Originally Posted By: CMC2
Congressman Nunes from Visalia introduced a bill that passed the House unanimously. It is now on to the Senate. The bill REQUIRES that packers be allowed to resume taking stock into the back country and basically ignores or over rules the pending Judges decision in May !! So the HSHA Lawsuit is over turned once this bill is passed into law.

Since I do not know how to post an e mail which advised me of this, I have asked Steve to help me out and post it. I told you guys I don't know how to do all this modern stuff. Just a map and compass guy. Once on the WZ you can read all the details.

Here's the email sent out by Devin Nunes:
Originally Posted By: Devin Nunes
From: Rep Nunes
Date: April 27, 2012 12:24:12 PM PDT
To: "NEWSLETTER-CA21@ls1.house.gov"
Subject: House Bill Instructs National Park Service to Stop Horsing Around with Jobs - passed by unanimous consent
Reply-To: Rep Nunes

Dear Friends,

Earlier today, the House moved swiftly to pass a bill that would restore pack animal access to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The bill, which I introduced late yesterday, was rushed to the House floor thanks to a bipartisan agreement by House leaders which specifically cited imminent job losses and park access issues (press release).

Earlier this month, I brought the case of our backcountry horsemen to the attention of the Obama Administration. I was seeking help in my efforts to protect park access to commercial pack operations. These hardworking men and women who offer a unique and time-honored service to mountain visitors were the target of a lawsuit. Radical environmentalists wanted horses and mules removed from the parks. And thanks to an activist federal judge, the backcountry horsemen lost on the basis of a technicality (see more here).

The court ruling against the backcountry horsemen sent the Park Service into full retreat, as demonstrated by their reaction to my request for assistance. The Park Service informed me that commercial pack operations were going to have to wait until a new plan for issuing permits was completed and endorsed by the court. This meant that for the 2012 calendar year, backcountry horsemen were out of luck. Hundreds of jobs are at risk.

The bill that passed the House today requires the Park Service to issue permits for the next two years, immediately restoring commercial pack operations. At the same time, the Administration will be able to work with the federal court to establish a permitting process that brings the Park Service into compliance with the court ruling. This common sense solution saves important jobs, preserves access to the wilderness, and respects the judicial process.

The Senate must now act. Given the unanimous consent agreement that enabled House passage today, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take up and pass the measure as soon as it is received.

Thanks for your interest in this important issue.

Sincerely,
Devin Nunes
MEMBER OF CONGRESS

If you would like to contact me, please visit my website at www.nunes.house.gov. If you would like to be removed from my mailing list, please send a message to LISTSERV@LS1.HOUSE.GOV with the text "SIGNOFF NEWSLETTER-CA21" in the body of the message. You can also opt out of all electronic communications by visiting www.nunes.house.gov and following the instructions.


Law would revive horse packing in Sequoia, Kings Canyon parks
By Michael Doyle - Bee Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- In a rare show of bipartisanship, lawmakers on Friday joined forces to keep commercial pack operations open in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks for at least the next two years.

Acting with unusual dispatch, House Democrats and Republicans agreed on legislation moving the National Park Service to issue the permits for 2012 and 2013. The legislation approved by voice vote will let some 16 pack operators continue taking vacationers into the parks' designated wilderness areas.

"Time is very crucial here," noted Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. "We must act now if there is any hope for preserving the season."

The legislation initially authored by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, essentially overrides a park service decision issued as a result of a lawsuit filed by the High Sierra Hikers Association. The organization sued the park service three years ago over wilderness management.

In January, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled the park service violated the Wilderness Act because its 2007 general management plan for the neighboring national parks did not adequately deal with the issue of commercial stock. In response, the park service said it would not issue the stock permits until the question was resolved in court.

"I was highly disappointed by the park service's refusal to work with the federal court on an agreement to issue permits in time for the current season," Nunes declared Friday morning. "This legislation will allow commercial pack operations to continue in the parks while permitting changes are made to comply with the court's decision. There are hundreds of jobs at stake."

The legislation still needs approval by the Senate, which could happen quickly.