[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 23, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H3693-H3694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TENSAS RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AUTHORIZATION INCREASE

  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2660) to increase the amount authorized to be appropriated to the 
Department of the Interior for the Tensas River National Wildlife 
Refuge, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2660

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

     SECTION 1. INCREASE IN AMOUNT AUTHORIZED TO BE APPROPRIATED 
                   TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FOR THE 
                   TENSAS RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

       Section 5(1) of the Act entitled ``An Act to establish the 
     Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge'', approved June 28, 
     1980 (Public Law 96-285, 94 Stat. 597), as amended by section 
     2 of Public Law 99-191 (99 Stat. 1327), is amended to read as 
     follows:
       ``(1) beginning October 1, 1995, not to exceed $20,000,000 
     to the Department of the Interior; and''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina [Mr. Jones] and the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. 
Studds] each will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Jones].
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. JONES asked and was given permissions to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 2660, a bill to 
increase the amount authorized to be appropriated to the Department of 
the Interior for the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge. This bill 
was introduced by Congressman Jim McCrery on November 17, 1995. It will 
increase the amount that is authorized to be appropriated, for the 
acquisition of land, in the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in 
Talulah, LA.
  The Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge was established on June 28, 
1980, by Public Law 96-285 to preserve the largest remaining privately 
owned bottom land and hardwood tract in the Lower Mississippi River 
Delta. The act has authorized $20 million for land acquisition, through 
the Department of the Interior's Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  The diverse habitat at the Tensas River Refugee supports a tremendous 
variety of wildlife, including the largest white-tailed deer herd in 
Louisiana, bald eagles, numerous species of small mammals and birds, 
and the Louisiana black bear. The Tensas River population is one of 
only two known populations of this subspecies in existence.
  The wetlands, lakes, and bayous in the refuge provide habitat for an 
equally diverse variety of aquatic life including fish, reptiles, 
amphibians, crustaceans, and the American alligator. This aquatic 
habitat is particularly important because the Tensas River is the only 
major waterway in the Louisiana delta that has not been extensively 
altered by channelization.
  To date, Congress has appropriated $20 million for land acquisition 
at the refuge, but additional funds may be necessary to complete the 
acquisition process. H.R. 2660 authorizes an additional $20 million for 
land acquisition, subject of course to appropriations. The bill will 
allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire the remaining critical 
lands necessary to complete the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge.
  At present,the National Wildlife Refuge System is comprised of 508 
refuges, which are located in all 50 States and 5 U.S. territories. 
These units range in size from a single acre refuge in Minnesota, to 
the 19.3 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. In the 
last decade, 81 refugees and approximately 3.6 million acres have been 
added to the System.
  The Tensas River Refuge is an important component in this nationwide 
system, and I urge an ``aye'' vote on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill and, I hesitate to add, 
costs a little bit more than the Boston Harbor Island so I can assume 
we are going to get enormous support when the time comes. It is an 
excellent bill, and I urge Members to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Louisiana [Mr. McCrery].
  (Mr. McCRERY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina 
[Mr. Jones] for yielding me this time. I do not intend to use all of 
it. Mr. Jones eloquently stated the reasons for introduction of the 
bill and reasons for Members to vote for it today.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Saxton and the ranking member, 
Mr. Studds, from the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans for 
their willingness to support this bill and for their work in bringing 
it to the floor today.
  The Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge is a case study in 
responsible environmental policy. Created in 1980, the refuge now 
includes some 64,000 acres in Madison and Tensas parishes in 
northeastern Louisiana and represents a commitment to preserving the 
largest single tract of bottomland hardwoods remaining in the 
Mississippi River Delta. Widely supported in the community, the refuge 
has been constituted entirely from land acquired through donations or 
by purchases from willing sellers.
  The bottomland forests in the refuge provide habitat for a diverse 
array of greenery. In addition, over 400 animal species make their home 
in the Tensas Refuge. Among endangered species, the bald eagle and the 
peregrine falcon make occasional appearances. Of particular note, the 
Tensas Refuge is the home of the largest remaining population of the 
Louisiana Black Bear.

