[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 141 (Monday, October 18, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H10134-H10136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS CONSERVATION COUNCIL EXPANSION ACT OF 1999

  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 2821) to amend the North American Wetlands Conservation 
Act to provide for appointment of 2 additional members of the North 
American Wetlands Conservation Council, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2821

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``North American Wetlands 
     Conservation Council Expansion Act of 1999''.

     SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS 
                   CONSERVATION COUNCIL.

       (a) Additional Members.--Section 4(a)(1) of the North 
     American Wetlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4403(a)(1) is 
     amended by striking ``nine'' and inserting ``eleven''.
       (b) Appointment of Additional Members.--Section 4(a)(1)(D) 
     of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 
     4403(a)(1)(D)) is amended by striking ``three'' and inserting 
     ``five''.
       (c) Initial Terms.--Of the members of the North American 
     Wetlands Conservation Council first appointed under the 
     amendments made by subsections (a) and (b)--
       (1) one shall be appointed to an initial term of 1 year; 
     and
       (2) one shall be appointed to an initial term of 2 years,
     as specified by the Secretary of the Interior at the time of 
     appointment.
       (d) Relationship to Existing Appointment Requirements.--
     Except as provided in subsection (e), this section shall not 
     affect section 304 of the Wetlands and Wildlife Enhancement 
     Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2958; 16 U.S.C. 4403 note).
       (e) Conforming Amendment.--Section 304 of the Wetlands and 
     Wildlife Enhancement Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2958; 16 U.S.C. 
     4403 note) is amended by striking ``shall consist of'' and 
     inserting ``shall include''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Doolittle) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle).
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present to the House H.R. 2821, 
introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon).
  The fundamental goal of this legislation is to diversify and expand 
the effectiveness of the North American Wetlands Council by increasing 
from three to five the number of nongovernmental representatives that 
may serve on that body.
  Under current law, there are nine members, including the Director of 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who serve on the Wetlands Council. 
Their job is to review and recommend worthwhile conservation projects 
to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.
  To date, the commission has approved 714 projects to protect, 
restore, and enhance critical wetland habitat in Canada, Mexico, and 
the United States. This represents a financial commitment of $310.8 
million that has been matched by more than 900 nongovernmental 
partners, for a total investment of $798.5 million. These funds have 
been used to conserve over 33 million acres of wetlands which directly 
benefit millions of migratory birds.
  By expanding the membership of the Wetlands Council, two additional 
conservation groups would be given a seat at the table, and they would 
bring with them their commitment to accelerate the growth of this 
extremely successful program.
  H.R. 2821 is a noncontroversial and bipartisan bill that has been 
authored by the two House Members who serve with distinction on the 
Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.
  I urge an ``aye'' vote on this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. KILDEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, the council established under the North 
American Wetlands Conservation Act has made tremendous positive impact 
in helping to restore and conserve wetlands across the North American 
continent. Projects supported by the council help to preserve wetlands 
and provide crucial forage and resting habitats for migratory birds, 
not only in our Nation, but also in Canada and Mexico.
  H.R. 2821 would simply add two additional nongovernmental seats to 
the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, thereby increasing 
the size of the council from 9 to 11 members in total. There would be 
no increase in the current number of two permanent seats in the 
council, which are reserved for the director of the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the executive secretary of the National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation.
  It is my understanding from the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) 
that this increase in nongovernmental seats is considered an 
appropriate step in order to provide new opportunities for public 
participation on the council by a broader number of charitable and 
nongovernmental organizations. Furthermore, it is my understanding that 
the administration does not oppose this increase in seats.
  As such, the bill appears to be straightforward and noncontroversial. 
Since the only intention of this bill is to increase the number of 
opportunities for nonprofit participation in the council, I strongly 
support this legislation.
  By all measures, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council has 
proven itself to be a very effective and strong advocate for wetlands 
conservation and restoration. I believe most, if not all, Members of 
this House can agree that the modest increase in nonprofit seats 
proposed by this legislation would be a positive enhancement to this 
extremely successful council. I urge all members to vote ``aye'' on 
this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), one of the principal sponsors of the 
legislation.
  (Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Doolittle) for yielding me this time, and let me thank 
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for his help in getting this 
bill to the floor today.
  I rise to pay a very appropriate thanks to the distinguished 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), author of this legislation.
  I have had the pleasure for the past several sessions of the Congress 
representing the Republican side of the aisle on the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Commission, where the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Dingell) has had a tremendous career in providing leadership to this 
body for preserving fly-away space for the migratory birds in North 
America.
  Madam Speaker, there is no other program that I can think of that 
enjoys such bipartisan support in voluntarily protecting land for birds 
and for wildlife and habitat.
  We in this body tend to get in disagreements from time to time over 
the issue of takings and over the issue of forcing property owners to 
make their land available for the public. Well, this program is the 
exact opposite.
  The father of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), if I am not 
mistaken, was the initiator of this entire program decades ago. This 
program, started by the father of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Dingell), and supported by the late Silvey Oconte, who were both 
tireless advocates for conservation issues in America, has provided the 
ability of our Government to protect over 34 million acres of land, 34 
million acres of land, without taking anyone's property without their 
consent, but by simply entering into agreements where we bring 
conservation groups together so they can use the leverage to provide 
other funds, matched in such cases by State and local governments, to 
protect this land for migratory birds.

