[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 110 (Thursday, August 6, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SPANISH PEAKS WILDERNESS ACT OF 1997

  Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for the 
immediate consideration in the House of the bill (H.R. 1865) to 
designate certain lands in the San Isabel National Forest, in Colorado, 
as the Spanish Peaks Wilderness.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I do not 
intend to object, especially since this is legislation of which I am 
the primary sponsor, but I did want to take a minute to explain this 
bill which would add to the National Wilderness System an area of some 
spectacular mountains in south central Colorado, really unique in their 
geology and their beauty and their habitat for some very important 
species of wildlife.
  This area was not included in the 1993 Colorado Wilderness Act 
because there were still some unresolved issues involving use of 
inholdings. Those have been essentially resolved. I appreciate very 
much the action of the Committee on Resources in moving this bill 
through to the floor.
  I also wish to express my thanks to my colleague and principal 
cosponsor on this legislation the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. 
McInnis).
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 1865

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Spanish Peaks Wilderness Act 
     of 1997''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS.

       (a) Amendment.--Section 2 of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 
     1993 (Public Law 103-77) is amended by adding the following 
     new paragraph at the end of subsection (a):
       ``(20) Certain lands in the San Isabel National Forest 
     which comprise approximately 18,000 acres, as generally 
     depicted on a map entitled `Proposed Spanish Peaks 
     Wilderness', dated May 1997, and which shall be known as the 
     Spanish Peaks Wilderness.''.
       (b) Map and Description.--As soon as practicable after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture 
     shall file a map and a boundary description of the area 
     designated as the Spanish Peaks Wilderness by paragraph (20) 
     of subsection 2(a) of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993, as 
     amended by this Act, with the Committee on Resources of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources of the Senate. Such map and boundary 
     description shall have the same force and effect as if 
     included in the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993, except that 
     if the Secretary is authorized to correct clerical and 
     typographical errors in such boundary description and map. 
     Such map and boundary description shall be on file and 
     available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of 
     the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.

     SEC. 3. CONFORMING CHANGE.

       Section 10 of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 (Public 
     Law 103-77) is hereby repealed, and section 11 of such Act is 
     renumbered as section 10.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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