Washington, D.C. - The following information includes the list of witnesses and background information for Saturday's Congressional hearing in Salt Lake City on two bills that increase funding for national conservation and recreation programs and resolve several inequities regarding the disposition of funds generated from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activities.

The two bills that will be the focus of the U.S. House Committee on Resources hearing are:

• "The Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999" (H.R. 701)
  
• "Permanent Protection for America's Resources 2000" (H.R. 798)

Time: 11 a.m.
Date: Saturday, June 12th
Location: State Office Building, First Floor Auditorium, Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, Utah

Panel I

• The Honorable Gregory S. Bell, Mayor of Farmington City, Farmington, Utah
  
• Kathleen Clarke, Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah
  Accompanied by:
  • Courtland Nelson, Director, Utah Division of Parks & Recreation
  • John Kimball, Director, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

• Bert Smith, Ogden, Utah
  
• Robert Valentine, Brigham City, Utah
  
• Don Peay, Executive Director, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, North Salt Lake, Utah
  
• Travis Hall, Public Relations Manager, Browning, Morgan, Utah

• John W. Scott, President, Sport America, Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• Leslie W. Ramirez, Nordhaus, Haltom, Taradash, & Frye, LLP, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  
• George Hyde, Chief Operating Officer, Barnes Bullets, Inc., American Fork, Utah
  
• Ryan Foutz, Manager, Sportsman's Warehouse, Riverdale, Utah
  
• Clark Collins, Executive Director, BlueRibbon Coalition, Pocatello, Idaho

• Christopher F. Robinson, The Ensign Group, L.C., Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• Wendy Fisher, Utah Open Lands, Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• Frank Priestley, President, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, Pocatello, Idaho
  
• Karen Henry, Wyoming Farm Bureau, Robertson, Wyoming

H.R. 701 is bipartisan legislation which will share Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues with impacted states and support national conservation and wildlife education programs. Without creating any new taxes, the legislation will provide substantial increases in wildlife and land conservation funding by reinvesting OCS revenues for environmental programs in all 50 states and territories.

H.R. 701 was introduced by U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the Resources Committee; U.S. Reps. John Dingell (D-Michigan), Billy Tauzin (R-LA), the Vice Chairman of the Resources Committee; and Chris John (D-LA) and currently has over 80 cosponsors - evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

H.R. 798 would guarantee approximately $2.3 billion every year for the acquisition of public lands by the federal and state governments, restoration of national and urban parks, preservation of farmland and open space, preservation of historic buildings, and restoration of depleted fish and wildlife resources. H.R. 798 was introduced by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the Ranking Democrat on the Resources Committee.

People who would like to submit written testimony on the bills can bring it to the Salt Lake City hearing, or mail the testimony to:

Ms. Christine Kennedy
Chief Clerk, U.S. House Committee on Resources
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515