[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.
____________________