Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2530 - Mississippi National River

(House)
(Rep. Vento (D) Minnesota and seven others)

The administration opposes enactment of H.R. 2530. The resources in the proposed 69-mile long national recreation area, along the Mississippi River as it flows through the Twin Cities metropolitan area, should be acquired and conserved by state and local governments to the extent they determine appropriate. A Federal management scheme for this area is not warranted. Furthermore, the bill would duplicate existing regulatory authority of the Corps of Engineers and could hamper or greatly confuse the Corps' operation and maintenance of the Mississippi River navigation project in the Twin Cities area. Finally, the Department of Justice has advised that H.R. 2530 raises serious constitutional concerns by the manner in which it grants authority to a commission, whose members would not be appointed by the President, to prepare a resource management plan for the proposed Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Accordingly, if H.R. 2530 were enacted in its current form, the Department of Justice would recommend that the President disapprove the bill.