How getting it done is done

Along-held political observation about Congress is that there are show horses and work horses. Republican show horses mainly think about how they can get six minutes on Fox News. Democratic show horses mainly think about getting six minutes on MSNBC. Bruce Westerman, on the other hand, is a Republican work horse who seems more interested in achievement than publicity.

Despite the over-the-top partisanship and political dysfunction we’ve been quick to point out over the years, Representative Westerman of Hot Springs seems to find a way to get his work done. Maybe that’s why he’s chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, while other congressfolk have had to threaten former speakers to even get on committees.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Representative Westerman advanced the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation (EXPLORE) Act out of his committee. If it becomes law, it will be good for Arkansas.

Bruce Westerman and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)—ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee—introduced the legislation, passed it out of committee by unanimous consent. It’s now headed to the House floor.

According to the paper, the EXPLORE Act combines multiple proposals addressing recreational access on public lands, incentives for creating long-distance bike trails, improvements to recreational infrastructure, and accessibility and a streamlined process for obtaining permits to provide recreational activities.

Significantly, and responsibly, the bill does not include any new costs to taxpayers, but instead eliminates existing regulations to improve public land access.

The bill’s companion in the Senate is sponsored by West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and Wyoming Republican John Barasso, the ranking member of that committee. It’s moving forward as well.

Not the least of the beneficiaries of the bill will be the Ouachita National Forest, which has been closed to overnight camping since fatal flooding occurred in spring 2010, which is addressed in the bill by requiring that new campsites must be built outside “100-year” flood areas.

While the bill will create additional outdoor recreation opportunities for Arkansans, it should also enhance the state’s ability to attract tourists who will assuredly spend money while they’re here.

Arkansas has a long history of successful committee chairs in both the House and Senate, and while Representative Westerman may have little in common ideologically with the Fulbrights, McClellans and Millses of the past, they all earned the respect of both their colleagues and their constituents through actions more than words.