Rick Duty.. Note to Wade White !! <'TK><
Wade,
This bill is about to begin a protracted journey. Once the House Clerk gets a number assigned to the Bill, then it will be directed to the appropriate committee(s). In my opinion, that’s when the grass roots recruitment and support can really take off. Then, we can begin to address very specific committee members to spur the bill along. We keep writing to those who must endorse it to keep it moving. Once it has a number, we can track its progress and try to keep the fires lit.
One of the great things favoring comparative rapid progress, is there is no funding involved. Zero debate there. Quite the contrary; it will prevent the needless expense of deployment, management, and enforcement.
Personally, I’d like to see the Congressman enroll some co-sponsors. If he can get some his Tennessee colleagues to tag on, it will underscore the regional importance. If he (we) find there truly is intent by the Corps to enforce this policy nationally, then signing on co-sponsors from other states expands the scope, and the subsequent sense of urgency.
Once there is an HR Number. A bullet point list of actions can be distributed to activists at every level: Who to write to, points of discussion, facts, consequences, metrics, etc. Writing our own representatives was just the beginning. Soon, we’ll need to focus on House committee members. Assuming it survives the process through the House, then we’ll have to track it through a similar process in the Senate, pushing and prodding along the way.
This story – including the efforts by Gov. Beshear, Senators McConnell, Alexander, Paul, et.al. - and a copy of Congressman Whitfield's Bill, needs to be on the editor’s desk of every outdoor sporting / fishing magazine in the country. Engaging industries who would suffer from the Corps’ actions, could lend a powerful economic voice to the debate. The lodging/hotel/hospitality businesses need to understand the full implications of the Corps’ intent. Tackle manufactures, boat builders, retailers, and catalog outlets, need to be engaged. Any business with a stake in the outcome has bankroll and employees, and that speaks to the need for congressional action. The enrollment of Bill Dance certainly didn’t hurt. His T.V. colleagues need to step up too, before they plan a shoot, then find the location has been barricaded by the Army.
As a side note – have you noticed on the District Corps web site, the dimensions of the closures? What strikes me as interesting, is their metrics outside / downstream of the barricade. They have conspicuously identified the length of the tail-waters. In the case of Barkley, it extends over 3,000 feet downstream. At Cordell Hull, its just short of a mile, and at Wolf Creek, its 1.8 miles. There is no explanation (that I have found) for those measurements to be included in public information. It leads me to wonder if there’s a notion to control river access beyond the planned barricades.
In closing, once there’s a number assigned to the Act, and we see what course of action Senator Alexander’s actions take, maybe we can meet somewhere and discuss an information / recruitment campaign.
Thanks for including me in the update.
--R--
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