[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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