1/21 House Subcommittee Hearing on NPS Designation
New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey’s Hudson River Valley Special Resource Study Act went before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, a subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Thursday, January 21, 2010. The Subcommittee hearing was an initial step for this legislation, which would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a study on whether the Hudson River Valley is suitable as a unit of the National Park system. The Subcommittee heard supportive testimonies from Congressman Hinchey and Bob Elliott, a board member of the Hudson Valley Greenway Council and former Mayor of Croton-on-Hudson, as well as dissenting testimony from Carol LaGrasse, president of Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc.
Both Hinchey and Elliott spoke of the Hudson River Valley's world-renowned scenic beauty, recreational assets, unique and sensitive ecosystem, and its historical significance, referencing its influential role in the American Revolution, home to important movements in American art, and its influence in moving the country from an agrarian to an industrial economy. They also spoke to the timeliness of this legislation, referencing the 400th Quadricentennial anniversary of Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage of the river that now bears his name. Elliott testified, “given this unique moment and the world-class resources of the region, now is an ideal time to authorize the NPS to study the Hudson River Valley for inclusion in the national park system.”
During questioning, Hinchey and Elliott reinforced that a park service designation would not infringe open New York State's municipal authority, and that it would support the Hudson Valley Greenway, a state sponsored program created in 1991 to facilitate the development of a regional strategy for preserving scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources while encouraging compatible economic development and maintaining the tradition of home rule for land use decision-making.
Speaking in opposition, LaGrasse questioned the historical significance of the Hudson River Valley and expressed concern about the negative effects of national park designation. Such status would affect 12 counties abutting the Hudson River, and she expressed concern that privately owned land would become difficult to access and that state and local lands’ tax status could change, resulting in potential loss of tax revenue. ??
“Ultimately, the shift in land ownership to the National Park Service would have an even broader economic and cultural impact then the loss of tax base. As land is foreclosed from development, the future would be cut off and the growth and flourishing of the vast 12-county region would be stunted,” LaGrasse argued.
Two weeks after the subcommittee hearing, on February 3rd, the Hudson River Valley Special Resource Study Act took another legislative step. The House Committee on Natural Resources announced that it will hold a markup on this bill next Wednesday, February 10th.
Both Hinchey and Elliott spoke of the Hudson River Valley's world-renowned scenic beauty, recreational assets, unique and sensitive ecosystem, and its historical significance, referencing its influential role in the American Revolution, home to important movements in American art, and its influence in moving the country from an agrarian to an industrial economy. They also spoke to the timeliness of this legislation, referencing the 400th Quadricentennial anniversary of Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage of the river that now bears his name. Elliott testified, “given this unique moment and the world-class resources of the region, now is an ideal time to authorize the NPS to study the Hudson River Valley for inclusion in the national park system.”
During questioning, Hinchey and Elliott reinforced that a park service designation would not infringe open New York State's municipal authority, and that it would support the Hudson Valley Greenway, a state sponsored program created in 1991 to facilitate the development of a regional strategy for preserving scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources while encouraging compatible economic development and maintaining the tradition of home rule for land use decision-making.
Speaking in opposition, LaGrasse questioned the historical significance of the Hudson River Valley and expressed concern about the negative effects of national park designation. Such status would affect 12 counties abutting the Hudson River, and she expressed concern that privately owned land would become difficult to access and that state and local lands’ tax status could change, resulting in potential loss of tax revenue. ??
“Ultimately, the shift in land ownership to the National Park Service would have an even broader economic and cultural impact then the loss of tax base. As land is foreclosed from development, the future would be cut off and the growth and flourishing of the vast 12-county region would be stunted,” LaGrasse argued.
Two weeks after the subcommittee hearing, on February 3rd, the Hudson River Valley Special Resource Study Act took another legislative step. The House Committee on Natural Resources announced that it will hold a markup on this bill next Wednesday, February 10th.
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