Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5534 - William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom Cooperative Agreements

(SENT 9/11/92)
(House)
(Berman (D) California)

The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 5534 because it is duplicative of current law, unnecessary, and detrimental to the long-term interests of the National Park System (NPS).

H.R. 5534 would divert scarce resources to a non-Federal entity, the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom, at the expense of high- priority resource protection, operation, and maintenance needs in existing national parks. The Secretary of the Interior already has adequate authority to enter into cooperative agreements for environmental education purposes where such arrangements are appropriate. The requirement for the Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress a property acquisition priority list for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is also unnecessary. Under current law and NPS procedures, such information is routinely developed and provided to Congress and the public.