Statement of Administration Policy: An Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1296 (Management of the Presidio in San Francisco)

(Senate)
(Sen. Murkowski (D) AK)

The Administration strongly supports continued efforts to preserve our Nation's heritage as represented by the National Park System. The careful stewardship of this precious resource is essential to ensure its preservation for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations.

In this regard, the Administration supports legislation to protect the Sterling Forest watershed in New York and New Jersey. The Administration also supports the bill's numerous provisions to improve park management through boundary adjustments or land exchange authority. And, except as noted below, the Administration has no objection to the land exchanges and land management provisions contained in the bill.

Similarly, the Administration supports legislation to improve the management and preservation of the Presidio in San Francisco, provided the bill conforms to existing statutory labor standards and civil rights requirements.

Notwithstanding the bill's positive provisions, however, it contains a highly objectionable provision -- the Utah Public Lands Management Act. If the Utah Public Lands Management Act is included in the bill, that is presented to the President, the Secretary of the Interior would recommend that it be vetoed.

The Utah Public Lands Management Act fails to protect sufficient areas or acres as wilderness and would severely impede the Federal Government's ability to manage the designated wilderness areas, as well as the surrounding public lands. This Act would effectively reduce the protection of Utah's wilderness lands to a level below that enjoyed by Utah's other public lands and by other public lands throughout the West. Specifically, this Act would permit activities, including motor vehicle access, within the designated wilderness areas that are currently prohibited or restricted by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Its unprecedented "hard release" provision would declare all 20 million remaining acres of public land in Utah ineligible for further administrative study and protection as wilderness, now or at any time in the future. In addition, it would order Federal lands to be transferred to the State and prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from negotiating the lands to be selected.

Finally, the Administration has strong concerns about three other objectionable provisions in the forms presently contained in the bill. The first provision would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain Federal land at the Snowbasin Ski Area, Utah, and approve a draft master development plan for the area. While the Administration supports the central objective of this land exchange, the exemption from environmental and other federal land management laws is objectionable.

The second objectionable provision would require the Secretary of the Interior to purchase certain oil and gas selection rights from an Alaskan Native Corporation. This provision is problematic because the Corporation has selected more than its entitlement, leaving what selections it is entitled to in question. In addition, the mandated appraisal methodology is inappropriate, and the subsurface interests are a low priority for public ownership.

Another objectionable provision would replace the existing Forest Service ski permit rental formula (ski fees) with a new fixed- rate system that might not reflect fair market value and would lower receipts over the next seven years. This provision would be acceptable if it were modified to: (1) require a report to Congress in five years on the relationship of the fees received to fair market value; (2) extend the floor on fees for the five years of the study; and (3) give authority to the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to revise the fees after five years based on the study.

The Administration is continuing to review the Murkowski substitute and may have additional comments on the amendment as consideration of the legislation continues.

Similarly, the Committee cut the President's request for research and development (R&D) programs by about $800 million, and then added about $3.7 billion to reach a level $2.9 billion above the President's request. Such proposed increases for R&D programs are not needed. Of this $3.7 billion, $1.2 billion is allocated for programs not in the Department of Defense's long-range plans. Other programs in the long-range plans received unnecessary increases. An additional $350 million was added to accelerate development of defenses against strategic missiles from an uncertain threat. Also, the Administration believes that the Committee's four-year acceleration of the initial launch of the space-based missile warning system, "SBIRS," is unwarranted. An additional $129 million for SBIRS carries with it substantial technical risk, has an estimated out-year cost of $1.9 billion, and comes at the expense of higher priorities.

The Committee would provide none of the $250 million requested for the Dual Use Applications Program (DUAP). The DUAP supports development of technologies for both commercial and defense production that will reduce the costs of future defense systems. Appropriations at the requested level are needed to enhance the affordability of defense systems and increase the vitality of the defense industrial base.

The Administration urges the House to restore the reductions made by the Committee to needed programs and to reduce the number of unrequested add-ons.

The Committee bill could hinder the President's ability to carry out foreign policy. The bill would mandate that the President consult with Congress at least 15 days prior to the transfer of defense articles and services for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations overseas. This would limit the President's flexibility to respond immediately to crisis events. In addition, the bill would restrict the President's flexibility to conduct foreign relations regarding North Korea.

Other Concerns

The Administration objects to the Committee's:

• Deletion of one DDG-51 Aegis Destroyer;

• Reduction in funding for depot maintenance carryover and spare parts inventories, civilian personnel, military transportation, recovery of revolving fund losses, and the Civil Military program;

• Reductions of $25 million to the Cooperative Threat Reduction (Nunn-Lugar) Program; $20 million to the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid Program; $59.9 million for Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations; and $25 million for increased utilization of the Reserve components;

• Failure to fund the highly valuable Technical Studies, Support, and Analysis Program, or to support devolvement of financial responsibility for environmental restoration to the Services;

• Failure to provide for the retrofit of two P-3 aircraft to airborne radar aircraft for transfer to the Customs Services, as the Administration requested;

• Limitation of funding for the White House Communications Agency for telecommunications support to the President, Vice President, and other officials specified by the President; and

• Cap on allowable costs for executive compensation at $250,000 for all defense contracts funded with FY 1997 appropriations. The Administration would like to work in a bipartisan manner with the Congress to develop a more rational, comprehensive long-term reform in this area, outside of the annual appropriations process.