Lately I find myself questioning our government’s actions or lack of meaningful action on just about every corner. I believe there is a real disconnect from those who see regulations as a benefit and those who believe it is mainly a drain on our economy and way of life.
As business people, there are many issues in our society that require our attention. To one degree or another we have a responsibility to develop opinions on so many issues I have a hard time keeping up with what I should know on a wide variety of issues. Yet, we have to stay informed, which is why I use a variety of resources and news alert services to provide me updates on things I might not otherwise know.
Your congressional leaders need to hear from you because your voice in connection with many others can sway how they vote. What constituents think does matter, especially when they voice their displeasure in mass.
This reality became apparent recently when FOX News interviewed Christy Roberts of Roberts Pallet Company in Ellington, Mo. FOX interviewed Roberts about her views on the federal government’s plan to establish the new White River Watershed National Blueway. While setting aside land to improve the ecological health of various waterways may sound good, it can also become a problem for localities if the details of the initiative are vague, as was the case with the new National Blueway System.
The federal government says, “We’re here to help. Just trust us, we won’t do anything to diminish your rights or hurt local economies.” But years of experience says that blind faith in government programs is no prescription for a stable, growing society. That is why the founding fathers intended for checks and balances among various branches of government as well as limiting what the government could do through the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Department of Interior established the new National Blueway System in 2012. It started with the Connecticut River Watershed, a 7.2 million acre watershed along the Connecticut River, and was followed earlier this year by the addition of the White River Watershed National Blueway. This designation covers a 17.8 million acre watershed region in 60 counties of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. The Blueway program brings together a variety of unelected environmental stakeholders and organizations including many government organizations and people who claim to be looking out for the environment and public welfare. There are at least two major issues that concern me. First, the public was not involved in forming these Blueways. No public hearings or comment periods were held. Congress was not involved. All of this happened by a stroke of a pen as orders from the executive branch.
Roberts explained, “The Department of Interior designated this area without notifying anyone… According to the Department of the Interior, they are saying that they do not intend to do anything with this designation. Our question is then why make a designation…We know from past experiences that eventually the government comes around to restrict you in some way.”
I have had the pleasure of canoeing and camping along the Current River in southern Missouri, which is part of the White River Watershed. If you have not been in the Ozarks, it might be difficult to fully appreciate the beauty and value of that region. In this sense it is much like many rural regions scattered throughout North America. Millions of acres of natural beauty can be preserved by people who love the land and care for it. To leave them out of the equation simply does not make sense. Christy shared with us how the locals gather together each year to cleanup any trash and help preserve the natural beauty of the land.
The Roberts family cares about the issue because they have lived near the Current River and made their livelihood from the nearby land for multiple generations. She commented, “We own over 10,000 acres in the watershed area, and we harvest our timber on a 15-year rotation basis. It concerns us that the federal government may put restrictions on harvesting our timber, which in turn is used to feed our sawmill and supply our pallet operation with material.”
Although the current partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) is working and has been a benefit to the area, the Roberts family knows that there is a price to pay for the beauty they and many others enjoy. Their land was taken along with the property of many others during the 1960s to make the Current River National Park, which is widely used for recreation and tourism in the area. They are experienced with the impact of eminent domain and land designation laws.
Roberts said that she doesn’t believe any new designation or bureaucratic influence needs to intervene because the locals in conjunction with the NPS are doing a fine job maintaining the pristine condition of the area. Roberts said, “Nobody better takes care of our land than we do.”
Locals gather together to hold cleanup campaigns to remove trash and debris from along the river. They work with the NPS to limit activity that would destroy the pristine condition of the area. The involvement of another designation or more rules might only muddy the waters when it comes to local jurisdictions.
Everybody knows that the federal government is not capable of managing an economically efficient program to bring about the same results as those brought about by conscientious citizens who have vested interests in the land. If you look out West, you see a stark difference in how well private land is managed compared to federal lands.
Second, the potential impact could be huge, and nobody knows why the federal government seems eager to launch a new program when existing ones are working, such as the current designation and NPS management of the Current River National Scenic Waterway. Since you are talking about a watershed designation, the potential impact would be felt far away from the actual rivers or nearby land. It could conceivably cover any area or body of water that feeds into the designated rivers.
The Department of Interior has offered little details about what it intends to do with designated areas. There is concern that this new designation could lead to new regulations or land seizures. What would happen if new rules prohibited timber harvesting or mining – both of which are important to the economy of southern Missouri? Locals were very suspicious and began to oppose the designation as they became aware of it. Even many of the original stakeholders, such as some conservation groups, started to back away as public sentiment grew against the designations.
Public outcries about the designation led the federal government to drop the White River from the new program on Wednesday, July 3. One-time backers expressed concern that people might be resistant to voluntarily cooperating with conservation efforts.
When concerned citizens tried to get the government to provide reasons for the Blueway program, the government either could not or would not provide specific objectives and reasons. Of course they give a general explanation of why we need a Blueway designation, but like a lot of government explanations it was a vague attempt to make something sound good without exposing any negative aspects or repercussions.
Roberts indicated that it is her understanding that the government would like to designate 25 Blueways throughout the United States over the next five years. So this issue may be coming to your locality next. The bottom line is that we have increasing reasons to be suspicious of federal government programs, their objectives and their potential influence.
Roberts explained, “We need to keep a very close watch on what they are trying to do to regulate our lands. I caution people in other states to keep a very close eye on the Department of Interior and what they are trying to do here.”
