McClintock Not In Favor Of Merced River Draft
Sacramento, CA — Congressman Tom McClintock submitted a letter today to the National Park Service commenting on the Merced River Draft Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.
The letter, directed to Superintendent Don Neubacher, is posted as a blog here on myMotherLode.com.
McClintock sites the 1864 Yosemite land grant to the State of California that states that the “premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation” and “shall be inalienable for all time.” He goes on to state why he is “firmly against NPS taking any action that would limit public access and enjoyment of Yosemite.”
McClintock calls it “troubling that the NPS is proposing to close a number of facilities within Yosemite Village and reduce recreational activities in the Yosemite Valley.” He writes about commercial rafting and the proposed removal of the 1928 Sugar Pine Bridge.
The Merced River Draft Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement and its exhibits are over 4,000 pages. McClintock states that “To ensure that the public has an adequate opportunity to provide its input, I concur that an extension is necessary, and therefore have requested that NPS extend its public comment period on the Merced River Plan by 90 days to ensure full public opportunity to comment on this important issue.”
To read the full letter view McClintock’s blog “A Letter To The NPS” here.