[[Page H10135]]

  We now have a massive network of open space that would not have been 
protected were it not for this legislation, were it not for this 
program. What the bill of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) 
does, which I am very proud to be a cosponsor of, is it allows for the 
expansion of this council, to make sure that those conservation groups 
who are most heavily involved maintain their seats on this oversight 
board that recommends projects to us.
  I will be remiss if I did not mention, Madam Speaker, Ducks 
Unlimited. Ducks Unlimited has put millions of dollars into programs 
that have allowed us to voluntarily protect land as provided for by the 
legislation of the North Americans Wetlands Conservation Act and by the 
role that the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and I play on the 
Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.
  Groups like Ducks Unlimited need to be a part of this process. This 
legislation allows for the expansion of the council for two more seats 
so that Ducks Unlimited, hopefully, will be able to maintain that seat 
in the future.
  Once again, I rise in strong support of this. I urge all my 
Republican colleagues and, really, all of our colleagues to join in 
enthusiastically voting for the legislation of the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Dingell), which is right. It is important for our 
country. I think it also speaks to his leadership following in his 
father's footsteps on conservation issues for America.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the dean of the U.S. House of 
Representatives. I might add the youngest dean in this century.
  (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I first thank the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Kildee) for his friendship and for what he has done to move this 
legislation forward.
  I also want to compliment and commend the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. 
Young), the chairman of the Committee on Resources; the gentleman from 
California (Mr. George Miller), the ranking member; the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega); the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Saxton), chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife and Oceans; and of course the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Kildee).
  I want to say what a pleasure it is for me to work with the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who serves on the Migratory Bird 
Commission.
  This is a relatively small piece of legislation. Its purpose is very 
simple, and that is to see to it that we have enough participation by 
private conservation organizations which work so hard to see to it that 
this particular program works.
  NAWCA is an extremely valuable program which has set aside, with the 
full consent of the landowners, millions of acres of land in the United 
States, in Canada, and in Mexico.

