Fwd: Official message from Senator Gorton Ms. Stoltz

FYI 
This is the Republican view, not lableling food as organic...big deal, but I 
didn't expect much from this guy.
The LWCF I think is important to cg for preserving green spaces. Kay

  • To: "'K*@AOL.COM'"
  • Subject: Official message from Senator Gorton Ms. Stoltz
  • From: S* G* -* W*
  • Date: Thu, 04 Nov 1999 09:49:11 -0500



            October 27, 1999



Ms. Kay Stoltz
438 West Shoshone Place
Spokane, Washington  99203-2051

Dear Ms. Stoltz,

Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning the Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF) and genetically engineered foods.  I appreciate
hearing from you on these important issues.

Like you, I am strong supporter of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
 As you may know, I serve as Chairman of the Senate Interior
Appropriations subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over funding for the
LWCF, as well as the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service,
cultural institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts and
the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution
and the monuments in historical cities such as Washington, D.C., and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The Senate and House recently finalized the FY 2000 Interior
Appropriations bill.  The legislation includes $254 million for federal
land acquisitions and more than $333 million for the President's Land
Legacy Initiative.  

Rest assured, I share your interest in preserving the natural beauty of
Washington state.  I believe the appropriation provided in the Interior
conference report is a substantial investment toward critical land
acquisitions across the country.  I was able to provide $2.5 million for
the Mountains to Sound Greenway project, $1 million for the Ebey's
Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island, and $3 million
for the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Streams acquisition program.
You also may be interested to know that I added $20 million for
stateside acquisitions and $2 million for the Urban Parks and Recreation
Recovery Program (UPARR).

Finally, thank you for your thoughts on genetically altered agriculture
products.  I understand your concerns regarding labeling of and public
education on these varieties of products.  The National Plant Germplasm
System, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other
federal, state and private contributors, studies the genetic diversity
of crop plants.  For some time, scientists in the agriculture community
have experimented with new plant and seed varieties that are either
conducive to a particular growing region or are pest and disease
resistant. 

As you may already know, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary
Dan Glickman announced some fundamental changes to the proposed rule on
organic standards.  Due to the overwhelming comments regarding products
of biotechnology, the use of irradiation in food processing and the
application of bioslids, USDA decided to exclude these practices from
the consideration for organic standards. 

Should the issue of genetically altered foods come before me in the
United States Senate, please know that I will keep your views in mind.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write.  Please do not hesitate
to contact me again in the future.

            Sincerely,


            SLADE GORTON
            United States Senator

SG/klv

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