National Recreation Groups Says Stop Taxpayer Funded Abuse Of Legal System By Green Litigants

POCATELLO, ID (June 19)--The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), a national trail-based recreation group, today applauded the House Committee on Natural Resources for holding an oversight hearing on taxpayer funded eco-lawsuits.  BRC sent in a letter of support to the Committee for its hearing on June 19, 2012.

BRC believes that Congress must address this issue where eco-lawsuits are being used to bypass the administrative and legislative process through litigation driven settlements where land and wildlife management decisions are crafted behind closed doors by courts and green litigants.   

Greg Mumm, Executive Director for the BlueRibbon Coalition, states, "BRC has seen where settlements designed in 'smoke filled backrooms' by special interest advocacy groups are being used to expand trail closures beyond the original scope of the litigation.  Sadly, the public is paying for this abuse of the Equal Access to Justice Act, and the Agencies cannot accurately quantify the total price tag."

"BRC respectfully requests that our concerns are made part of the official record, and we will be submitting more formal comments in the coming days," Mumm concludes.

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The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. With members in all 50 states, BRC is focused on building enthusiast involvement with organizational efforts through membership, outreach, education, and collaboration among recreationists. 1-800-BlueRib - www.sharetrails.org.