[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S11127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       GOVERNMENT LAND PURCHASES

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I wish to thank Senator Gorton and 
Senator Byrd for all their hard work on the Appropriations Interior 
Subcommittee for bringing this bill to the floor.
  In 1994, I authored the Desert Protection Act, which created two new 
national parks, Joshua Tree and Death Valley along with the Mojave 
National Preserve and 100 wilderness areas; thereby promising to 
protect more than 6 million acres of desert property. However, these 
parks and wilderness areas still contain hundreds of thousands of acres 
of private inholdings.
  Earlier this year, the Wildlands Conservancy, a California non-
profit, negotiated a one-time deal whereby nearly 500,000 acres of 
these inholdings, many of which are owned by the Catellus Corporation 
would be purchased by matching $36 million in funds from the Federal 
Land and Water Conservation Fund with $26 million in private donations.
  Catellus, the Wildlands Conservancy, and the U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management subsequently signed a letter of intent to sell to the 
Federal Government up to 437,000 acres of California desert owned by 
Catellus. An additional 20,000 acres of property owned by others within 
Joshua Tree National Park would be bought and preserved.
  All told, up to 483,000 acres of private inholdings in the California 
Desert will be acquired, ensuring public access to over 4 million acres 
of Federal national parks and wilderness areas in the California 
Desert.
  The location of these particular inholdings are significant because 
this area serves as the gateway for both private landowners and for 
people who wish to use the public portions of the preserve. Acquiring 
this checkerboard of inholdings is the only to assure public access for 
the lands provided for in the California Desert Protection Act.
  If the government does not purchase these lands the Historic Mojave 
Road and the East Mojave Heritage Trail are likely to be closed and it 
is also possible that there will be no more public access to large 
portions of the Mojave!
  Government acquisition of these lands will protect endangered species 
habitat, keep the fragile Desert ecosystem intact, and improve 
recreation opportunities and access for millions of Americans.
  This proposal enjoys overwhelming support from community activists, 
conservationists, private industry, elected officials, Democrats, 
Republicans, and everyone who recognizes what a great deal this is for 
the U.S. Government. In fact, even most opponents of the California 
Desert Protection Act support this appropriation because of the issue 
of public access. If these lands are not purchased by the government, 
1,500 miles of roads will be closed off to hunters, recreationists and 
the general public.
  This Interior Appropriations bill contains a line item of $15.1 
million for the phase 1 purchase of these lands. Presently, there is no 
allocation in the House Interior Appropriations bill to fulfill the 
Federal Government's end of the bargain. These purchases have been held 
hostage in the House as a result of an unrelated U.S. Army expansion. 
Although this military issue does not directly affect any of the 
Catellus land holdings, it is preventing the appropriation of the 
necessary funding to execute these land purchases.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Conference 
committee to ensure that the government follow through on its 
commitment to purchase these lands.

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