[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 110 (Monday, September 18, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7659-H7661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION
IMPROVEMENT ACT
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4226) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or
exchange all or part of certain administrative sites and other land in
the Black Hills National Forest and to use funds derived from the sale
or exchange to acquire replacement sites and to acquire or construct
administrative improvements in connection with the Black Hills National
Forest, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4226
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 ``Black Hills National Forest
and Rocky Mountain Research Station Improvement Act''.
[[Page H7660]]
SEC. 2. SALE OR EXCHANGE OF LAND, BLACK HILLS NATIONAL
FOREST, SOUTH DAKOTA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to
in this section as the ``Secretary'') may, under such terms
and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, sell or
exchange any right, title, and interest of the United States
in and to the approximately 362 acres contained in the
following parcels of land in the State of South Dakota:
(1) Tract BLKH-1 ``Spearfish Dwelling'' (approximately 0.24
acres); N\1/2\ of Lot 8 and Lot 9 of Block 16, Section 10,
T6N, R2E, Black Hills Meridian.
(2) Tract BLKH-2 ``Deadwood Garage'' (approximately 0.12
acres); Lots 9 and 11 of Block 34, Section 23, T5N, R3E,
Black Hills Meridian.
(3) Tract BLKH-3 ``Deadwood Dwellings'' (approximately 0.32
acres); Lots 12-16, inclusive, of Block 44, Section 23, T5N,
R3E, Black Hill Meridian.
(4) Tract BLKH-4 ``Hardy Work Center'' (approximately 150
acres); E\1/2\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, Section 19;
NE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/
4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, Section 30, T3N, R1E, Black Hills
Meridian.
(5) Tract BLKH-6 ``Pactola Work Center'' (approximately 100
acres); W\1/2\SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, W\1/
2\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, Section 25; E\1/
2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, Section 26, T2N,
R5E, Black Hills Meridian.
(6) Tract BLKH-7 ``Pactola Ranger District Office''
(approximately 8.25 acres); Lot 1 of Ranger Station
Subdivision, Section 4, T1N, R7E, Black Hills Meridian.
(7) Tract BLKH-8 ``Reder Administrative Site''
(approximately 82 acres); Lots 6 and 7, Section 29; Lot A of
Reder Placer, Lot 19, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, Section 30, T1S,
R5E, Black Hills Meridian.
(8) Tract BLKH-9 ``Allen Gulch Properties'' (approximately
21 acres); Lot 14 less and except Tract STA #0029, Section
25, and Lot 1, Section 36, T1S, R4E, Black Hills Meridian.
(9) Tract BLKH-10 ``Custer Ranger District Office''
(approximately 0.39 acres); Lots 4 and 9 of Block 125 and the
East 15 feet of the vacated north/south alley adjacent to Lot
4, City of Custer, Section 26, T3S, R4E, Black Hills
Meridian.
(b) Technical Corrections.--The Secretary may make
technical corrections to the legal descriptions in paragraphs
(1) through (9) of subsection (a).
(c) Applicable Authorities.--Except as otherwise provided
in this section, any sale or exchange of land described in
subsection (a) shall be subject to laws (including
regulations) applicable to the conveyance and acquisition of
land for National Forest System purposes.
(d) Cash Equalization.--Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, the Secretary may accept cash equalization payments
in excess of 25 percent of the total value of the land
described in subsection (a) from any exchange under
subsection (a).
(e) Solicitations of Offers.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out this section, the
Secretary may use solicitations of offers for sale or
exchange under this section on such terms and conditions as
the Secretary may prescribe.
(2) Rejection of offers.--The Secretary may reject any
offer under this section if the Secretary determines that the
offer is not adequate or not in the public interest.
(f) Disposition of Funds.--Any funds received by the
Secretary from a sale under this section or as cash
equalization payments from an exchange under this section--
(1) shall be deposited into the fund established by Public
Law 90-171 (commonly known as the ``Sisk Act'') (16 U.S.C.
484a); and
(2) shall be available for expenditure, on appropriation,
for--
(A) the acquisition from willing sellers of land and
interests in land in the State of South Dakota; and
(B) the acquisition or construction of administrative
improvements in connection with the Black Hills National
Forest.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section.
SEC. 3. REPLACEMENT LABORATORY, ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH
STATION, RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
the Secretary of Agriculture $2,100,000 for a laboratory
facility for the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Rapid
City, South Dakota, to replace the obsolete laboratory
capability at the research station. The replacement facility
shall be colocated with at least one of the administrative
improvements for the Black Hills National Forest acquired or
constructed under the authority of section 2(f)(2)(B).
(b) Conditions on Acquisition of Property.--No funds
available to carry out this section may be used to purchase
or otherwise acquire property unless--
(1) the acquisition is from willing sellers; and
(2) the property is located within the boundaries of the
State of South Dakota.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
General Leave
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on the bill now being considered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4226 was introduced by our esteemed colleague, the
gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune). This legislation would allow
the Forest Service to consolidate and upgrade several administrative
sites in the Black Hills National Forest as well as provide
authorization of $2.1 million for the construction of a replacement lab
for a branch of the Rocky Mountain Research Center currently located in
Rapid City, South Dakota.
The subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on May
3, 2000 where the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune) and the
Forest Service testified in support of the legislation. However, the
Forest Service requested the bill to be amended to formally identify
the sites to be relocated, and requested that the Rapid City branch of
the Rocky Mountain Research Station not be required to co-locate a new
administrative site in the Black Hills National Forest. Negotiations
continued on this bill throughout the entire committee process and the
bill that is satisfactory to all of those involved was ordered reported
by the full committee, as amended, on July 26, 2000, by unanimous
consent.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for this important piece of
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4226 authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to
sell or exchange nine administrative sites on approximately 367 acres
of land in the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. Funds from
the sale or exchange of the lands which are valued at around $2.4
million will be used to relocate, consolidate and upgrade
administrative offices through land acquisition and construction of
facilities. Construction costs to combine four district ranger offices
into two new buildings are estimated to be around $4 million.
Mr. Speaker, the bill also authorizes $2.1 million to be appropriated
for the construction of a laboratory facility in the Rocky Mountain
Research Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. This facility is to be
allocated with one of the administrative sites acquired or constructed
through the sale of the lands. The existing research station center is
in need of significant repair and does not meet OSHA and the provisions
of the Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
The administration supports this legislation, it has bipartisan
support from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I urge my
colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune), and I commend him for
coming from one of the more beautiful States in this country and
representing the heritage of the Black Hills.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for
yielding me this time. As always, I welcome him to come to South Dakota
to enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills.
I rise today in support of H.R. 4226, the Black Hills National Forest
and Rocky Mountain Research Center improvement act of 2000.
Mr. Speaker, early this spring, I held a land use summit in Rapid
City, South Dakota. At that event, Members, departments, and multiple-
use groups voiced their frustration about the possible closing of the
Rocky Mountain Research Center for Great Plains Ecosystem Research
located in Rapid City.
In response to the concerns raised at the land use summit, I
introduced H.R. 4226. The funds authorized by this bill would help
preserve important research positions and allow the Rocky Mountain
Research Center to continue studying and addressing a range of wildlife
issues on the region's grasslands and woodlands. The research station
plays an important role in helping
[[Page H7661]]
manage the Black Hills National Forest and grasslands. The station,
which focuses on managing prairies to sustain livestock and wildlife,
has been instrumental in decisions affecting wood production and stream
flows, and in providing forage for livestock and wildlife species.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, in light of the
devastating fires that raged in the Black Hills region this summer, the
research station provides vital fire ecology research.
Mr. Speaker, this bill contains two major provisions that address
these important forest management and health needs for South Dakota.
First, H.R. 4226 authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or
exchange certain lands owned by the Forest Service and to use the funds
to acquire land in order to construct two administrative sites for the
Black Hills National Forest. By allowing the Black Hills National
Forest to construct two new administrative facilities, the Forest
Service will be able to eliminate two leased offices which have an
annual cost of $150,000, thereby consolidating four administrative
sites into two.
Additionally, by allowing the sale or exchange of these lands, the
Black Hills National Forest can increase efficiency and communications,
decrease public confusion over the location of administrative sites,
and make the Black Hills more visible and available to the over four
million people that visit the area each year. Furthermore, according to
the Forest Service, this bill will save the taxpayers an additional
$109,000 in annual maintenance costs and $880,000 in deferred
maintenance costs.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4226 also contains a provision to protect private
property owners from being forced to sell their land for the project.
Second, this bill authorizes $2.1 million to build a new research
laboratory for the Rocky Mountain Research Center to be co-located with
one of the new Forest Service administrative buildings.
Authorizing the funds to build the new research laboratory is
essential, because the Forest Service has indicated it may close the
research station if it does not have a new facility. Currently the
station's laboratory needs major repairs, is not handicap accessible,
does not meet OSHA regulations and is inadequate to support the unit's
mission. In fact, it is my understanding that the current facility
housing the Rocky Mountain Research Center in Rapid City was among the
lowest ranked in a recent review of all USDA research facilities by the
strategic planning task force on USDA research.
The Forest Service has estimated the construction of a new lab co-
located with one of the new administrative sites would save the
taxpayers $10,200 in annual maintenance costs, and $219,700 in deferred
maintenance costs.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr.
Young), the chairman of the Committee on Resources, and the gentleman
from California (Mr. Miller), the ranking member. I would also like to
thank the gentlewoman from Idaho (Mrs. Chenoweth-Hage), the chairman of
the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health and the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Smith), the ranking member, for their work on this
bill. I would also like to thank their staff and, in particular,
Veronica Rolocut and Erica Rosenberg.
Additionally, I want to thank Dan Uresk at the Rocky Mountain
Research Center as well as Black Hills National Forest Supervisor John
Twiss for their help on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will streamline administrative operations in
the Black Hills National Forest as well as provide a future for the
Rocky Mountain Research Station and the valuable information that it
provides.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation by
voting to pass H.R. 4226.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment the gentleman
from South Dakota for an excellent presentation, especially as the
chief sponsor of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I do not have any additional speakers, so I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, we have no additional speakers, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4226, 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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