View Daily Data Tracking History
View Bill Text
View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact
HJM010....................................................by WAYS AND MEANS
BACKCOUNTRY AIRSTRIPS - Stating findings of the Legislature and requesting
that the Congress of the United States take congressional action to
preserve access to Idaho backcountry airstrips.
03/24 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
03/25 Rpt prt - to 2nd rdg
03/26 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/27 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Wood
Title apvd - to Senate
03/28 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Transp
04/02 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
04/03 10th ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Bailey
Title apvd - to House
04/04 To enrol
04/07 Rpt enrol - Sp signed - Pres signed
04/08 To Secretary of State
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session - 2003
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 10
BY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF
3 THE INTERIOR, TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED
4 STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRE-
5 SENTING THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
6 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Senate of the
7 State of Idaho assembled in the First Regular Session of the Fifty-seventh
8 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
9 WHEREAS, ground and road access to the Idaho backcountry is very limited
10 and the Idaho backcountry airstrip system provides remote access for tourism,
11 recreation, mail and supply delivery, fire suppression, law enforcement, mili-
12 tary training, search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response and
13 in-flight emergencies; and
14 WHEREAS, backcountry aircraft landing strips enable people who are other-
15 wise physically unable, to enjoy the remote outdoor opportunities Idaho has to
16 offer; and
17 WHEREAS, the Idaho backcountry airstrip system is unique and is an impor-
18 tant asset to the economy of Idaho because it draws tourism and recreation
19 visitors from all fifty states and numerous foreign countries; and
20 WHEREAS, forty-five of the sixty-two Idaho backcountry airstrips for pub-
21 lic use are located on lands managed by the federal government; and
22 WHEREAS, the federal Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980, Public Law
23 96-312, allows continued use of airstrips which were in use prior to the
24 wilderness designation and does not allow the closure of such airstrips with-
25 out the express written concurrence of the state of Idaho; and
26 WHEREAS, the federal government is acting in such a way as to establish a
27 disturbing trend that is circumventing federal law and is effectively closing
28 airstrips or is denying access to many airstrips for use by the general pub-
29 lic; and
30 WHEREAS, one method being used by the federal government to deny access to
31 backcountry airstrips located on federally-managed lands lying both within and
32 outside of wilderness areas is to change designation of the airstrip from
33 "public use" to "private use" or "emergency use only" thereby requiring
34 express permission to be obtained from the federal government before the air-
35 strip can be used; and
36 WHEREAS, another method being used by the federal government to effec-
37 tively close airstrips is to publish official airport identification locator
38 maps in which existing, usable airstrips have been intentionally omitted; and
39 WHEREAS, the federal government employs yet another method to actually
40 close existing airstrips by purchasing land containing an airstrip and having
41 the previous private owner remove airstrip designation from the description of
42 the property prior to the sale so that when ownership of the land transfers to
43 the federal government, no airstrip transfers with the title.
44 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the First Regular Session
2
1 of the Fifty-seventh Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and the
2 Senate concurring therein, that we urgently request the Congress of the United
3 States to preserve access to backcountry airstrips by introducing into the
4 current 108th Congress Senate Bill No. 681, the Backcountry Landing Strip
5 Access Act from the 107th Congress and its companion legislation House Resolu-
6 tion No. 1363; and
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that to ensure the greatest amount of public access
8 to public recreation lands, the Congress of the United States is strongly
9 urged to designate as "public use" all nonmilitary aircraft landing areas
10 located on federally-managed lands.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-
12 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this
13 Memorial to the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the United States
14 Secretary of the Interior, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
15 House of Representatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation repre-
16 senting the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 13206
This legislation is a memorial to the Secretary of Agriculture,
Secretary of the Interior, Congress and Idaho's congressional
delegation on behalf of Idaho's back country airstrips; to ask
that language in the Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980, Public
Law 96-312, allowing continued use of these airstrips and does
not allow the closure of such airstrips without the express
written concurrence of the state of Idaho; be enforced. To ask
that federal agencies be expressly directed to cease and desist
administrative acts that violate that Act.
We urgently request Congress to preserve back country airstrips
for emergency access and to pass Senate Bill No. 68, the Back
Country Landing Strip Access Act from the 107th Congress and its
companion legislation, House Resolution No. 1363; and to
designate as "public use" all non-military aircraft landing areas
located on federally-managed lands.FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact.
Contact
Name: Rep. JoAn Wood
Phone: (208) 332-1000
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HJM 10