ANALYSIS OF HJM 4009

House Agriculture & Ecology Committee                                                February 22, 1999

Petitions the Congress of the United States to review the impact of federal mandates on rural areas and to consider how to mitigate these impacts on local governments and residents of these areas.

BACKGROUND:

Many rural areas are experiencing high unemployment and low wages, in part because of the decline of natural resource industries and because new businesses are not locating or expanding in these areas.  Rural areas are affected by requirements of federal environmental law, such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act, and have less capacity to implement these requirements than urban areas.  In 1998, the legislative Joint Task Force on Rural Land Use and Economic Development heard testimony from around the state regarding the impact of federal environmental laws on rural economic development.  There is a concern that rural economic development may be impeded by regulatory burdens associated with federal environmental laws.

SUMMARY:

The Congress of the United States is petitioned to review the impact of federal environmental mandates on rural areas and to consider how to mitigate the impact of these mandates on the local governments and residents of these areas.