[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H12170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Utah [Mr. Hansen] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Armed Services Committee 
it is very interesting to me to see when our four star generals and 
admirals come in and talk to us as to what is the reason that we are 
going into Iraq at this particular time. One of the reasons that always 
jumps out is that we are protecting the oil supply, this great energy 
sources that comes to America and to other areas, and in protecting 
that we will be able to protect the free world. Because of that we are 
sending a number of our young people in harm's way, young men and young 
women going over there to protect this oil supply that happens to flow 
through the Middle East.
  It is very interesting to me that in my little State of Utah we have 
something call the Kaiparowits Plateau. President Carter referred to it 
as coal or ace in the hole. In this particular area we probably have 
more energy and coal then they have in oil, and we set there at this 
time in the Kaiparowits Plateau sitting on a supply of coal that is 
worth $1 trillion and is billions and billions of tons of coal.
  It is amazing then, Mr. Speaker, that 2 weeks ago the President of 
the United States went into Arizona, the south rum of Arizona and stood 
and pointed out to the north in Utah. He was creating a national 
momument, and one of the reasons that the President gave for creating 
this national monument was because he wanted not to have that coal 
mined. Much of that would accrue, the royalties that is, would accrue 
to the benefit of the State of Utah. In fact just a small amount that 
Andalux coal would be mining would be $6.5 billion. Over $1 million 
would accrue to the schoolchildren of Utah.
  It strikes me rather odd, and the irony of the thing is why we go to 
one place and put our children and our armed people in harm's way when 
we have a great supply of energy right here and we say, no, we cannot 
do that even though I think it has been proven that we could do it 
environmentally sound. What law is there that gives this power, this 
complete power to one man? That is called the antiquity law written in 
1906, and if we go back and read that it is very interesting.
  It says that the President may do this to protect Indian ruins, that 
he may protect it for some historical significance, whatever that may 
be. Indian ruins; there is one that they always bring out, and I would 
like to ask the question of this 1.7 million acres, and keep in mind 
that is the size of Delaware, and maybe throw in 2 other States, that 
is the size of Yellowstone; keep in mind that we do it for historical 
significance.
  May I ask the President of the United States or anybody who would 
like to respond: What is there in the 1.7 million acres that has any 
historical significance? Can anybody name one thing? Is there one 
scintilla of anything that is there?
  The second part of the act in 1906 says to protect this historical 
significance they will use the smallest amount of acreage. No. 1, there 
is no historical significance; No. 2, the smallest amount of acreage to 
protect this nothing that is there, except a very beautiful spot, is 
smallest amount turns out to be 1.7 million acres.
  Do I concede that there is areas in this 1.7 million acres that is 
absolutely gorgeous and beautiful and should be protected? Absolutely. 
There is, and much of it should be protected. And we had 
that opportunity, but we did not take advantage of that opportunity 
because the President did not seem fit to talk to anybody in Utah. He 
did not talk to Governor Leavitt, he did not talk to Senator Hatch, he 
did not talk to Senator Bennett, he did not talk to Members of this 
congressional delegation. I am the chairman of the committee that goes 
through. I did not hear one word. He did not even talk to the man of 
his own political persuasion. Nobody but nobody heard a word on this 
area.

  But he comes in, not even knowing where it is himself. I think if you 
put a map down in front of the President of the United States, he would 
miss it by 500 miles, but yet he talks about the beautiful, historical 
significance and ties it up into a national monument.
  I have since introduced legislation which would limit the antiquities 
law to 5,000 acres. I have had a number of my colleagues, Democrats and 
Republicans, come to me and say do not let that happen to my State. Mr. 
Speaker, I say, ``Well, let's not do away with the antiquities bill 
because there may be something come up that needs to be protected, but 
what we must do is limit the President so he can't abstractly go out on 
a huge land grab like he has in the State of Utah, and I would urge my 
colleagues as we introduce this in January that we immediately pass 
this legislation to prevent this type of thing happening.
  I just really feel bad that there is so little respect for the West, 
that there truly is another war on the West, that we are constantly 
being hit with things such as I have just mentioned. I feel very bad 
that the President of the United States took it upon himself to take 
1.7 million acres out of our State, ruin the economy of many of our 
little cities, hurt so many people, without as much as one sentence on 
it and not one minimum of spending any time on an investigation of what 
it would do to the people in Utah.
  Mr. Speaker, that is the largest arrogance of power I have seen in 36 
years as an elected official.

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