[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 127 (Thursday, October 12, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S10489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     STEENS WILDERNESS ACT OF 2000

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 4828, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 4828) to designate wilderness areas and a 
     cooperative management and protection area in the vicinity of 
     Steens Mountain in Harney County, Oregon, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered 
read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, and any statement relating to the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 4828) was read the third time and passed.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, moments ago, by unanimous 
consent, the Senate passed H.R. 4828, the Steens Mountain Cooperative 
Management and Protection Act. This bill, supported by the entire 
Oregon delegation, is a very unique piece of legislation to enhance the 
protection of Steens Mountain in Southeastern Oregon, while preserving 
the local ranching economy.
  As the sponsor of the Senate companion bill, S. 3052, cosponsored by 
my colleague, Senator Wyden, I am here to thank my colleagues for the 
swift consideration of the House-passed bill.This bill enjoys broad 
support, ranging from the local community officials and the Oregon 
Cattlemen's Association, to Oregon Trout and the Sierra Club.
  For those of my colleagues who have not had the good fortune to visit 
this special place, the Steens Mountain area in southeastern Oregon is 
a unique geologic formation that is home to a wide diversity of flora 
and fauna. The Steens Mountain fault block stretches sixty miles. It 
rises to an elevation of 9,700 feet and drops 5,500 feet in three miles 
to the historic lakebed of the Alvord Desert.
  The federal lands on Steens Mountain are managed by the Bureau of 
Land Management. There is significant private ownership in the area, 
with over 270 separate landowners controlling about one-third of the 
land. There are several large ranching operations that graze both 
public and private lands in the Steens Mountain area.
  Faced with multiple landowners, and a wide range of views on how best 
to protect the land, we finally crafted a great bill that enjoys local 
and national support, and that the President has indicated he will 
sign.
  Through this bill, we are going to designate over one hundred and 
seventy thousand acres of wilderness. We are permanently removing 
cattle from over a hundred thousand acres in the High Steens. We will 
permanently withdraw over 1.1 million acres, including the Alvord 
Desert, from mining and geothermal development. We are also creating 
innovative management tools, such as a Redband Trout reserve and a 
Wildlands Juniper Management Area, to respond to the diverse 
stewardship needs of the Steens and the wildlife that finds its home 
there.
  Mr. President, it was no easy task to achieve such wide-ranging 
environmental protection in my state without decimating the way of life 
of an entire community, and without creating more distrust of federal 
land management policies. This solution, though, works for the land and 
the people, rather than trying to make the land fit an existing 
management classification.
  The best way to preserve special places like Steens Mountain, with 
significant private ownership, is not to force people off the land or 
to buy them all out. It is to ensure that open spaces are preserved in 
private ownership, and to provide incentives for the preservation of 
these open spaces. After all, it is the stewardship of this area by the 
private landowners over the last one hundred years that makes Steens 
Mountain the special place that it is today.
  For over a year now, the entire Oregon congressional delegation and 
the Governor have worked closely with the Secretary of the Interior and 
stakeholders to achieve one primary goal: the preservation of Steens 
Mountain for future generations of Americans while ensuring that the 
ranchers can pass their ranches down to their children and 
grandchildren.
  At the risk of leaving someone out, I would like to take a moment to 
mention some of the people who have contributed to this landmark 
process. I want to thank all of the Members of the Oregon delegation, 
the Secretary of the Interior, and the Governor, and all the dedicated 
staff members who worked on this bill--especially Valerie West, my 
Natural Resources Director, as well as Kurt Pfotenhauer and Matt Hill 
of my staff; Lindsay Slater, and Troy Tidwell in Congressman Walden's 
office; David Blair, Josh Kardon, and Sarah Bittleman in Senator 
Wyden's office; Amelia Jenkins with Congressman DeFazio; Chris 
Huckleberry with Congresswoman Hooley; Michael Harrison with 
Congressman Blumenauer; and working on behalf of Governor Kitzhaber--
Kevin Smith and Peter Green. In the Secretary of the Interior's office, 
I want to extend thanks to Molly McUsic and Laurie Sedlmayr. I also 
want to recognize the work of Mike Menge, David Dye, and David Brooks 
of the Senate Energy Committee, who helped bring this legislation 
before the Committee and to the floor of the Senate.
  There are also many in Oregon that have been essential to this 
process. First and foremost, those who live in the shadow and beauty of 
Steens Mountain, and who will continue to act as its stewards: Stacy 
Davies, Fred Otley and Charlie Otley. There are also those who have 
represented the various environmental groups in Oregon: Bill Marlett, 
Andy Kerr, Sybil Ackerman, Jill Workman, and Jim Myron.
  Mr. President, this bill is a historic achievement that will protect 
a mountain and a way of life that are deeply intertwined in the spirit 
of the American west, and I thank my colleagues for their support.

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