"The Administration’s claims to be stewards of our land are sadly laughable. A comparison of the Administration's actual budget request against the levels needed to fully fund American conservation programs reveals it to be a scrooge, not a steward," Rahall remarked.

     The Administration proposes to abandon the Stateside Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Program altogether. For the last forty years, this grant program provided State and Local Parks and Recreation Directors desperately needed funding to help them preserve open space and develop recreational facilities.

     In addition, the President includes only $146 million for Federal side LWCF Programs, less than half of last year’s request. Taken together, the President proposes to meet about 16% of his promise to fully fund LWCF, and he consolidates control of that meager 16% firmly in Federal hands.

     "It is disingenuous, at best, to be selling the American people on a budget that claims to be protecting America, while the cuts in this budget violate our partnership with the States and threaten the future of America’s natural heritage," Rahall said.

     He continued, "The United States is in an entirely avoidable financial situation created by reckless tax cuts and the ballooning price tag of the war in Iraq. Despite statements to the contrary in the President's State of the Union address last week, this Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress are forcing future generations to pay for these mistakes.

     Rahall added, "Conserving and investing in that which is American - our national parks, forests and wildlife - should be a national priority. Setting such a low bar, as the President does, for protecting these treasures is a disgrace and an insult to this Nation's history and our values. It does not bode well for America’s future."

     Weighed on the scale of stewardship, the Administration achieves a ‘scrooge’ rating for the following programs: