[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H830-H831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DESIGNATING THE RESERVOIR CREATED BY TRINITY DAM IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY 
                PROJECT, CALIFORNIA, AS ``TRINITY LAKE''

  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 63) to designate the reservoir created by Trinity Dam in the 
Central Valley project, California, as ``Trinity Lake''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 63

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF TRINITY LAKE.

       (a) Designation.--The reservoir created by Trinity Dam in 
     the Central Valley project, California, and designated as 
     ``Clair Engle Lake'' by Public Law 88-662 (78 Stat. 1093) is 
     hereby redesignated as ``Trinity Lake''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, 
     document, record, map, or other paper of the United States to 
     the reservoir referred to in subsection (a) shall be 
     considered to be a reference to ``Trinity Lake''.
       (c) Repeal of Earlier Designation.--Public Law 88-662 (78 
     Stat. 1093) is repealed.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Doolittle] and the gentleman from Hawaii [Mr. 
Abercrombie] each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle].
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this basically is a simple name change to relieve a lot 
of confusion surrounding the name of this particular reservoir. 
Everything else in the area is referred to as Trinity Dam or Trinity 
Power Plant. Making this Trinity Lake would relieve the confusion and 
would, frankly, enhance the efforts of the communities to appeal more 
to tourism, which is what they are hoping to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I know of no opposition to this. Similar legislation 
passed the House in the last Congress, but the Senate took no action. 
This did not have any problem coming out of our committee, and I urge 
our colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I note for the Record that Clair Engle was a 
distinguished member of the House of Representatives from California, 
and also a U.S. Senator, and that we recognize the practical reasons 
for this name change.
  We also note that this action in no way diminishes the respect we 
have for

[[Page H831]]

Clair Engle. The committee report suggests that another facility may in 
the future be designated in honor of Clair Engle, and I believe that 
would be an appropriate action to honor his memory.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Let me say I concur with the gentleman's sentiment. It is entirely 
appropriate that we have something named in honor of Senator Engel. 
This area was, generally speaking, the area from which he came. We 
would certainly support an appropriate designation in his honor. This, 
however, is I think necessary to assist the community in clearing up 
considerable confusion that does exist.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant support of 
this bill today. Certainly, it is important that Congress take the lead 
from the wisdom of local government when it is appropriate, and I 
understand that the genesis of this bill is a unanimous resolution by 
the Trinity County Board of Supervisors asking that Clair Engle Lake be 
renamed.
  However, Congress does not act lightly in honoring one of its 
Members. Not every Member of Congress is honored by a congressional 
resolution which names a public facility in honor of a Member's 
service, and Congress make a diligent effort to choose a suitable honor 
commensurate with the Member's contributions to his State and the 
Nation. These decisions are not made lightly and should not lightly be 
cast off as our memories of significant achievements fade.
  The committee report states the intention to name a suitable Central 
Valley Project facility for Clair Engle in exchange for the change of 
name for this lake. I would feel less anxious about our action today if 
that renaming was part of the resolution in front of us.
  Some may remember one of Clair Engle's last acts, when shortly before 
his death and partially paralyzed, he was wheeled twice into the U.S. 
Senate chamber to vote, first to end debate on the landmark Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 and a second time to vote on final passage. These 
heroic acts exemplified his long record of opposition to racial 
discrimination. He died 1 month later.
  But we in California also remember him for his long service to our 
State, especially his chairmanship of the House Interior and Insular 
Affairs Committee and his championing of improvements to the Central 
Valley Reclamation Project and to public power development.
  Engle was born in Bakersfield in 1911 and won election as the 
youngest county district attorney in California's history, just 1 year 
after his graduation from the University of California Hastings College 
of Law in 1933. He had graduated from Chico State College in 1930.
  He served as Tehama County district attorney from 1934 to 1942. Engle 
then spent one term in the State senate before winning election to the 
House of Representatives in a 1943 special election for a district 
which covered one-third of the State's land area--from the Mojave 
Desert to Oregon.
  A member of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee beginning in 
1951, he became its chair in 1955 and served until 1958, when he was 
elected to the U.S. Senate.
  ``Congressman Fireball,'' as Clair Engle was sometimes known, was an 
active and outspoken Member of Congress and provided leadership at a 
key moment in our history. I believe it was fitting that his long 
service to California was recognized in naming Clair Engle Lake in 
1964, and I hope Congress will find a suitable substitute as quickly as 
possible.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle] that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 63.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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