WILSON LETTERS:
UBGERT
We need the support of Senator Pete Wilson for S.7, the
California Desert Protection Act. With election year coming up, Wilson is
cautiously fence-sitting, so S.7 supporters must convince him that there is
sufficient public support for desert protection. That takes letters-- lots of
them.
The bill may go into markup in the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee early this spring. We need Wilson aboard before the measure
comes up for committee vote.
What you can do: Write to Senator Wilson
(address below). Ask friends, relatives, associates-anyone who cares-to write.
If you've already written, do it again. Hold letter-writing sessions in your
home. If you need help with setting up a session or with letter content, call
CDPL Coordinator Jeff Widen at (213) 387-6523.
Organizations: Please get
out a mailing to your members urging them to write to Wilson. |
| Address: |
Honorable Pete Wilson
720
Hart Office Building
Washington DC 20510 |
ABOUT THE
PACKETS
CDPL, recently mailed a packet of support information to
desert conservation groups. Included were a briefing book and material on
programs, letters to Congress, letters to editors, etc. Please use this
material. If you need help, call Jeff Widen or any of the other people
listed in the packet. |
|
THANK AN
OPPONENT
A bill introduced in the House by Rep. Jerry Lewis
(R-Redlands) has nearly $1.5 million for new desert protection moving through
the congressional pipeline. The bill, which has passed the fu11 House and the
Senate Appropriations Committee, provides $820,000 for 20 more BLM desert
rangers and $600,000 to acquire private land to extend federal tortoise
preserves in eastern Kern County and the Chuckawalla Bench area of Riverside
County.
The Senate included the funds in the Interior Department's
fiscal 1988 appropriations bill. It remains to be seen whether the full amount
will survive the deficit-reduction battle.
Lewis, an avowed opponent of
the California Desert Protection Act, evidently introduced his bill as evidence
that Congress can preserve the fragile desert environment without enacting S.7
or its companion measure in the House, HR. 371. The action is a Band-aid on a
hemorrhage, but every little bit helps---and should be encouraged.
What
you can do: Write to Congressman Jerry Lewis. Thank him for his efforts to
protect the desert, but tell him you continue to support the California Desert
Protection Act. Please be sincere; no put-downs. |
Address: |
Honorable Jerry Lewis
House Office Building
Washington DC 20515 |
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