From Washington ...
Secretary Watt Opposes LAWCON, Might Favor It Later

Secretary of the Interior James Watt, at a recent press conference, announced that he firmly opposes a $100 million appropriation for the states grants portion of the Land and Water Conservation (LAWCON) program at this time, but that he would favor it "as soon as we get the economic situation turned around." News reporters and IAPD Executive Director Ted Flickinger participated in the question and answer session which was held July 8 following a ceremony at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.

The text of the Question and Answer session follows:

Q. What is the status of LAWCON money?

A. We have cut that back. We have got to learn to take care of our own park system before we start giving other money away. The past administration just did not know how to be good stewards. They were not good conservationists. They took, but they did not take care.

Q. That is the federal side — what about the state side for LWCF?

A. Both sides — we have cut back our spending.

Q. Is there any future for the state side for LAWCON?

A. As soon as we can get the economic situation turned around we think we will put money both on the state side and the federal side.

Q. For a while there were a lot of articles about you trying to change your image — is there any truth to this and how have you changed your image?

A. I did try for a day or two and gave up.

Q. In what ways?

A. Oh, I tried to be just what everybody else wanted me to be and that couldn't happen, so I reverted back to myself and the press has been much better lately and the truth is catching up. You know, a lie will run around the world before the truth gets its boots on. We now see that after a year and a half in office that the grass is still green and the environment is much better than when I inherited it because the last people did not take care of it and we have seen that the charges of the critics are wild and absurd and that things are going better. The parks, wildlife refuges, and the land are much better today than they were when I inherited them because we are stewards of land and water, wildlife, and parks and we have taken care of them.

SECRETARY WATT ATTENDS RECEPTION: Pictured (left to right) during NPRA 's Congressional Reception held in Washington, D. C. on June 16, 1982 are: Peter Koukos, President, IAPD and Commissioner, Park District of Highland Park; Susan Rizzo, Vice-President, IAPD and Commissioner, Park Ridge Park District; Dale Hench, D.O.C.; Ron Dodd, Director, Park Ridge Park District; Cong. Melvin Price; Robert Toalson, Director, Champaign Park District; Dr. Ted Flickinger, Executive Director, IAPD; Secretary Watt; Jim Keene and Elaina Newport, staff of Senator Percy; Dan Newport, Director, Winnetka Park District.

Q. In what ways did the previous administration fail to take care of the land, water, parks and wildlife?

A. They neglected to take care of the parks which deteriorated in a shameful manner. In fact, the government accounting office in 1980 reported it would take $1.6 billion to restore the parks to health and safety standards, let alone the resources. That is simply because the past liberal administration did not take care of the land. We committed ourselves to over a billion dollars in the next five years, twice as much money as the past Democrats put into it. Congressman [Paul] Findley [R.-Pittsfield] and others have been very supportive in this effort because we are stewards. We take care of it, we don't just take. Again, we are trying to take care of the wildlife and parks and that has not been done in the past. We need many more park and recreation facilities across the country. The primary responsibility for that is local and state governments, not the federal government.

Q. What do you think about the regulatory reform legislation now before the House that national wildlife groups think may cut down the hunting seasons? Do you think there is any exemption for them?

A. We have studied that bill itself and there is good language in it. We will create the legislative history so that there will not be any problems there. This administration is fully committed to hunting and fishing. The real battle that has been referred to earlier is from the preservationist group versus those who like hunting and fishing and the creation of jobs and the quality of life. So the hunting will be taken care of. After I learned of those kinds of stories that you are

Illinois Parks and Recreation 10 September/October 1982

referring to, we looked at this bill specifically and there are plenty of exemptions. The authors of that bill, Congressman Findley and others, are going to see to it that there is hunting and we can guarantee you that nobody is going to cut down the hunting season unless we need to protect the wildlife placement which, of course, is predominant. There is really no justifiable concern on that point.

Q. The funds that were going for LAWCON — where are these funds being used now?

A. They are going into the national park system and into the wildlife refuge system and into the public lands to open, to improve them for hunting and fishing opportunities, recreational experiences.

Q. So they are not just going into the general fund to pay off the deficit or anything like that?

A. I have got to give you two answers; there are the earmarked funds, $900 million a year goes into that LAWCON fund and those will always be earmarked, but it is the cash flow of the outlays that we are trying to protect and those, the outlays, the yearly cash funds go into restoring the parks and wildlife refuges that were ignored by the Democrats of the past administration.

Q. Mr. Secretary, YOU have had so much opposition from the American environmental people and members of Congress towards some of your efforts to lease certain properties for oil rights, mineral rights, etc. and opposition seems to have accelerated over the past couple of years — has there been any change on the part of the Reagan administration focusing new direction on how it wants to get things done?

A. No, to the contrary, we have not changed our course at all because we have obviously been supported by the Congress. There has been a loud, shrill outcry — there have been 6-10 groups out of 220 national groups that oppose what we are doing in the Department of Interior. There have been a few members of Congress that have been very shrill and critical in their opposition but really as I look back they have been very helpful to us in implementing the accelerated leasing programs that you refer to. Because those shrill voices were there, there is not a member of Congress that can not say he has never heard of the Secretary of the Interior. They all know who he is and they all know what I am doing and we brought massive change through the budget and appropriation process. And, consequently, we have had hearing after hearing and in the first year as we look at those massive changes through the appropriation and budget process we never lost one single vote of a subcommittee, committee or Chamber of the U.S. Congress. We won everything because we were right, because we are trying to restore America. We have got to have energy if we are going to have jobs. You can't build this park if you don't have the energy to drive to it, the energy to use the road graders, caterpillars and the like — it takes energy to improve the environment and those 6-10 groups that are so shrill in their opposition just lost their credibility before Congress and we won it all last year.

We are just hurting so much right now that with a $100 billion deficit we are just spending too much money. I think everybody would agree that we ought to cut the federal spending and no matter who you talk to they say that you need to cut more, but not in this area or that area. But if I had my way, we would cut a lot of other programs and build a lot more parks and recreation. But you have got to see the total picture and right now we just don't have the money.

Q. If we can get Congressional support for state side funding of LAWCON, would you give your support then?

A. No. We are just out of money. Where are you going to take it from —food stamps?

Q. Can't we still take it from the offshore oil leases?

A. What am I going to do with the parks that are there now?

Illinois Parks and Recreation 11 September/October 1982