TWRA Holding OHV Community Hostage

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Iva Michelle Russell, iva@ivamichellerussell.com

TWRA Holding OHV Community Hostage

Nashville, TN – Legislative negotiations broke down Tuesday as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) continues to hold the Tennessee Off-Highway Vehicle community hostage over federal funding expenditures.

“I just can’t believe a governmental agency could be allowed to callously disregard the mandates of an Act that was passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor of this state” comments Iva Michelle Russell, Legislative Chairman for the Tennessee Off-Highway Vehicle Association (TOHVA) and Executive Director of OHV4TN. “The last time I checked, the needs of the people of this state were more important than governmental primacy”.

The legislative negotiations revolve around the 2004 Tennessee Off-Highway Vehicle Act, sponsored by now Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey which started as a Governor’s initiative in the late 1990’s. The Act created an Off-Highway Vehicle program in the state of Tennessee that mandated a statewide system of environmentally sustainable trails as well as adult and youth safety education.

TWRA, the OHV program’s current agency home, began receiving OHV federal grant money in 2004. TWRA has been exclusively using the funds at their Royal Blue facility in East Tennessee while also taking in OHV permit fees that have risen steadily over the years to over $64,000 in 2007. Discounted Hunting/OHV permits are not included in this figure. There is still $1.1 million in unused grant funds to date. The TWRA Commission has voted each year not to create further trail systems across the state nor create the adult and youth safety education programs stipulated in the Act.

The 2009 OHV legislative agenda (SB280, HB365) would transfer the OHV program from TWRA to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), allow TWRA to keep their Royal Blue facility, and mandate an equal distribution of federal funding between each grand division of the state. “TDEC is in the trail building business and we certainly don’t want to be with an agency that has no desire to do anything with our program except take our money. There are over 880,000 OHV users in our state that are not currently being served and that is ridiculous.” states Russell.

In the Tennessee Governor’s 2002 Off-Highway Vehicle Study, OHV recreation had an estimated statewide economic impact of $3.4 Billion. Neighboring states have created trail systems that have successfully aided local rural economies as well as tax revenue. In a recent study, West Virginia saw an increase of $622,752 in state and local tax revenue, direct income of $2.7 million and 146 new jobs from their Hatfield-McCoy Trail System located in 8 WV rural counties.

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Lt.Gov Ron Ramsey

My day on the Hill yesterday revolved around my meeting with our Lt.Gov. The rest was just fun filler which I will describe later.

I say this alot lately, but it does matter who governs. Sitting in our Lt.Gov's office reminded me of that. Ron Ramsey has a style of governing that is reflective of his constituency. He is down-to-earth and honest with his assessments. It is about people and policy, not policy and more policy. He sees the genuine absurdity of bad policy, that is refreshing, and he offers solutions thru people not more policy. Once again, even more refreshing.

When you delve into politics on this level, there is alot of absurdity in policy.
The absurdity factor is why I will always be a champion for LESS government.

I would also be remiss if I didn't thank Sen. Eric Stewart for attending the meeting and sponsoring our bills in the Senate. We may be on opposite sides of the fence, but I actually like him alot. He was the only Democrat I have ever knowingly worked with and that was only because he was county commissioner at the time. He is a fiscal conservative and has strong family values. We may not agree on everything, but I can usually trust where his head is at when it comes to serving his constituents.

Observations from a window seat at the legislature cafeteria:

Lots of women in tight skirts and very high heels.
Lots of gray haired lions.
Lots of harried soldiers.
Lots of people with big red hand signs that said "Hands Off of our Civil Rights" or something like that.
Lots of young people in suits (I thought that was cool).

Overheard at a PTA meeting in House Chambers (Speaker was TEA rep):

Bills on Charter schools are bad.
Bills on Home Schooling are bad.
Bills on Virtual education are bad.
Tenure is good.
The new House committee structure makes us nervous (I think he was referring to the Republicans).

Attending the Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee meeting:



I was thrilled to see my dear friend Rep. Judd Matheny chairing his first full Committee. It has been a long road since 2002 and he has fought battle after battle against the absurdity that seems to permeate state government. I am sooo very proud to have him on our team and I know his constituents think so too.

The first committee meeting presentation was a meaty one. Unemployment resources and gameplan updates. I couldn't stay. It was good to see Rep. Eric Swafford, Rep. Brian Kelsey and my favorite Rep. Stacey Campfield on the committee. Like Judd, the left just loves to pick on them. That makes me like them even better.

Yep, as I reread this, my new favorite word for bad government is "absurdity". Funny how things stick it your mind like that. I must be reading too much stimulus propaganda.