28 



ertson and Wallop-Breaux. So it is a workable system, and we 

 check with vendors and manufacturers related to this. And there 

 may be some manufacturing items that would affect us that we 

 might do later, and we feel all of this is workable. 



Mr. Saxton. Right. Well, thank you very much. We are going to 

 have to go vote. This matter that we have just discussed is really 

 a matter for the Ways and Means Committee, but I saw it as a 

 question that ought to be at least surfaced here. So thank you all 

 very much for coming. We are going to take probably 10 or 15 min- 

 utes to get over and back on this vote. 



[Recess.] 



Mr. Saxton. It looks like we can start with the next panel; Mr. 

 David Ingemie, President, Ski Industries America; Mr. Charles 

 Mcllwaine, Vice Chairman, American Recreation Coalition; Ms. 

 Diane Steed, President, Coalition for Vehicle Choice; Mr. James 

 Lucier, Director of Economic Research, Americans for Tax Reform; 

 Mr. Thomas Dufficy, Executive Vice President, National Associa- 

 tion of Photographic Manufacturers; and Mr. David Peri, Director 

 of Marketing, Mountainsmith. Mr. Ingemie. 



STATEMENT OF DAVID INGEMIE, PRESIDENT, SKI INDUSTRIES 



AMERICA 



Mr. Ingemie. Good morning. My name is David Ingemie, and like 

 other people that have appeared before you today, I am also a 

 hiker, a fisherman, a hunter, a cyclist, a skier and a snowboarder. 

 And I appear today on behalf of the members of Ski Industries 

 America, a national nonprofit trade association of which I am presi- 

 dent, and the National Ski Areas Association to state opposition to 

 the "Teaming with Wildlife" tax as it is currently proposed. 



SIA alone represents more than 1,100 U.S. manufacturers and 

 distributors of ski, snowboard, snowshoe, and other winter on-snow 

 sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories. NSAA rep- 

 resents over 320 major ski resorts in the country. 



SIA alone encompasses a total workforce of over 197,000 individ- 

 uals ranging from warehouse personnel to chief executives. Our 

 consumers are the American on-snow recreationists, alpine and 

 cross country skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers — a very di- 

 verse cross section of the American public. 



We believe that as active members in the recreation community, 

 we have a shared responsibility to protect and expand the re- 

 sources of our national, regional, and local parks and outdoor recre- 

 ation areas. In support, SIA has been instrumental in the forma- 

 tion and growth of many programs such as Rails to Trails, SIA's 

 Golden Eagle Awards that recognize environmentally responsible 

 policies and practices, and investing in a recycling research pro- 

 gram to reclaim materials from skis, snowboards, and boots, and 

 develop a textile recycling program to collect and reuse textile 

 waste. 



Clearly, SIA has actively sought and will continue to strive for 

 enhanced wildlife preservation and protection. Moreover, in this 

 time of shrinking Federal and local budget resources, we certainly 

 recognize the need to seek out new and innovative methods of sus- 

 taining the remarkable maintenance and growth of the many envi- 

 ronmental and wildlife sanctuaries the American public enjoys. 



