UPPER MONONGAHELA COMMITTEE FOR BETTER BOATING
DONALD C. STRIMBECK

P. O. Box 519
Granville WV 26534-0519

Tuesday 23 January 2001

Representative Alan B. Mollohan
2346 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington DC 20515-4801

Dear Representative Mollohan:

Thank you for your letter of 16 January. I appreciate your forwarding to Representative Deal my letter of 5 January to Senator Byrd, concerning amendments to the draft National Recreation Lakes Act as proposed by our UPPER MONONGAHELA COMMITTEE FOR BETTER BOATING (MonCom)

This past Wednesday, 17 January, I talked to Bob Herbst, Chair, National Recreation Lakes Coalition (NRLC). Bob sympathizes with the aims of MonCom, as he agrees that the boating recreation needs on federal flood control lakes, as addressed by the draft act, also exist on our nation's navigable rivers, which have locks and dams controlled by the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE). Bob said the NRLC will meet in the "near soon," concerning plans for reintroduction of the National Recreation Lakes Act into the 107th Congress. Bob will raise our MonCom concerns at that meeting. I must caution here, however, that while Bob sympathizes with our MonCom concerns, Bob in our phone conversation did not commit to backing our proposed MonCom amendments to the draft act. I did not ask Bob for such a commitment, but I'm pleased that he will raise our concerns when the coalition meets.

Now, in another development, I learned yesterday from Mick Blackistone, National Marine Manufacturers Association, that boating caucuses are being formed in the House and the Senate. No senators are yet onboard, as efforts to establish the senate boating caucus are just getting underway. I'm sure that Senator Lincoln, an avid boating enthusiast, and who introduced the National Recreation Lakes Act into the Senate last year, will be key to setting up the Senate boating caucus.

The House boating caucus, however, has 85 members, according to the list Mick emailed to me yesterday. Co-chairs of the House boating caucus are Representatives Clay Shaw and David Bonior.

In my "heart of hearts," I'd love to see our West Virginia congressional delegation, and especially Senator Byrd and Representative Mollohan, join the boating caucuses! The National Recreation Lakes Act, hopefully amended to address our MonCom concerns, would greatly benefit boating and related recreation in the United States. These recreational benefits are most appropriate for West Virginia, as we have many lakes as rivers that could benefit from passage of the act.

Our MonCom Executive Committee would like to meet with you at your convenience. Perhaps we could meet with you in Fairmont, sometime in February or March?

We also are willing to testify at any Congressional hearings concerning the National Recreation Lakes Act. This willingness to testify on behalf of the act, however, is hedged by whether or not the NRLC is willing to modify the act to address our concerns.

Finally, as I mentioned in my 5 January letter to Senator Byrd, I need some missing data from the COE Pittsburgh District, to complete my traffic analysis for the Point Marion, Morgantown, Hildebrand, and, Opekiska locks, for 1981-2000. The missing data was mailed yesterday. And, with appropriate procrastination on my part, I should get this project wrapped up and out to you and Senator Byrd and others in a couple weeks.

Sincerely,

UPPER MONONGAHELA COMMITTEE FOR BETTER BOATING

cc w/copy of 16 January letter from Representative Mollohan:

Senators Byrd, Lincoln, & Santorum. Representatives Deal, Wamp, Saxton, and Mascara. Governor Wise Bob Herbst, NRLC Mick Blackistone, NMMA