[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 125 (Thursday, September 23, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S11366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SMITH of Oregon (for himself and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 1629. A bill to provide for the exchange of certain land in the 
State of Oregon; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


                          oregon land exchange

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, I rise before the Senate 
today to introduce legislation which would facilitate two exchanges of 
public and private lands in my home State of Oregon: the Triangle Land 
Exchange and the Northeast Oregon Assembled Land Exchange (NOALE). In 
terms of acreage, approximately 54,000 acres of BLM and Forest Service 
land is proposed to be traded for nearly 50,000 acres currently held by 
private landowners in northeast Oregon. As a result of 4\1/2\ years of 
delays with administrative process, there is enormous support from my 
constituents for a legislative resolution to the exchange.
  Both the government and the public have deeply rooted interests in 
this exchange. Federal agencies are seeking to acquire sensitive river 
corridors which will improve the efficiency of their protection efforts 
for threatened and endangered fish. Currently, many of these selected 
lands are intermingled with private parcels and make resource 
management difficult for the agencies. As you know, the improvement of 
fish-bearing streams and riparian areas is critical to the survival of 
many struggling species of fish in the Northwest.
  Communities and landowners will also benefit from these exchanges. 
Each and every aspect, from the consolidation of ownership patterns to 
the release of previously inaccessible timber stands, will boost local 
economies and enhance the ability of the private sector to manage its 
own lands.
  In addition, these land exchanges have received the strong collective 
support of several Oregon Indian tribes; conservation groups such as 
the Oregon Natural Desert Association, Oregon Trout and the Sierra 
Club; the Governor and scores of concerned citizens at large.
  While these exchanges hold enormous benefit for all interested 
parties and for Oregon's natural resources, it is apparent that the 
only sure means of completing them is through legislation. Mr. 
President, I am hopeful that the Senate will take this opportunity and 
support my colleague from Oregon and me in the swift passage of 
legislation to facilitate the Triangle and Northeast Oregon Assembled 
Land Exchanges.
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