[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 17, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H9960-H9961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IVANPAH VALLEY AIRPORT PUBLIC LANDS TRANSFER ACT

  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in 
the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 1695) to provide for the 
conveyance of certain Federal public lands in the Ivanpah Valley, 
Nevada, to Clark County, Nevada, for the development of an airport 
facility, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Senate amendments:
       Page 2, lines 24 and 25, strike out ``assessment'' and 
     insert ``assessment, using the airspace management plan 
     required by section 4(a)''.
       Page 3, strike out lines 15 through 22 and insert:
       (2) Deposit in special account.--(A) The Secretary shall 
     deposit the payments received under paragraph (1) into the 
     special account described in section 4(e)(1)(C) of the 
     Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 
     2345). Such funds may be expended only for the acquisition of 
     private inholdings in the Mojave National Preserve and for 
     the protection and management of the petroglyph resources in 
     Clark County, Nevada. The second sentence of section 4(f) of 
     such Act (112 Stat. 2346) shall not apply to interest earned 
     on amounts deposited under this paragraph.
       (B) The Secretary may not expend funds pursuant to this 
     section until--
       (i) the provisions of section 5 of this Act have been 
     completed; and
       (ii) a final Record of Decision pursuant to the National 
     Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) has 
     been issued which permits development of an airport at the 
     Ivanpah site.
      Page 3, strike out all after line 22 over to and including 
     line 2 on page 4 and insert:
       (d) Reversion and Reentry.--If, following completion of 
     compliance with section 5 of this Act and in accordance with 
     the findings made by the actions taken in compliance with 
     such section, the Federal Aviation Administration and the 
     County determine that an airport should not be constructed on 
     the conveyed lands--
      Page 4, line 23, strike out ``Secretary,'' and insert 
     ``Secretary, prior to the conveyance of the land referred to 
     in section 2(a),''.
      Page 5, line 18, after ``agencies.'' insert Any actions 
     conducted in accordance with this section shall specifically 
     address any impacts on the purposes for which the Mojave 
     National Preserve was created.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on the legislation under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nevada?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Madam Speaker, first I would like to thank the chairman of the 
Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the 
ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller), as well as 
the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), 
for their help and guidance on this very important piece of legislation 
for the State of Nevada.
  I would also like to thank the House Members and our colleagues for 
their previous vote of 420 to 1 in support of H.R. 1695 for Nevada and 
its future.
  The Las Vegas metropolitan area is the fastest growing metropolitan 
area in the country, growing by over 60,000 people in 1998. McCarran 
Airport, which currently serves the Las Vegas area, has seen its 
passenger traffic grow by over 64 percent in the last 10 years.
  Because the Bureau of Land Management owns over 90 percent of the 
land in Clark County, any new airport to serve southern Nevada must be 
located on land purchased from the Federal government. Realizing that 
McCarran Airport would reach its full capacity in 2008, the Clark 
County Aviation Department completed an extensive review of options 
available for meeting the growing needs of air traffic in southern 
Nevada.
  Because of the restricted airspace of Las Vegas due to military uses, 
and the existing full precision instrument landing requirements of 
McCarran Airport, the committee concluded that the Ivanpah Airport site 
is the only viable option that can accommodate the growing air traffic 
needs of the region.
  H.R. 1695, the Ivanpah Valley Public Land Transfer Act, is of vital 
importance to the future health of the tourism economy of southern 
Nevada. Therefore, it authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
convey lands in the Ivanpah Valley to Clark County, Nevada for a second 
airport.
  The legislation also requires that the land be returned to the 
Department of the Interior should the airport development prove to be 
infeasible after abiding by all Federal, State, and local environmental 
rules and regulations.
  Passage of H.R. 1695, with the inclusion of Senate amendments, will 
allow Clark County to proceed with the NEPA analysis and the proposed 
development of a new airport.
  There are those who feared that commercial jets will fly over the 
Mojave Preserve. To address this very concern, the Federal Aviation 
Administration will undertake an airspace study to develop an airspace 
management plan that prohibits flights over the Mohave Preserve in 
California unless there is a safety reason for doing so.
  Clark County will also be required to pay fair market value for the 
land, and the airport will be publicly owned and operated. The revenues 
collected by the government for sale will be available for use by the 
BLM for acquiring inholdings in the Mojave Preserve and to protect 
archeological sites in Clark County.
  H.R. 1695 is supported by the entire bipartisan Nevada congressional 
delegation, and has been endorsed by business and labor interests from 
Nevada. The House supports this bill with inclusion of the Senate 
amendment, and we would be grateful for a concurring vote by this body.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1695 directs the conveyance of a substantial 
tract of public lands located near the Mojave National Preserve for 
development of a large commercial airport and related facilities for 
the Las Vegas area.
  As the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) has presented, this is a 
rapidly growing area, and adjustments do need to be made for air 
traffic.
  The bill originally passed the House on March 9 of this year. The 
Senate passed the bill on October 5, and has returned the measure to 
the House with amendments.
  Prior to House consideration in March, H.R. 1695 was a very 
controversial measure. The bill was opposed by the administration, the 
environmental community, and many Members because the legislation 
failed to address adequately the potential environmental impacts, land 
use conflicts, and administrative problems associated with this large-
scale land conveyance.
  Fortunately, changes were made by the House to address most of these 
concerns. A significant improvement was made to the bill by providing 
joint lead agency status for the Department of the Interior on the 
environmental impact statement necessary for the planning and 
construction of the airport facility on the conveyed lands.
  The potential environmental impacts of such an airport involve the 
Mojave National Preserve and other resource responsibilities of the 
Department of the Interior, so it is only proper that the Department be 
closely involved.

[[Page H9961]]

  The Senate amendments are good in that they clarify the requirements 
of the airspace assessment and the environmental protection analysis, 
as well as the timing and the use of the proceeds derived from the sale 
of public lands for airport purposes.
  Of particular note, the Senate amendments specifically require the 
NEPA analysis to address any impacts on the purposes for which the 
Mojave National Preserve was established, and allow sale proceeds to be 
used to acquire inholdings in the Mojave National Preserve.
  I also want to take this opportunity especially to commend my 
colleague, the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), who represents 
Las Vegas, on this and other issues. The gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. 
Berkley) has shown herself to be a strong advocate for her community 
and for the environment. She has been a persistent advocate for this 
legislation.
  Madam Speaker, even with the changes made by the Senate the bill is 
not perfect, but it certainly is an improvement from where the 
legislation started, and the minority will support this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, let me say that I agree with my colleague, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), on the improvements to this bill. 
I suggest that this much needed piece of legislation will greatly 
improve the State of Nevada's economy, and help all of us with that.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) that the House suspend the rules 
and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill, H.R. 1695.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate amendments were 
concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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