[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 17, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H9966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       DESIGNATING SEGMENTS OF MISSOURI RIVER AS WILD AND SCENIC

  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5041) to establish the boundaries and classification of a 
segment of the Missouri River in Montana under the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Act.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5041

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF BOUNDARIES OF SEGMENT OF UPPER 
                   MISSOURI WILD AND SCENIC RIVER, MONTANA.

       (a) In General.--For purposes of the Wild and Scenic River 
     Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.)--
       (1) the boundaries and classification of the Missouri 
     River, Montana, segment designated by section 3(a)(14) of 
     that Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)(14)) shall be the boundaries and 
     classification published in the Federal Register on January 
     22, 1980 (45 Fed. Reg. 4474-4478); and
       (2) the management plan for such segment shall be as set 
     forth in--
       (A) the Upper Missouri Wild and Scenic River Management 
     Plan, dated October 1978, as updated in February 1993; and
       (B) the West HiLine RMP/EIS Record of Decision covering the 
     Upper Missouri Wild and Scenic River Corridor, dated January 
     1992.
       (b) Revision of Boundaries, Classification, and Management 
     Plan.--This section shall not be considered to limit the 
     authority of the Secretary of the Interior to revise the 
     boundaries, classification, or management plan for the 
     Missouri River, Montana, segment referred to in subsection 
     (a) after the date of the enactment of this Act and in 
     accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
       (c) Effective Date.--Subsection (a) shall be considered to 
     have become effective on April 21, 1980.

                              {time}  1400

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Morella). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) and the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Holt) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).
  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 5041, introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Montana 
(Mr. Hill), establishes the boundaries and classification of a segment 
of the Missouri River in Montana under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 
The boundary and classification of this segment will conform to those 
published and recommended by the Department of the Interior in 1980. 
The Bureau of Land Management has been managing the river as wild and 
scenic since 1980.
  In essence, Madam Speaker, this a technical correction to the law 
enacted in 1980. Apparently, this wild and scenic designation lacked 
the proper documentation and this bill clears up discrepancy.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5041.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. HOLT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, H.R. 5041 would establish the boundaries and 
classification for a segment of the Missouri River in Montana that was 
designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1976. This is 
legislation introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Montana 
(Mr. Hill).
  Madam Speaker, this legislation was introduced in late July, and 
while the bill was never considered by the Committee on Resources, we 
at least have the views of the administration on this matter. In a 
letter dated October 3 of this year, the Department of the Interior 
indicated their support for H.R. 5041.
  Evidently, in the late 1970s, several procedural steps were not 
followed in establishing the river's boundaries and providing for its 
classification. By adopting the river's boundaries and classification 
by statute, H.R. 5041 would remove any doubt that may exist on this 
matter.
  Madam Speaker, we have no objection to this legislation, which we 
view as a technical housekeeping matter. We urge its passage.
  Mr. HILL of Montana. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
5041, a bill to establish the boundaries and classification of a 
segment of the Missouri River in Montana under the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Act. This bill is a technical correction to the 1976 amendment 
to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for the Upper Missouri National Wild 
and Scenic River. This legislation would ensure that the 149-mile 
segment, approximately 90,000 acres in size, of the Upper Missouri 
National Wild and Scenic River remains protected for future 
generations. This bill has the Administration's support.
  On October 12, 1976, Congress amended the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
to include the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River. The 
amendment required the Department of Interior to establish boundaries 
and prepare a development plan within one year. This information was to 
be published in the Federal Register, but would not become effective 
until 90 days after the documents were forwarded to the President of 
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. When the 
boundaries of the Wild and Scenic River were challenged some years 
later, it could not be established whether or not Congress ever 
received the documents that the Department of Interior prepared on this 
segment of the Upper Missouri River. It was also discovered that the 
documents were never published in the Federal Register.
  On January 22, 1980, the Department of Interior promulgated 
regulations at 45 Fed Reg. 4474-4478 that summarized a revised 
management plan and identified the boundaries and classification for 
the 149-mile segment of the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic 
River from Fort Benton, Montana, downstream to the Fred Robinson 
Bridge. H.R. 5041 would adopt these boundaries and classification by 
statute, removing any doubt over the legitimacy of the boundaries that 
remains as a result of earlier events.
  A similar bill to this one, H.R. 6046 passed the House of 
Representatives on September 29, 1992, but failed to pass the Senate in 
the closing days of the 101st Congress.
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5041.
  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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