HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2
(By Delegates Caputo and Fleischauer)
[Introduced January 15, 2002; referred to the
Committee on Rules.]
Requesting the United States Congress to enact legislation
improving recreation on navigable rivers.
Whereas, West Virginia and many of the nation's states have
rivers and lakes with federal locks and dams operated by the United
States Army Corps of Engineers and these rivers and lakes provide
pleasure boating and fishing and related recreations for all
citizens or visitors to the United States; and
Whereas, Federal funding for Corps of Engineer waterways
infrastructure and operations on these lakes and rivers for the
purposes of flood control, river flow maintenance, facilitation of
river commerce and, for boating and related recreations have been
inadequate for many decades; and
Whereas, Recreation and tourism, including boating, fishing and
related recreations, are an important and growing part of the economy of West Virginia and the nation; and
Whereas, Recreational boating and fishing and related
recreations on the nation's waterways are not now a charge assigned
to the Corps of Engineers by Congress; and
Whereas, The proposed National Recreation Lakes Act of 2001
(NRLA) now before Congress, amended to also apply the act to the
nation's navigable rivers, and to add recreation to the Corps of
Engineers' waterways responsibilities, is an appropriate vehicle
for addressing waterways recreation needs, and
Whereas, Congress needs to adequately fund the Corps of
Engineers to meet the infrastructure and operational needs of the
nation's lakes and waterways; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby urges the Congress of the United
States to pass the National Recreation Lakes Act (NRLA) of 2001,
amended to also apply the act to the nation's navigable rivers;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Congress adequately fund the NRLA;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Congress further amend the NRLA to
add recreational boating and fishing and related recreations to the Corps of Engineers' current mandates for facilitation of river
commerce, flood control and river flow maintenance; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Congress adequately fund the Corps
of Engineers' waterways operations, so that decades of chronic
underfunding of the nation's waterways infrastructure and
operations is sufficiently addressed; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is directed to send a copy of
this resolution to the state congressional delegation.