[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 73 (Tuesday, June 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4259-H4260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       LAKE CHELAN-WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT

  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3520) to adjust the boundaries of the Lake Chelan National 
Recreation Area and the adjacent Wenatchee National Forest in the State 
of Washington.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3520

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

     SECTION 1. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS, LAKE CHELAN NATIONAL 
                   RECREATION AREA AND WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST, 
                   WASHINGTON.

       (a) Boundary Adjustments.--
       (1) Lake chelan national recreation area.--The boundary of 
     the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, established by 
     section 202 of Public Law 90-544 (16 U.S.C. 90a-1), is hereby 
     adjusted to exclude a parcel of land and waters consisting of 
     approximately 88 acres, as depicted on the map entitled 
     ``Proposed Management Units, North Cascades, Washington'', 
     numbered NP-CAS-7002A, originally dated October 1967, and 
     revised July 13, 1994.
       (2) Wenatchee national forest.--The boundary of the 
     Wenatchee National Forest is hereby adjusted to include the 
     parcel of land and waters described in paragraph (1).
       (3) Availability of map.--The map referred to in paragraph 
     (1) shall be on file and available for public inspection in 
     the offices of the superintendent of the Lake Chelan National 
     Recreation Area and the Director of the National Park 
     Service, Department of the Interior, and in the office of the 
     Chief of the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.
       (b) Transfer of Administrative Jurisdiction.--
     Administrative jurisdiction over Federal land and waters in 
     the parcel covered by the boundary adjustments in subsection 
     (a) is transferred from the Secretary of the Interior to the 
     Secretary of Agriculture, and the transferred land and waters 
     shall be managed by the Secretary of Agriculture in 
     accordance with the laws and regulations pertaining to the 
     National Forest System.
       (c) Land and Water Conservation Fund.--For purposes of 
     section 7 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 
     (16 U.S.C. 460l-9), the boundaries of the Wenatchee National 
     Forest, as adjusted by subsection (a), shall be considered to 
     be the boundaries of the Wenatchee National Forest as of 
     January 1, 1965.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Idaho (Mrs. Chenoweth) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Idaho (Mrs. Chenoweth).
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mrs. CHENOWETH asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
her remarks.)
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to recognize the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) for all of his excellent work 
on this bill. The gentleman from Washington has spent numerous hours, 
working with the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, finding a 
solution that all parties agree to. That is a monumental task, and he 
did it.
  H.R. 3520 is a rather simple but very important piece of legislation. 
With this bill, 88 acres of land is placed under one jurisdiction, that 
of the U.S. Forest Service. Additionally and more importantly, this 
bill fulfills a long-standing commitment made by the National Park 
Service to Mr. George C. Wall, the private landowner whose acreage is 
within the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. This legislation 
eliminates the confusion that was once caused when both the U.S. Forest 
Service and the National Park Service shared jurisdiction over this 
land. Finally, H.R. 3520 removes one of the many in-holding conflicts 
we currently have on our Federal lands.
  This is a good bill, and it is the right thing to do. It has the 
support of the administration. It will help end the jurisdictional 
gridlock by consolidating the management authority under the U.S. 
Forest Service and let us keep the National Park Service's commitment 
to Mr. Wall. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3520.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Washington (Mr. Hastings), the author of the legislation.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from 
Idaho for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of my bill, H.R. 3520, 
which would adjust the boundary line between the Lake Chelan National 
Recreation Area and the Wenatchee National Forest. This is a relatively 
simple, noncontroversial measure which is supported by both the U.S. 
Forest Service and the National Park Service.
  This boundary line adjustment is meant to consolidate the property of 
Mr. George Wall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. 
Unfortunately, due to an original drafting error, a portion of Mr. 
Wall's property is included in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area 
and a portion in the Wenatchee National Forest. This condition creates 
some confusion regarding the coordination of Federal land policy in 
this area.
  First of all, let me make this point, that this is a very remote area 
of central Washington. It is several hours away by boat from the 
nearest city. It is primarily national forest and national wilderness 
lands with very little privately held land in this area. This bill is 
targeted to help not only one landowner but also the American people as 
a whole and will have no impact on any other private land.
  In 1968 when the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area was created, 
Mr. Wall was assured that his property would remain within the 
Wenatchee National Forest. H.R. 3520 would uphold this original 
commitment to Mr. Wall by placing all of his property under the U.S. 
Forest Service jurisdiction.
  This legislation is personally important to Mr. Wall and it is 
administratively important to the agencies involved. With the enactment 
of H.R. 3520, Mr. Wall's property would be entirely within the 
jurisdiction of the Forest Service, thereby alleviating Mr. Wall's 
continued need to respond to both Park Service and Forest Service 
management. Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote from a May 1995 letter 
from the Park Service to Senator Slade Gorton of Washington regarding 
the need for this boundary adjustment. According to the National Park 
Service,

[[Page H4260]]

changing the boundary would ``contribute to enhancement of public 
service as well as more efficient administration of Federal lands and 
would be of benefit to the landowner in that it would eliminate the 
necessity of dealing with two separate Federal agencies with different 
congressional mandates and administrative procedures.''
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Wall's property lies beside Lake Chelan, and the 
current border cuts through the lake and directly through his property. 
In order to adjust the border in the most efficient manner, H.R. 3520 
would adjust the line starting on the opposite side of the lake toward 
the northern point of Mr. Wall's land. From there, the new border would 
wrap around Mr. Wall's property and back to the current border. This 
change would mean that 65 acres of the lake and 23 acres of Mr. Wall's 
property would now be outside the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. 
All told, 88 acres would be transferred to the Wenatchee National 
Forest. I might point out that the 65 acres of Lake Chelan that will 
hereinafter be within the National Forest system will not affect the 
recreational use of the area.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Wall has waited for nearly three decades for the 
Federal Government to address this situation.

                              {time}  1545

  He is now in poor health, and his family has asked that we might make 
this adjustment as quickly as possible. I urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation and uphold the original commitment made to Mr. Wall 
when the boundary was drawn in 1968, 30 years ago.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, this legislation proposes to adjust 
the boundaries of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area in the State 
of Washington to exclude 88 acres. Currently a private landowner is 
subject to dual jurisdiction by the National Park Service and the U.S. 
Forest Service. This bill in effect would place the lands in the 
Wenatchee National Forest, which is solely administered by the U.S. 
Forest Service. Both the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest 
Service support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Hastings) as the chief sponsor of this legislation and for bringing 
this matter to the attention of the House, and I do urge the adoption 
of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, but I 
do want to commend the gentlewoman from Idaho for her management of 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Upton). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Utah (Mrs. Chenoweth) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3520.
  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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