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Washington, Jan 18, 2012 - Rigell Reacts to Surprise Announcement of Federal Grant Money for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge 'Park-and-Ride'

Calls News a ‘Mockery’ of the Public Process Laid out by Law

Washington – Consistent with his ongoing commitment to preserving the existing parking arrangement at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, today Representative Scott Rigell (VA-02) responded to news that the CNWR had been awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to build a park-and-ride, a project that would lead to the removal of on-site beach parking.

“The CNWR’s move to purchase land and develop a park-and-ride with the ultimate intent to keep vehicles away from the beach is pre-mature and contradictory to their claims of an open decision process involving local and economic interests,” Rigell said.  “The CNWR appears to be making decisions before a transparent process can occur.  That is wrong.”   

Yesterday, Rigell sent a letter to Dan Ashe, Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, expressing his frustration:  “In my view this grant lends credibility to the town’s fears that Refuge managers have already decided on their plan and that the public process is nothing more than a pro forma exercise with a foregone conclusion. This makes a mockery of the NEPA process and the intent of Congress. To be clear, I see this as a classic example of a paternalistic federal government imposing its will without regard for the will or economic well being of the people,” the letter says.  The letter goes on to ask specific questions and requests a response by Tuesday, January 24.

The full text of the letter is below:

January 17, 2012

Mr. Dan Ashe
Director
United States Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive Mailstop 330
Arlington, VA 22203

Dear Director Ashe,

I was disturbed to receive notification today that the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) applied for and was awarded a $1.5 million dollar Federal Transportation Administration grant through the Sarbanes Transit in Parks program for a “Chincoteague Park and Ride Facility”. This project is not supported by the local community and is blatantly out of order with respect to the Refuge’s ongoing Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). Moving this project forward ahead of the CCP undermines the integrity of the public process required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and raises a number of ethical questions.

As you may know, the CNWR is home to a very popular and easily accessible public beach, which makes Chincoteague one of the most visited attractions in the Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge attracts nearly 1.5 million visitors per year, due in no small part to the exceptional accessibility of the public beach. The economy of the Town of Chincoteague depends heavily on tourist dollars brought in by beachgoers. Consequently, the town is very sensitive to potential changes within the Refuge.

More than a year ago, Chincoteague officials made me aware of their concerns that Refuge managers plan to use the NEPA mandated fifteen year CCP to significantly alter beach access by replacing the current parking lot with a transit system which would require beachgoers to park off site and take a shuttle to and from the beach. Town officials adamantly oppose such a system which would cause a significant decline in tourism and economic activity in the town.

While NEPA requires a public, open, and transparent CCP process, town officials have expressed their concern that Refuge managers seem intent on installing a transit system without regard for the will of the public or the local economy. I have met with Refuge Manager Lou Hinds multiple times and each time he has assured me that these concerns are not warranted.

In my view this grant lends credibility to the town’s fears that Refuge managers have already decided on their plan and that the public process is nothing more than a pro forma exercise with a foregone conclusion. This makes a mockery of the NEPA process and the intent of Congress. To be clear, I see this as a classic example of a paternalistic federal government imposing its will without regard for the will or economic well being of the people.

I expect an immediate and clear answer to the following questions:

1.      My staff and I have been in constant contact with Lou Hinds for the past year. In that time he failed to mention that he had applied for this grant. Why?
2.      The CNWR is purchasing property for a “Chincoteague Park and Ride Facility” while the official CCP is still in its early stages. In light of this, how can anyone be expected to have confidence in the public process? How can we believe serious consideration is being given to draft alternatives that do not call for a public transit system?
3.      What weight do local economic considerations carry in the CCP process?
4.      If the beach parking is replaced with a Park and Ride Facility, will Refuge visits decline? If so, what will be the level of decline? How will this impact the Chincoteague economy?
5.      If the final CCP eliminates all or some of the beach parking, one result will likely be loss of local jobs. How many lost jobs does the FWS consider acceptable?

Please respond to these questions in detail by Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Anyone who has spent any time in Chincoteague understands intuitively that the local economy is inextricably linked to the public beach. I take it as a given that any conservation plan which makes the beach more difficult to access will drive tourists away causing fewer people to partake in all that Chincoteague has to offer. Businesses will suffer and jobs will be lost. I will do everything in my capacity as a Member of Congress to prevent that from happening.

Yours in Freedom,

Scott Rigell
Member of Congress