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From: oiea@ios.doi.gov<BR>Sent: 10/18/2013 12:56:08 P.M. Pacific Daylight
Time<BR>Subj: Washington Post Editorial: Why did national parks
close?<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV dir=ltr><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif">We
thought you might want to read the Washington Post Editorial published on
October 17th.</SPAN>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif">Thank you.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif"><FONT
face="georgia, serif" color=#000066>Terri Johnson</FONT>
<DIV><FONT face="georgia, serif" color=#000066>Acting Director, Office of
Intergovernmental & External Affairs</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000066><FONT face="georgia, serif">Office of the
Secretary, </FONT><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: georgia,serif">U.S.
Department of the Interior</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif">
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<H1
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 4px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.2em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">Washington
Post Editorial:</H1>
<H1
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 4px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.2em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">Why
did national parks close? Ask the Republicans.</H1>
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<DIV
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<H3
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 1.2em; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia">By <SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"><A
title=http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-view/2011/12/07/gIQAoEIscO_page.html
style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-view/2011/12/07/gIQAoEIscO_page.html"
target=_blank rel=author>Editorial Board</A></SPAN>, <SPAN
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; COLOR: rgb(110,110,110)">Published:
October 17</SPAN></H3></DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">
<DIV
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<DIV
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">
<P
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 22px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">YOU
MIGHT think that House Republicans would have shown at least a touch of
embarrassment after needlessly shutting much of the federal government for
more than two weeks. Sadly, that proved not to be the case, as evidenced by
Wednesday’s inquisition into the closure of national parks. The <A
title=http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/politics/national-park-service-director-defends-closures/2013/10/16/239518f0-36aa-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_video.html
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/politics/national-park-service-director-defends-closures/2013/10/16/239518f0-36aa-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_video.html"
target=_blank>spectacle</A> of a career government official being berated
by Republican members of Congress for cuts in service that they had caused
presented a nauseating coda to this dispiriting spectacle.</P>
<P
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 22px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">“What
in the world are we doing here?” was the apt question from Rep. Elijah E.
Cummings (D-Md.) at <A
title=http://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-natural-resources-to-examine-national-park-services-closing-of-memorials/
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-natural-resources-to-examine-national-park-services-closing-of-memorials/"
target=_blank>Wednesday’s joint hearing</A> of the Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform and the Committee on Natural Resources. While their
colleagues in the Senate were hammering out an agreement to end the shutdown
and avoid default, House Republicans were hammering on National Park Services
Director <A title=http://www.doi.gov/whoweare/jonjarvis.cfm
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.doi.gov/whoweare/jonjarvis.cfm" target=_blank>Jonathan B.
Jarvis</A>for doing his job.</P></DIV>
<DIV
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<P
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 22px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em">Mr. Jarvis, who started his park service as a
seasonal interpreter in 1976, likely had better things to do, given
that</SPAN><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em"> </SPAN><A
title=http://www.doi.gov/shutdown/fy2014/upload/NPS-contingency-plan.pdf
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.doi.gov/shutdown/fy2014/upload/NPS-contingency-plan.pdf"
target=_blank>nearly 87 percent</A><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em"> </SPAN><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em">of
his agency was on furlough. Instead he was subjected to a five-hour hearing in
which</SPAN><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em"> </SPAN><A
title=http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Oversight-on-NPS-implementation-of-shutdown-10-16-13.pdf
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Oversight-on-NPS-implementation-of-shutdown-10-16-13.pdf"
target=_blank>he had to explain</A><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em"> </SPAN><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em">the
obvious: No money equals no people equals no services.</SPAN><BR></P>
<P
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 22px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">Most
disturbing were the insinuations by lawmakers that Mr. Jarvis’s decisions in
closing the nation’s 401 parks, monuments and other sites were unnecessary and
politically motivated to inflict the most pain. “Drastic and unprecedented,”
said oversight committee chairman <A
title=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/memorial-closures-government-shutdown-house-hearing-98389.html
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/memorial-closures-government-shutdown-house-hearing-98389.html"
target=_blank>Darrell Issa</A> (R-Calif.), while natural resources
chairman <A
title=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57606887/congress-to-scrutinize-monument-closures-during-government-shutdown/
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57606887/congress-to-scrutinize-monument-closures-during-government-shutdown/"
target=_blank>Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) said sites were not closed </A>by
the Clinton administration during the last shutdown.</P>
<P
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 22px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">Wrong.
Denis P. Galvin, deputy director of the park service during the Reagan,
Clinton and Bush administrations, <A
title=http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Galvin-NPCA-Statement-NPS-Shutdown-10-161.pdf
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Galvin-NPCA-Statement-NPS-Shutdown-10-161.pdf"
target=_blank>said that shutdown plans</A> — “done hastily, because
you’re always hoping the closure won’t happen” — <A
title=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/seven-reasons-why-the-national-parks-service-closed-the-world-war-ii-memorial/2013/10/15/a3df8584-35d5-11e3-be86-6aeaa439845b_story.html
style="COLOR: rgb(0,91,136); BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(212,212,212) 1px solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/seven-reasons-why-the-national-parks-service-closed-the-world-war-ii-memorial/2013/10/15/a3df8584-35d5-11e3-be86-6aeaa439845b_story.html"
target=_blank>were in keeping with past practices</A>. In 1995 and 1996, he
said, the Lincoln Memorial was closed, as were the Statue of Liberty, the
Gateway Arch in St. Louis and other monuments around the country. Indeed, Post
accounts of those shutdowns detailed the frustration of tourists who found
monuments and museums closed, campers evicted from national parks, the
governor of Arizona ordering National Guard troops to the Grand Canyon in an
attempt to keep it open and two teams of 7-year-old soccer players evicted
from a national park in Anacostia. “The children pleaded. The parents pleaded.
The coach pleaded. The answer? Closed,” read a Nov. 20, 1995, article.</P>
<P
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 22px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">No
doubt there are differences in some restrictions, most notably the use this
time of barriers, but there are new security sensibilities in a world after
9/11. The park service, largely due to Republican-imposed budget constraints,
had lost staff and maintenance funds even before the shutdown. Republicans who
suddenly developed such tender concern for the parks would do better to ensure
that the government doesn’t close again — and that the agency charged with
protecting America’s treasures has the resources it needs to serve the
public.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>