Today is the vote. GAOA

[Irrelevant]

Conservation bill creates strange bedfellows

Environmentalists are rallying around a major conservation bill that derives much of its funding from their archenemy: the fossil fuel industry.The Great American Outdoors Act — passed by the Senat…

thehill.com

Interesting the thought process that we need to think about where this funding will come from after offshore oil is no longer available (either physically or policy wise).

 

[44hunter45]

I just left Rep. Gosar's FB page. And then spent time on the FB group called, "Constituents Blocked by Rep Gosar."

While on his page I bumped into this gem.

Gosar and Bernhardt Announce Sale of Nearly 6,000 Acres of Federal Land to La Paz County

 

[Wildabeest]

It’ll be interesting to see how many of those “hundreds of jobs” go to people currently living in La Paz county and how much of those “millions of dollars” stay there.

 

[magnum44270]

here is the response from Wy's Barrasso, as to why he voted no.


Dear Patrick,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is good to hear from you.

I noted your support for S.3422, the Great American Outdoors Act. Introduced by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) on March 9, 2020, this bill seeks to address the deferred maintenance backlog across the federal land management agencies and to provide mandatory and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

On June 17, 2020, this bill was passed in the Senate as part of the legislative package, H.R.1957, by a vote of 73-25. The bill now awaits further consideration in the House.

I did not vote in favor of the bill as it is written. While I support the LWCF and the many wonderful projects it supports in Wyoming, this bill permanently and fully funds the LWCF, exempting the program from the appropriations process. Congress will no longer have an opportunity to make much needed reforms to the LWCF.

Additionally, this bill doesn’t provide a long-term fix to address the staggering deferred maintenance backlog of our national parks. Instead, it will bury us deeper in debt by borrowing money we don’t have. Furthermore, this bill gives Washington authority to buy more private land in Wyoming. Adding more federal lands to the mix is not sustainable because we can't afford to maintain the public lands we already own.

Throughout the bill's legislative process, I offered multiple amendments to address the issues above. These amendments were not included in the Senate's final passage of the bill.

Patrick, I remain committed to efficient multiple-use management of our public lands to ensure continued public access, healthy wildlife, and productive ecosystems. As a citizen and Senator from a state with nearly 50 percent public land, I understand the importance of our many public lands and know that many of our residents have unique ties to public lands within our borders. I believe land use decisions must be developed with input from all local stakeholders. Please know I will continue to pursue responsible land management during my work in the Senate.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. I value your input and look forward to hearing from you in the future.

John Barrasso, M.D.
United States Senator

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Edited for lipspeak….

here is the response from Wy's Barrasso, as to why he voted no.


Dear Patrick,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is good to hear from you.

I noted your support for S.3422, the Great American Outdoors Act. Introduced by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) on March 9, 2020, this bill seeks to address the deferred maintenance backlog across the federal land management agencies and to provide mandatory and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

On June 17, 2020, this bill was passed in the Senate as part of the legislative package, H.R.1957, by a vote of 73-25. The bill now awaits further consideration in the House.

I did not vote in favor of the bill as it is written. While I support the LWCF and the many wonderful projects it supports in Wyoming, this bill permanently and fully funds the LWCF, exempting the program from the appropriations process Congressional meddling. Congress will no longer have an opportunity to make much needed reforms to steal from the LWCF.

Additionally, this bill doesn’t provide a long-term fix to address the staggering self created deferred maintenance backlog of our national parks. Instead, it will bury us deeper in debt by borrowing spending money we don’t have could give to rich corporations. Furthermore, this bill gives Washington authority to buy more private land in Wyoming. Adding more federal lands to the mix is not sustainable because we can't afford have never made it a priority to maintain the public lands we already own.

Throughout the bill's legislative process, I offered multiple amendments to address the issues above satisfy my donors. These amendments were not included in the Senate's final passage of the bill.

Patrick, I remain committed to efficient multiple-use management of our public lands to ensure continued public access, healthy wildlife, and productive ecosystems. As a citizen and Senator from a state with nearly 50 percent public land, I understand the importance of our many public lands and know that many of our residents have unique ties to public lands within our borders. I believe land use decisions must be developed with input from all local stakeholders. Please know I will continue to pursue responsible land management during my work in the Senate.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. I value your input and look forward to hearing from you in the future.

