[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  LAKE CHELAN NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1683) to transfer administrative jurisdiction over part 
of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area from the Secretary of the 
Interior to the Secretary of Agriculture for inclusion in the Wenatchee 
National Forest.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1683

       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 Texas (Mr. Doggett) 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, S. 1683, introduced by Senator Gorton, 
was amended by the Senate and is now identical to House Resolution 
3520, which was introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Doc Hastings). I would like to commend the gentleman 
from Washington (Mr. Hastings) for his excellent work to complete this 
commonsense legislation.
  The House passed H.R. 3520 on June 9 by voice vote under suspension 
of the rules, but because the Senate subsequently passed the Gorton 
bill, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) has now asked us to 
approve Senate bill 1683 to expedite its enactment into law.
  This legislation will provide relief to a private landowner whose 
property is within the boundaries of the Lake Chelan National 
Recreation Area, which is managed by the National Park Service and the 
Wenatchee National Forest. It will transfer lands from the Lake Chelan 
National Recreation Area to the Wenatchee National Forest to 
consolidate management of the Federal lands under one agency, and 
alleviate the natural confusion caused by working with dual 
jurisdictions.
  I urge my colleagues to vote yes and fulfill a long-standing 
commitment made by the National Park Service to this private landowner, 
Mr. George Wall. I strongly support this measure. I applaud the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) for his hard work to ensure 
the passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. It deals with one 
of the most beautiful areas in our country. My daughter Cathy has a 
large photo of this lake hanging in her room in our house in Texas as a 
memory of pleasant time spent at a church camp on the banks of this 
lake.
  This particular piece of legislation is noncontroversial. It was 
considered in our Committee on Resources. It addresses, as the 
gentlewoman indicated, the boundaries of the lake. Currently a private 
landowner is subject to dual jurisdiction by the National Park Service 
and the U.S. Forest Service. This will resolve that. I appreciate our 
colleague, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) for bringing 
this to the attention of the House.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by 
offering my thanks to the Chairman, Mrs. Chenoweth, for her assistance 
with this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support S. 1683, which adjusts the boundaries 
of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and the Wenatchee National 
Forest. This is a non-controversial measure that is supported by both 
the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service. Furthermore, S. 
1683 is identical to my bill, H.R. 3520, that passed the House 
unanimously in June.
  Mr. Speaker, this boundary adjustment legislation will consolidate 
the property of Mr. George Wall within the jurisdiction of the U.S. 
Forest Service. Because of a drafting error in the original legislation 
creating the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area in 1968, a portion of 
Mr. Wall's property was included in the Area despite assurances that 
his property would remain entirely within the Wenatchee National 
Forest. This error has resulted in needless confusion among these 
agencies and Mr. Wall regarding land use policy in the area.
  In a May 1995 letter to Senator Slade Gorton the Park Service wrote 
that this boundary adjustment would ``contribute to enhancement of 
public service as well as more efficient administration of federal 
lands.'' Not only will this legislation ease an administrative burden 
on the agencies involved, it will also honor a 30 year old commitment 
made to Mr. Wall by the federal government.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Wall is now in poor health and his family has asked 
that we complete our consideration of this legislation as quickly as 
possible. Because this bill is identical to the legislation which 
passed the House by a voice vote on June 9, 1998, I ask my colleagues 
to support S. 1683 and avoid further delays in enacting this non-
controversial measure.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Idaho (Mrs. Chenoweth) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 1683.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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