                              {time}  1445

  And it has done so with the good will of all involved; 
conservationists, government agencies, Federal, State and local, 
private individuals, and landowners are for what this has done. It has 
been a tremendous assist to the conservation movement in this country 
and is saving lands for very important purposes.
  I want to say again what a pleasure it has been to work with my good 
friend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who has 
consistently been a great voice for conservation and who has worked 
wonderfully well with me and with the other members of the Migratory 
Bird Commission, which is one of the most successful land procurement 
agencies in the whole history of American government. The fact that so 
few know about it tends to prove that we work so well that there is 
really no cause for complaint in the acquisition of the millions of 
acres of land.
  The function of the legislation before us is not to cost the Federal 
Government money. It will not. Rather, it will allow the Secretary of 
the Interior to use two additional slots to appoint organizations that 
will help make sound wetland conservation decisions and will draw in 
new organizations and organizational strength and achieve additional 
commitments towards further cooperative investments in reclaiming 
wetlands and wildlife habitat. This is, in that very small but very 
important particular, a very important but valuable piece of 
legislation, and I would commend the committee for its labors in 
bringing it forth.
  I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Weldon), who has given me all too much credit in this matter and who is 
my full partner in the business of the Migratory Bird Commission 
representing the House and also to observe that the commission is 
served very well by two of our good friends and colleagues in the 
Senate who have participated actively in the efforts to achieve this 
particular end.
  So this is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I 
think we will be pleased with what we have done when we look back on 
the successes that this has brought us.
  Madam Speaker, today we have before us a relatively small bill to 
make a significant conservation program even more successful. H.R. 
2821, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council Expansion Act, 
would make a modest improvement to a conservation law that has 
successfully saved wetlands throughout the United States, Canada, and 
Mexico during the past decade.
  I want to thank Chairman Don Young and Ranking Member George Miller 
of the House Resources Committee for allowing this legislation to come 
before the House so swiftly. Together with the assistance of Fisheries 
Subcommittee Chairman Jim Saxton and Ranking Member Eni Faleomavaega, 
their support for this legislation means a lot, and I hope it sends a 
strong message to the other body for favorable consideration.
  NAWCA [naw-ka] was signed into law in 1989 in response to the finding 
that more than half of the original wetlands in the United States have 
been lost during the past two centuries. Congress recognized that 
protection of migratory birds and their habitats required long-term 
planning and coordination so that our treaty obligations to conserve 
these precious species would be met.
  The purpose of NAWCA is to encourage partnerships among public and 
non-public interests to protect, enhance, restore and manage wetlands 
for migratory birds and other fish and wildlife in North America. NAWCA 
has been a tremendous success, funding 629 projects between 1991 and 
1999, helping to restore, enhance or help approximately 34 million 
acres across our continent. Most impressive has been the ratio of 
partner-to-government contributions, which has been about $2.50 for 
every public dollar invested.
  Madam Speaker, I believe that the most effective means to diversify 
and expand the effectiveness of the Council is to provide the Secretary 
with new authority to appoint two additional Council members under Sec. 
4(a)(1)(D) of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. These 
appointments would give the Service the ability to include additional 
charitable and non-profit organizations from among the many which 
actively participate in the development of NAWCA projects.
  A little more than one year ago I first learned of the Fish and 
Wildlife Service's desire to promote change in the NAWCA program when 
the agency announced its intent not to reappoint two non-governmental 
organizations that played key roles in making NAWCA a cornerstone of 
American conservation success. I was greatly concerned that any 
replacement of Council members under NAWCA should not serve as a 
disincentive to continued active participation in meeting the Act's 
goals.
  CBO has indicated that increasing the size of the NAWCA Council will 
not cost the federal government any money. Rather, it is my intention 
to allow the Secretary of Interior to use these two additional slots to 
appoint organizations that will make sound wetland conservation 
decisions and promote additional commitments toward cooperative 
investment in reclaiming these habitats.
  I want to conclude by praising the hard work of the North American 
Wetlands Conservation Council, the staffs of its member organizations, 
and those staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who have devoted 
themselves to the fulfillment of NAWCA's goals. Congress reauthorized 
NAWCA last year because its success during the first decade was clearly 
evident, and because the need for wetlands conservation is even clearer 
today than it was a decade ago. I hope that H.R. 2821 will provide a 
non-controversial, easy-to-approve mechanism to accelerate the growth 
of this magnificent program.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H10136]]

  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2821, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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