Senator Barbara Boxer
Environment and Public Works Committee
Hearing on Open Space and Environmental Quality
March 18, 1999

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for holding this series of hearings. It is appropriate that Congress has finally decided to take a serious look at an issue that local communities have been dealing with for years -- sprawl and smart growth.

I want to start by welcoming our Senate colleagues, Senator Landrieu and Senator Feinstein. It is pleasure to have both of you here with us today and I look forward to hearing your comments.

I would like to thank two Californians who testified yesterday -- Nelson Rising from the National Realty Committee and Steve Hayward from the Pacific Research Institute. I would also like to welcome another California who will be testifying on the final panel today -- Ralph Grossi from American Farmland Trust.

I am pleased to see that Californians seem to be at the forefront of this issue.

This is an issue for all Americans who know that we can grow the economy to grow and also protect and defend the beauty and history of our nation.

The record number of successful ballot initiatives directed at protecting open space and slowing suburban sprawl in the last election is an expression of the importance of these issues in people's everyday lives. In Ventura County, California, for example, citizens overwhelmingly supported a ballot initiative providing that agricultural and rural lands outside the city boundaries could not be developed until the year 2020. Development after that point may take place only with the approval of voters.

It is because of this overwhelming support for preservation of our open space and smart growth initiatives, that Congressman George Miller and I introduced the Permanent Protection for America's Resources 2000 Act. Co-sponsors in the Senate include Senator Joe Biden, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator John Kerry, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Paul Sarbanes, Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Bob Torricelli.

I know there are many bills out there and this is good. On both sides of the aisle -- we are finally talking about making a permanent commitment to America's natural resources. That can only happen if our states and local communities are able to make long term planning decisions.

As the 20th Century began, one of the greatest conservationists of all time, Theodore Roosevelt, was our President. From 1901 to 1909, Teddy Roosevelt set aside places that millions of Americans still enjoy today.

If not for Teddy Roosevelt's leadership, we might have lost such national treasures as the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods, and Crater Lake. These natural monuments stand as a lasting testament to TR's foresight and pioneering work in environmental preservation.

As the 21st Century approaches, we must renew our commitment to our natural heritage. That commitment must go beyond a piecemeal approach. It must be a comprehensive, long-term strategy to ensure that when our children's children enter the 22nd Century, they can herald our actions today, as we revere those of President Roosevelt.

Preservation in the 21st Century goes beyond protection of such wonders as Yosemite and Yellowstone. It must be include an urban park in East Los Angeles where children can play basketball, a farm in Tulare County that can continue to grow oranges or a historic building in Orange County that can be restored.

Today, our natural heritage is disappearing at an alarming rate. Each year, nearly 3 million acres of farmland and more than 170,000 acres of wetlands disappear. Each day, over 7000 acres of open space are lost forever.

Across America, parks are closing, recreational facilities deteriorating, open spaces vanishing, historic structures crumbling.

Why is this happening? Because there is no dedicated funding source for all these noble purposes -- a source which can be used only for these noble purposes.

The Miller-Boxer bill offers the most sweeping commitment to protecting America's natural heritage in more than 30 years. It will establish a dedicated funding source for resource protection.

A major funding source for resource protection already exists. Each year, oil companies pay the federal government billions of dollars in rents, royalties, and other fees in connection with offshore drilling in federal waters. In 1998 alone, the government collected over $4.6 billion from oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf .

The Miller-Boxer bill would allocate a total of $2.3 billion every year from oil drilling revenues for permanent protection of America's resources. It provides:

À"À$100 million every year for urban parks and recreational facilities À"À$350 million to restore native fish and wildlife À"À$250 million to restore federal lands that are polluted or damaged À"À$300 million to protect and restore the health of our oceans À"À$150 million to protect our vanishing farmlands and open space À"À$100 million to purchase habitat to help endangered species recovery

À"ÀAnd $150 million every year to restore and protect our historical and cultural heritage through fully funding the Historic Preservation Fund. The Historic Preservation Fund was established by Congress in 1977, to provide a dedicated source of funding to preserve our significant historic properties. And although Congress is authorized to spend $150 million from OCS revenues annually for this purpose, less than 29% of funding has been appropriated since 1977. That is more than $2 billion that could have been used to help restore the treasures of our nation scattered across the many states. In California, there's the Old Mint Building in San Francisco, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Mission San Juan Capistrano. Our bill would ensure that funds would be spent on their designated purpose.

Finally, the bill designates $900 million each year to purchase land by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund as envisioned by Congress in 1965 when the Fund was established. Half would go to the States.

The good news is that Fund has collected over $21 billion since 1965. The bad news is that only $9 billion of this amount has been spent on its intended uses. More than $12 billion has been shifted into other federal accounts.

The funding Congress has made available has allowed us to purchase some key tracts of land, but we have missed golden opportunities to buy critical open space because the Land and Water Conservation Fund was critically underfunded.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this series of hearings. I look forward to working with you and other members of this Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on this critical issue. This is necessary and important legislation that will benefit our Nation's natural heritage, and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

Mr. Chairman, it's a chance to work across the aisle for all the people.