Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 900 - West Virginia Wild and Scenic Rivers

(House)
(Rep. Rahall (D) West Virgina and four others)

The administration opposes enactment of H.R. 900, because the bill would:

— add several unnecessarily restrictive administrative and management requirements at the New River Gorge, where current management practices better protect (l) the interests of all river users and (2) the resource values;

— establish a 9,415-acre Gauley River National Recreation Area, and designate sections of the Bluestone and Meadow Rivers as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, when these areas include mainly private and State land, which would unnecessarily expose the Federal government to pressures for expensive land acquisition; and

— impose inappropriate management requirements for Federal lands within the State of West Virginia and mandate cooperation in a black fly eradication program on Federal lands at State discretion. This would be inconsistent with nationwide National Park System management policies.