[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1674-E1675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ``LORTON TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS ACT OF 1998''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 9, 1998

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, today I join my colleagues Mr. 
Davis and Mr. Wolf to introduce the ``Lorton Technical Corrections Act 
of 1998.''
  As the title implies, this legislation is necessary to correct a few 
technical issues that have arisen since Congress enacted the ``National 
Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997.'' 
One provision in the 1997 law of great interest to the residents of 
south Fairfax was the closing of Lorton Prison and the transfer of the 
federal reservation to the Department of the Interior.
  I believe the General Services Administration is in a better position 
to fulfill the 1997 Act's expressed intent of transferring much of the 
property back to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The General Services 
Administration retains both the legal authority to administer a 
transfer and the expertise to coordinate with Fairfax County, other 
federal agencies and local governments the property's ultimate 
disposition and use. The General Services Administration also has the 
capability to see that the property is properly cleaned of any 
environmental hazards.
  The legislation I am introducing today transfers ownership of the 
property from the Department of the Interior to the General Services 
Administration. To ensure that future land use is consistent with the 
wishes of the local residents and the local government, the legislation 
requires Fairfax County to develop and submit a reuse plan within one 
year of enactment. The Department of the Interior may, through the Fish 
and Wildlife Service, exchange surplus land for property that benefits 
the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The 
Fish and Wildlife Service, for example, has expressed interest in 
acquiring some portion of the Meadowood property that would be 
exchanged for land adjacent the Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge that is now 
held by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
  While much of the Lorton Property would be reserved for green space 
and parkland, some portions, particularly those tracks adjacent to the 
I-95 corridor, could be developed, if such development is called for 
under Fairfax County's reuse plan. The legislation also establishes a 
special fund. Proceeds from any land sale for development would be used 
to cover the cost incurred by the General Services Administration to 
administer and dispose of the property and finance any environmental 
cleanup at the Lorton Correctional Complex.
  With the enactment of the ``National Capital Revitalization and Self-
Government Improvement Act of 1997,'' several competing visions have 
arisen on the appropriate reuse of this property. By granting the 
General Services Administration the lead federal role, but ultimately 
relying on Fairfax County, through the public hearing process, to 
determine its appropriate reuse, the ``Lorton Technical Corrections

[[Page E1675]]

Act of 1998'' should help bring the successful resolution and closure 
to the Lorton property.

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