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Hike the Hill: Day 3 update

By Bruce Matthews, NCTA Executive Director

7:00am

Highlights of Tuesday’s Hike the Hill include meetings with the offices of 8 Congressmen representing districts through which the NCNST passes, a meeting with Vermont Senators Leahy and Sanders staff about the eastern terminus extension, and a meeting at Interior with Will Shafroth, who heads up the President’s America’s Great Outdoors program among other things.

The main strategy with our House visits yesterday was to try to keep the Arrowhead Re-route alive in this Congress. We hoped we might persuade a Member to introduce the legislation even though Congressman Cravaack declined. Understandably no one want to do so, which in this political environment built on party politics and ever-shifting allegiances you’d never want to do to another Congressman what you don’t want to have done to you. Maybe that’s Washington’s version of the Golden Rule, and the bottom line is, while I got lukewarm support for a bipartisan introduction from a couple of Michigan Congressmen on the Natural Resources committee, we’re going to have to at least get Rep. Cravaack to agree to not oppose the introduction of the Re-route bill. So, we’ll work on that,

The President’s budget proposal is being dissected, and the topline is that Trails made out OK; at least it appears funding levels have been maintained and there are some new possibilities within the NPS budget that are trail targeted. No one expects next year’s budget to look like the President’s proposal, widely regarded as more of a political statement in this election year. In fact, prevailing opinion seems to think there won’t be a budget until after the November elections, and we will see government-by-continuing resolution, well, continuing.

Today we’ve got more Hill visits, plus Andrea will be representing NCTA in a meeting with National Park Service officials. Stay tuned!