[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 151 (Monday, November 1, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H11152-H11153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DUGGER MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS ACT OF 1999
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2632) to designate certain Federal lands in the Talladega
National Forest in the State of Alabama as the Dugger Mountain
Wilderness.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2632
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 ``Dugger Mountain Wilderness
Act of 1999''.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF DUGGER MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS, ALABAMA.
(a) Designation.--In furtherance of the purposes of the
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), certain Federal
lands in the Talladega National Forest in the State of
Alabama, which comprise approximately 9,200 acres, as
generally depicted on a map entitled ``Proposed Dugger
Mountain Wilderness'' and dated July 2, 1999, are hereby
designated as wilderness and, therefore, as a component of
the National Wilderness Preservation System, and shall be
known as the Dugger Mountain Wilderness.
(b) Map and Description.--As soon as practicable after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Agriculture shall submit to Congress a map and a boundary
description of the area designated as wilderness by this
section. The map and description shall have the same force
and effect as
[[Page H11153]]
if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may
correct clerical and typographical errors in the map and
description. A copy of the map and description shall be on
file and available for public inspection in the Office of the
Chief of the Forest Service and in the office of the
Supervisor of National Forest System lands in Alabama.
(c) Management.--Subject to valid existing rights, lands
designated as wilderness by this section shall be managed by
the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the
provisions of the Wilderness Act governing areas designated
by that Act as wilderness, except that, with respect to the
wilderness area designated by this section, any reference in
the Wilderness Act to the effective date of the Wilderness
Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(d) Treatment of Dugger Mountain Fire Tower.--The Forest
Service shall have two years, beginning on the date of the
enactment of this Act, in which to use ground-based
mechanical and motorized equipment to disassemble and remove
from the wilderness area designated by this section the
Dugger Mountain fire tower, which has been scheduled for
removal by the Forest Service, and any supporting structures.
The road to the fire tower shall be open to motorized
vehicles during this period only for the purpose of removing
the tower and supporting structures, after which time the
road shall be permanently closed to motorized use. The Forest
Service shall follow the provisions of the National Historic
Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) in the determination
and execution of the removal of the tower and supporting
structures.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2623 was introduced on July 29, 1999, by the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Riley). This legislation would designate
certain Federal lands in the Talladega National Forest in the State of
Alabama as the Dugger Mountain Wilderness.
On August 3, 1999, the Forest Service testified in support of H.R.
2632 during a subcommittee hearing. On October 20, 1999, Mr. Speaker,
the full Committee on Resources ordered the bill favorably reported by
a voice vote.
This is a good piece of legislation. The gentleman from Alabama has
worked diligently on this, and I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. UNDERWOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2632 would designate approximately
9,200 acres of land in Alabama's Talladega National Forest. Dugger
Mountain, with an elevation of 2,140 feet, is the second highest peak
in Alabama and includes the popular Pinhoti National Recreation Trail.
It has been recommended for wilderness studies since 1986.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness
Act. Congress is adding more acres to the national wilderness
preservation system. Even relatively small amounts of acreage has
become an all too infrequent event in recent years. Wilderness bills
like H.R. 2632, introduced by our friend and colleague, the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Riley), deserve our support, and I urge my colleagues
to pass it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Riley), the author of this legislation.
Mr. RILEY. Mr. Speaker, we do have a unique opportunity today to
designate the Dugger Mountain Wilderness Area as a wilderness area that
we can keep in perpetuity for our children and our grandchildren to
enjoy.
Mr. Speaker, this last weekend I had a unique opportunity to take my
grandchildren out and go on a hike in the woods and do some things that
I do not get to spend as much time with them as I wished I could, but
one of the things that I noticed, especially coming from this area, is
how unique Dugger Mountain is. It is not only the second highest peak
in Alabama, but it is a section of land, 9,200 acres, that we have
tried to make a wilderness area since 1986.
Two of my predecessors, Congressman Bill Nickles, who served here for
over 20 years, first introduced this piece of legislation, and later
Congressman Glen Browder introduced the legislation. It is not very
often that we have a piece of legislation that comes that we have
unanimous support for. In Alabama all of the local communities have
signed proclamations endorsing this. We have over 300 landowners
throughout the area that have supported this. Even the Alabama Forestry
Association has not opposed designating this wilderness area.
I know there is a lot of talk today about wilderness areas and how
they are becoming more prevalent, but this is a unique piece of
property. Because of its mountainous terrain, the ability to harvest
logs off of it or harvest timber off of this piece of property is
nonexistent, so the Alabama Forestry Service for the last 25 or 30
years have already managed this as a wilderness area.
It is also unique in that it lies halfway between Birmingham and
Atlanta, and one of the things that we are trying to do in Alabama is
to promote eco-tourism. When one has a million and a half to 2 million
people in Atlanta, approximately a million people in Birmingham, this
lies halfway between the two, it is an opportunity for our area to
showcase the real beauty of Alabama. We think that it is going to be an
extra special benefit to our tourism in Alabama, and again, when one
has the opportunity to do something that not only is going to bolster
the economy of the State and of this local area and at the same time
allow us to preserve something that is very, very unique in Alabama, we
think that this is a win, win, win situation not only for the Federal
Government, not only for this country, not only for Alabama, not only
for the people of Calhoun County, but we think that it is something
that will benefit our children for generations to come.
So I would like to thank the gentleman from Utah. I thank the
committee for the way that they have moved this process through, and I
would ask all of the Members to kindly support this bill.
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 2632.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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