[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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