[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2058 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2058

  To direct the Secretary of the Interior to cancel certain Bureau of 
  Land Management leases that authorize extraction of sand and gravel 
from the Federal mineral estate in land in Soledad Canyon, California, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 10, 2004

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of the Interior to cancel certain Bureau of 
  Land Management leases that authorize extraction of sand and gravel 
from the Federal mineral estate in land in Soledad Canyon, California, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Soledad Canyon Mine Lease 
Cancellation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Transit Mixed Concrete Corporation holds 2 Bureau of 
        Land Management leases for the extraction of sand and gravel 
        from the Federal mineral estate in land in Soledad Canyon 
        adjacent to the City of Santa Clarita, California, numbered CA-
        20139 and CA-22901;
            (2) the land subject to the leases contains approximately 
        56,000,000 tons of sand and gravel;
            (3) mining 56,000,000 tons of sand and gravel under the 
        terms of the leases would cause harm to the environment and 
        major transportation problems for the city of Santa Clarita, 
        surrounding areas, and other users of the transportation 
        systems in the vicinity of the Canyon; and
            (4) it is in the best interest of the citizens of the State 
        of California and the United States to cancel the leases and 
        make new leases available for the extraction of sand and gravel 
        that reflect the level of mining that has historically occurred 
        in the Canyon.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Canyon.--The term ``Canyon'' means land in Soledad 
        Canyon, California, as depicted on the map entitled ``City of 
        Santa Clarita, TMC Project Site'', dated December 2000, and on 
        file with the Secretary.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 4. CANCELLATION OF LEASES; ISSUANCE OF NEW LEASES.

    (a) Cancellation of Leases.--The Secretary shall cancel the Bureau 
of Land Management leases numbered CA-20139 and CA-22901.
    (b) Issuance of New Leases.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may issue leases for the 
        extraction of sand and gravel in the Canyon.
            (2) Limitation on annual extractions.--Leases issued under 
        paragraph (1) shall not authorize the extraction of more than 
        285,000 tons of sand and gravel per year.
            (3) Consultation.--Before issuing a lease under paragraph 
        (1), the Secretary shall--
                    (A) consult with the city of Santa Clarita, 
                California, Los Angles County, California, and surface 
                owners in the Canyon; and
                    (B) take into consideration the environmental and 
                transportation impacts of the extraction on the Canyon.
                                 <all>