Congressman Paul Cook called in to z107.7’s Up-Close show Friday morning, to deliver what he intends as good news for the Morongo Basin in general, and for Johnson Valley in particular. In a formal statement from his office, also issued on Friday, Cook (R-Yucca Valley) described an alternative proposal to the Marine Corps’ planned expansion of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. In describing his proposal, Cook cited the economic value to the local communities of Off-Highway Vehicle activities in the expansion area, as well as public safety concerns.
Rep. Cook’s proposal would withdraw the Johnson Valley OHV area for the purposes of recreation and military use and designate it as the Johnson Valley National OHV Recreational Area, keeping it in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Land Management. The withdrawn area would be designated specifically for recreational uses, including but not limited to off-highway vehicle use, camping, and hiking. U.S. Marine Corps activities would be permitted to take place twice annually and could not include any explosives that could be left behind without detonating. Cook, a decorated Marine Corps veteran and retired colonel, said on the Up-Close show, “It affects our community. I love the Marine Corps, I am a Marine, but this is the hard part of the job. You gotta do what’s right. And maybe I’m making the wrong decision, but I think this is what’s right for everybody.” Cook’s proposal is scheduled to be presented next Friday, April 26, in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.
COOK AUTHORS COMPROMISE OHV BILL
