Center for Biological Diversity * Defenders of Wildlife * Earthjustice

League of Conservation Voters

Los Padres Forest Watch * Natural Resources Defense Council * Sierra Club
OPPOSE
Fischer Keystone Amendment 18 A Sweeping Attack on Public Land Designations
January 21, 2015
Dear Senator,
On behalf of our millions of members and activists, we strongly urge you to oppose the thinly veiled attack on public
land designation in Senator Fischers amendment 18 to the Keystone XL pipeline legislation S.1, and to oppose final
passage.
Americans love public lands and they want to see more done to protect them. Instead, this sweepingly broad
amendment, which has nothing to do with the Keystone XL pipeline, adds unnecessary layers of red tape, requires new
findings and complicates the designation of all new federally protected lands.
The amendment is excessively broad and applies to all federal agencies as well as to designations made for such broad
and vague reasons as conserving developmental resources. It also applies to any designation for environmental,
cultural, recreational resource protection.
The legislation would impede wildly popular, bi-partisan programs supported across America by hunters,
conservationists and business owners alike, including the use of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Duck
Stamp funding, and wildlife refuge designation by the bi-partisan Migratory Bird Commission. The amendment will
make it harder to provide new access to natural areas, endangering a $600 billion plus recreational economy.
The amendment interferes with the implementation of numerous federal land protection laws on the books, including
monument designations under the Antiquities Act, habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act, and countless
land management designations many of which are needed to help prioritize management resources.
This amendment would use Congress chronic underfunding of our land management agencies maintenance needs to
also cut capital needs, many of which are strongly supported by local stakeholders including sportsmen and outdoor
recreation businesses. This kind of obstructionist legislation can have devastating implications for rural economies and
their ability to grow tourism.
This amendment is completely out of touch with what Americans want, 9 of 10 whom support "permanently protecting
some public lands such as national monuments, wildlife refuges, or wilderness areas for our children and grandchildren".
For all these reasons, we urge you to OPPOSE Fischer Amendment 18 to the Keystone XL Pipeline, as well as
opposing final passage of S.1.
Sincerely,
Center for Biological Diversity
Defenders of Wildlife
Earthjustice
League of Conservation Voters
Los Padres Forest Watch
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club