[[Page H3694]]

  H.R. 2660 would increase the authorization for the Tensas Refuge from 
$10 million to $20 million. These additional funds are needed to 
purchase inholdings and corridor easements. Again, all this will be 
accomplished with the full cooperation and support of the surrounding 
community. My constituents who live and work near the refuge fully 
understand the need to maintain this haven of natural beauty.
  Completion of land purchase for the Tensas River National Wildlife 
Refuge will preserve a unique slice of southern habitat for enjoyment 
by countless future generations. Once again, I thank the members of the 
Resources Committee for their swift action in bringing this bill before 
the full House and strongly urge all Members to support its passage.
  Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, to my utter astonishment, I have a request 
for time.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. 
Gejdenson].
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here with the majority 
today in support of this legislation. It is a noncontroversial bill. It 
does the right thing in extending this area. But as we are handing out 
fig leaves today, this is clearly a case where fig leaves are deserved 
to both previous speakers on the other side.
  On the key votes before the Congress and particularly for the one 
that authorized this particular program, rollcall 502, both individuals 
voted against the general proposition. It is as if to say today that if 
Jesse James had in one instance deposited funds in a bank, it would 
absolve him of being referred to as a bank robber.
  We have had a year and a half of a general assault on the 
environment, that the basic legislation that establishes these programs 
was resisted and opposed, that if you went down each one of these 
bills, on the Republican side, 99 percent voted to open the Arctic 
National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling; 99 percent voted to keep 
destructive riders in the fiscal year 1996 Interior appropriations 
bill; 86 percent of the Republicans voted against an amendment to the 
fiscal year 1996 Interior appropriations act which would restore land 
and water conservation funds vitally important to the refuge system; 82 
percent voted to keep the salvage rider in the rescission bills.
  It seems to me that while this is a good thing we are doing here 
today, we welcome the last two speakers on the other side, that they do 
deserve the fig leaf here because you cannot just come to the floor 
when it is one instance in your district or in your party and claim 
that you are taking some kind of environmental action. The assault on 
the environment over the last year and a half has been so extreme, it 
has frightened people that are not simply environmental activists but 
average citizens who have some concern about the state of this country 
and the state of our natural resources.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. Speaker, again I would commend the gentleman for what they do 
today, but I would hope that we would not see them in every instance 
oppose the major pieces of legislation. Give this opportunity to the 
entire country and not just to one place and one district.
  Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2660, the 
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge Act, introduced by Representative 
Jim McCrery.
  H.R. 2660 would increase the authorization level for the Tensas River 
National Wildlife Refuge from $10 million to $20 million, and would 
make those funds available as of October 1 last year. This increase is 
necessary to cover the costs of buying critical habitat for the 
threatened Louisiana black bear. It is imperative that this legislation 
move forward, so the management plan for the threatened black bear can 
continue to be implemented.
  We in Congress have been discussing prevention in the context of the 
Endangered Species Act. Here is a case where public input has resulted 
in the prevention of endangerment. This legislation deserves all our 
support.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2660 has been introduced by 
our distinguished colleague from Louisiana, Jim McCrery. This is a 
noncontroversial bill that simply increases the amount of the 
authorization level for the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge.
  It is my understanding that there is interest in expanding the 
boundaries of this refuge, but these efforts are constrained by the 
provisions of Public Law 96-285 that legislatively created the refuge.
  H.R. 2660 will increase from $10 million to $20 million the amount of 
funds that may be appropriated to the Department of the Interior, and 
it makes those funds available as of October 1 last year. These 
modifications are necessary because the cost of acquiring certain lands 
for inclusion in the Refuge were more expensive than anticipated.
  Finally, the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge had been deemed 
critical habitat for the threatened Louisiana black bear and the river 
is the only major waterway in the Louisiana delta that has not been 
extensively altered by channelization.
  Congressman Jim McCrery has made a persuasive case, and I compliment 
him for his outstanding leadership on this legislation. I urge an 
``aye'' vote on H.R. 2660.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Upton). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Jones] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2660, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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