John Barrasso, M.D.
United States Senator

 

[Big Fin]

here is the response from Wy's Barrasso, as to why he voted no.


Dear Patrick,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is good to hear from you.

I noted your support for S.3422, the Great American Outdoors Act. Introduced by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) on March 9, 2020, this bill seeks to address the deferred maintenance backlog across the federal land management agencies and to provide mandatory and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

On June 17, 2020, this bill was passed in the Senate as part of the legislative package, H.R.1957, by a vote of 73-25. The bill now awaits further consideration in the House.

I did not vote in favor of the bill as it is written. While I support the LWCF and the many wonderful projects it supports in Wyoming, this bill permanently and fully funds the LWCF, exempting the program from the appropriations process. Congress will no longer have an opportunity to make much needed reforms to the LWCF.

Additionally, this bill doesn’t provide a long-term fix to address the staggering deferred maintenance backlog of our national parks. Instead, it will bury us deeper in debt by borrowing money we don’t have. Furthermore, this bill gives Washington authority to buy more private land in Wyoming. Adding more federal lands to the mix is not sustainable because we can't afford to maintain the public lands we already own.

Throughout the bill's legislative process, I offered multiple amendments to address the issues above. These amendments were not included in the Senate's final passage of the bill.

Patrick, I remain committed to efficient multiple-use management of our public lands to ensure continued public access, healthy wildlife, and productive ecosystems. As a citizen and Senator from a state with nearly 50 percent public land, I understand the importance of our many public lands and know that many of our residents have unique ties to public lands within our borders. I believe land use decisions must be developed with input from all local stakeholders. Please know I will continue to pursue responsible land management during my work in the Senate.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. I value your input and look forward to hearing from you in the future.

John Barrasso, M.D.
United States Senator

Based on too much time in DC and too many calls and meetings with those who like to play these games of politics, I would summarize his disinterested letter in the reality of today's politics.

Dear Patrick,​

​

I had to vote against the Great American Outdoor Act because most of the donors who help me get re-elected have given control of the funding of the Western Senate re-election funds to the Utah delegation and their associates. If I want access to those funds and those power brokers, I have to follow the lead of the Utah delegation. I had no choice; the Utah delegation controls the spigot to those funds from those donors.​

​

I know in doing so I subrogate my powers as Senator of the Colony of Wyoming to the victors from the Empire of Utah. I hope you don't look behind the scenes and tell our fellow Wyoming citizens who love their public lands that this subserviency is a requirement for my personal ambitions to get Committee positions, Chairmanships, and access to re-election money and media. ​

​

Note, if you do blow my cover, I will deflect your argument and point out the fact that my fellow Senators from the Colony of Idaho are also asked to kneel before the Utah Empire and cast their Senate votes accordingly.​

​

Given the citizens of Wyoming and Idaho benefit greatly from LWCF and they are all avid public land users, I know it must be hard to reconcile this result where Utah has six Senators. We strive for unity and consistency, so all of us vote according to direction from those controlling the flow of money and influence in Western Senate campaigns.​

​

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. I value the input of these out of state donors and power brokers so critical to fulfilling my personal political ambitions. I look forward to disregarding your comments in the future.​

​

Wish me luck that I can move up the ranks of the Majority Senate rails with my next election.​

It is too bad that the power brokers of money and media access have decided the Utah delegation and their anti-public land theocracy will be the keepers of the gate, but it is hard to argue the effectiveness of that business model; the ROI to these western Senator investors is very high. In effect, this business model gives Utah six Senators. The great folks of Wyoming and Idaho are getting a complete railroad job on this one. Those who engage in these efforts and see the workings behind the scenes know exactly what the quid pro quo is on the access to this money and media influence. The Senators who give their votes to Utah hope the good folks they were supposedly representing don't see what is happening.

 

[44hunter45]

BHA sent out an alert this morning to contact your House Rep regarding the House companion bill. I called and talked to a staffer of Rep Fulcher in DC this morning. It takes about 2 minutes total.