contained in H.R. 3813. During the consideration of this bill, this administration repeatedly stated its firm resolve to ensure that the full range of existing Federal assistance benefits would be made available to individuals and communities adversely affected by the park expansion. I believe that in the absence of overriding national policy considerations, all workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own should be treated equally by the Federal Government.

While I am signing H.R. 3813 for the purpose of providing needed protection for Redwood National Park, this action in no way constitutes an endorsement by this administration of special worker benefits programs in future legislation.