36 



acres. So if you look at it strictly from the timber inventory stand- 

 point, what is being proposed in Mr. Hamburg's bill is acquisition 

 of most of the remaining old-growth timber on their lands. 



Mr. DOOLITTLE. I wonder if you could explain how the adminis- 

 tration works, since reducing the budget deficit is his top stated 

 goal? We just had a big tax increase ostensibly to accomplish that. 

 Are the agencies and Departments infused with this mission? 



I mean, does that translate down to, say, something like the For- 

 est Service? Are you given a mission by the administration that 

 that should be the top or one of the top priorities? 



Mr. Leonard. Absolutely. 



Mr. DOOLITTLE. Does it concern you then that you are coming be- 

 fore us — the Federal Grovemment already owns 42 percent of Cali- 

 fornia; there are 13 protected stands of redwood trees in California 

 already. We have four-fifths of it, of the existing old growth pro- 

 tected in one fashion or another. 



Does it concern you to come here and support a proposal which 

 adds another $1.5 billion onto the national debt? I mean, how could 

 you reconcile that with the goal of the Clinton administration? 



Mr. Leonard. What this bill is proposing is that the lands be ac- 

 quired through a combination of means, and what the administra- 

 tion has said is, they would like to look at a combination of ways 

 to do it. What they do not support is bu5dng this land from the 

 Land and Water Conservation Fund. What they are saying is, we 

 ought to get all the parties together, and we ought to look at 

 whether or not there are options — ^for example, some use of land 

 exchanges, money that might be available through the State of 

 California, money that might be available, or values that might be 

 available from military bases that are being closed, which would 

 not require direct appropriations and funding. 



Mr. DOOLITTLE. They involve, don't they, using accounting; it all 

 involves value that is transfer of some kind, don't they? 



Mr. Leonard. That is correct. The administration's position is 

 that they support that view; they believe that exchanging values of 

 the Federal Government for the acquisition of these lands is a sup- 

 portable basis. 



Mr. DOOLITTLE. I appreciate your answer to that. 



Mr. Rose. Thank you. The gentleman's time has expired. 



Mr. Leonard, isn't it true that the previous administration made 

 a budget request of about $11 million to start the process of acquir- 

 ing these Headwaters? 



Mr. Leonard. That is correct. 



Mr. Rose. So you weren't surprised when this legislation was in- 

 troduced; you knew the previous administrations had even asked 

 for that money? 



Mr. Leonard. That is correct. 



Mr. Rose. OK 



Mr. Dooley, did you want to ask an5rthing? 



Mr. Dooley. I would — perhaps just briefly, on the cost side of 

 this. The estimates that you presented in your testimony, where 

 you encourage the exploration of a number of alternatives in order 

 to finance that. Does your agency have any expectations on what 

 role the Grovemment will be pla3dng in terms of providing the fi- 

 nancing? 



