Bill Would Jeopardize Our National Parks

* Congressman Elton Gallegly supports the bill by Rep. Joel Hefley (HR 260), which would open the door to selling the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and the Channel Islands National Park. His support of this bill makes it impossible for him to give honest assurance that these parks are protected.

He can’t have it both ways.

For the first time, Gallegly refuses to support funding for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Channel Islands in the upcoming park appropriations. It appears he has changed his position on our parks.

Although his office explains the lack of support by saying this is a budget problem, we know the real truth. The source of the monies for our parks is the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This parkland money is oil company mitigation money which is required as an offset for environmental damages caused by oil companies. It consists of legally mandated payments from the oil companies to be spent on our park needs. In addition, the oil companies pay the Feds over $3 billion each year for appropriated general use. The sad truth is that the specially mandated park funds are being illegally misused for other purposes.

Hopefully, Gallegly will think this through and put his constituents’ needs first. We ask him to withdraw his support of the Hefley Bill, which would make it possible for our parks to be among those which Congress intends to sell. We ask him also to support park funding for the Channel Islands and the Santa Monica Mountains where willing sellers have been long waiting in line.

MARY E. WIESBROCK

Agoura Hills

Wiesbrock is the director of Save Open Space-Santa Monica Mountains .