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SJM107....................................................by TRANSPORTATION
BACKCOUNTRY AIRSTRIPS - Stating findings of the Legislature and requesting
the Congress of the United States to preserve access to, and the historic
use of, backcountry airstrips by introducing into Congress legislation
which will preserve backcountry landing strips on currently-owned federal
lands and any future federal acquisition of lands, to ensure the greatest
amount of public access to public recreational lands by designating as
"public use" all nonmilitary aircraft landing areas located on
federally-managed lands and to limit the ability of the federal government
to place use limits or require special use permits for using any
backcountry airstrip.
02/13 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/16 Rpt prt - to 10th Ord
02/17 10th Ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Bailey
Title apvd - to House
02/18 House intro - 1st rdg - to Transp
02/25 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/26 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/01 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - 63-5-2
AYES -- Andersen, Barraclough, Barrett, Bauer, Bayer, Bedke, Bell,
Black, Block, Boe, Bolz, Bradford, Campbell, Cannon, Clark, Collins,
Crow, Cuddy, Deal, Denney, Douglas, Eberle, Edmunson, Ellsworth,
Eskridge, Field(18), Field(23), Gagner, Garrett, Harwood, Jaquet,
Jones, Kellogg, Kulczyk, Lake, Langford, Martinez, McGeachin,
McKague, Meyer, Miller, Mitchell, Moyle, Naccarato, Nielsen,
Raybould, Ridinger, Roberts, Robison, Rydalch, Sali, Schaefer,
Shepherd, Skippen, Smith(30), Smith(24), Smylie, Snodgrass,
Stevenson, Trail(Bennett), Wills, Wood, Mr. Speaker
NAYS -- Henbest, Langhorst, Pasley-Stuart, Ringo, Sayler
Absent and excused -- Ring, Shirley
Floor Sponsor - Roberts
Title apvd - to Senate
03/02 To enrol
03/03 Rpt enrol - Pres signed
03/04 Sp signed
03/05 To Secretary of State
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session - 2004
IN THE SENATE
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 107
BY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF
3 THE INTERIOR, THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES
4 IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING
5 THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
6 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
7 State of Idaho assembled in the Second 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, or who are constrained by time or finances, to access
16 remote areas and to enjoy the outdoor opportunities Idaho has to offer; and
17 WHEREAS, the Idaho backcountry airstrip system is unique and is an impor-
18 tant asset to Idaho because it creates jobs and economic enhancements by draw-
19 ing tourism and recreational visitors from all fifty states and numerous for-
20 eign countries; and
21 WHEREAS, forty-five of the sixty-two Idaho backcountry public use
22 airstrips are located on lands managed by the federal government; and
23 WHEREAS, the federal Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980, Public Law
24 96-312, allows continued use of airstrips which were in use prior to the
25 wilderness designation and does not allow the closure of such airstrips with-
26 out the express written concurrence of the state of Idaho; and
27 WHEREAS, the state of Idaho has issued a notice that it is appealing the
28 decision of the Forest Supervisors of the Bitterroot, Nez Perce, Payette and
29 Salmon-Challis National Forests to select a management alternative which ren-
30 ders four airstrips unserviceable and closes yet another airstrip; and
31 WHEREAS, the federal government continues to act in such a way as to
32 establish a disturbing trend that is circumventing federal law and is effec-
33 tively closing airstrips or is denying access to many airstrips for use by the
34 general public; and
35 WHEREAS, one method being used by the federal government to deny access to
36 backcountry airstrips located on federally-managed lands lying both within and
37 outside of wilderness areas is to change designation of the airstrip from
38 "public use" to "private use" or "emergency use only," thereby sharply
39 curtailing or eliminating general use of these airstrips and forcing air traf-
40 fic to be concentrated at other airstrips; and
41 WHEREAS, in concentrating air traffic and increasing use at fewer
42 airstrips, the federal government is not only limiting access of specific out-
43 door areas, but the federal government's stated objective is to assess use
44 limits at public airstrips and require a special use permit; and
2
1 WHEREAS, another method used by the federal government to close existing
2 airstrips is to purchase land containing an airstrip and have the previous
3 private owner remove airstrip designation from the description of the prop-
4 erty prior to the sale so that when ownership of the land transfers to the
5 federal government, no airstrip transfers with the title; and
6 WHEREAS, many of these existing backcountry airstrips which were privately
7 owned and open to general public use and provided access to recreational areas
8 are no longer available because the federal government is implementing its
9 stated standard of not converting any newly-acquired private airstrips to pub-
10 lic use airstrip facilities; and
11 WHEREAS, yet another method being used by the federal government to effec-
12 tively close airstrips is to intentionally omit certain airstrips from pub-
13 lished, official airport identification locator maps and wilderness maps.
14 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-
15 sion of the Fifty-seventh Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Rep-
16 resentatives concurring therein, that we urgently request the Congress of the
17 United States to preserve access to, and the historic use of backcountry
18 airstrips by introducing into Congress legislation which will preserve
19 backcountry landing strips on currently-owned federal lands and any future
20 federal acquisition of lands.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that to ensure the greatest amount of public access
22 to public recreational lands, the Congress of the United States is strongly
23 urged to designate as "public use" all nonmilitary aircraft landing areas
24 located on federally-managed lands.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that to further ensure the greatest amount of pub-
26 lic access to public recreational lands, the Congress of the United States is
27 strongly urged to limit the ability of the federal government to place use
28 limits or require special use permits for using any backcountry airstrip.
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is
30 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the
31 United States Secretary of Agriculture, the United States Secretary of the
32 Interior, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
33 sentatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation representing the
34 State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States.