[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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