July 19, 1998 

Amendment to Stop CEQ Rivers Funding

Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) will be offering an amendment to the VA/HUD Appropriations Bill (HR 4194) which funds the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to keep CEQ from spending any funds on salaries or expenses of employees working on the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. The vote will take place on the House Floor this Tuesday, July 21, 1998. Your calls are needed immediately to help de-fund Clinton’s massive land grab through this watershed management program.

The Amendment language reads:

"No part of any funds made available by this Act may be used to pay salaries and expenses of any officer or employee of the Council on Environmental Quality to carry out any activity regarding the American Heritage Rivers Initiative."

AHRI Background:

The American Heritage Rivers Initiative is a massive federal land use control program created by the stroke of a pen. President Clinton launched the program by Executive Order under the false pretense of saving American rivers, despite clear objections from the Congress and the American people. Even though CEQ promised they would eliminate from consideration those districts with congressional opposition, two of the nominated rivers had formal opposition from Congressman Sterns of Florida for the St. Johns River and Congressman Henry Bonilla and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison from Texas for the Rio Grande River.

Although presented as a locally driven program, CEQ has ignored the objections of local and state officials. Instead they bring 13 federal agencies with them to implement the program, including the Department of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and other usual suspects.

There is nothing local about this program. It is another top down federal land use control scheme by the Clinton Administration.

· The designation of the rivers will impact the use of private, state and local property without compensation, a violation of the Fifth Amendment.

· The Constitution designates that only Congress is empowered to make needful rules on government managed lands. This program has not only been created without Congressional consent, but is being implemented without Congressional direction. This is a clear violation of the Separation of Powers.

What the Sterns Amendment Accomplishes:

Sterns Amendment will keep CEQ, the agency in charge of AHRI, from siphoning funds to pay for staff and expenses needed to implement the Initiative. Although it is not as sweeping in scope as Congressman Chenoweth’s HR 1842, which would keep any agency from expending funds on the program, it does de-fund the heart and core of the program. It is a good step forward to stop the program and send the message to Clinton that the people and Congress are strongly opposed to AHRI as well as government by executive order.