[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 147 (Monday, December 4, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H11936-H11938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




AUTHORIZATION OF USE OF FISCAL YEAR 2001 FUNDS FOR CERTAIN COAST GUARD 
                                PROJECTS

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5637) to provide that an amount available for fiscal year 2001 
for the Department of Transportation shall be available to reimburse 
certain costs incurred for clean-up of former Coast Guard facilities at 
Cape May, New Jersey, and to authorize the Coast Guard to transfer 
funds and authority for demolition and removal of a structure

[[Page H11937]]

at former Coast Guard property in Traverse City, Michigan.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5637

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

     SECTION 1. COSTS OF CLEAN-UP OF CAPE MAY LIGHTHOUSE.

       Of the funds made available in the Department of 
     Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 
     for environmental compliance and restoration of Coast Guard 
     facilities, $100,000 shall be available to reimburse the 
     owner of the former Coast Guard lighthouse facility at Cape 
     May, New Jersey, for costs incurred for clean-up of lead 
     contaminated soil at that facility.

     SEC. 2. DEMOLITION AND REMOVAL OF BUILDING AT FORMER COAST 
                   GUARD PROPERTY IN TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and subject to 
     the availability of funds appropriated specifically for the 
     project, the Coast Guard is authorized to transfer funds in 
     an amount not to exceed $200,000 and project management 
     authority to the Traverse City Area Public School District 
     for the purposes of demolition and removal of the structure 
     commonly known as ``Building 402'' at former Coast Guard 
     property located in Traverse City, Michigan, and associated 
     site work. No such funds shall be transferred until the Coast 
     Guard receives a detailed, fixed price estimate from the 
     School District describing the nature and cost of the work to 
     be performed, and the Coast Guard shall transfer only that 
     amount of funds it and the School District consider necessary 
     to complete the project.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 5637. The purpose of 
this bill is to authorize certain appropriations contained in the 
fiscal year 2001 Department of Transportation Appropriations Act. 
Without the specific authorizations contained in this bill, the amounts 
already appropriated will not be available this budget year.
  Section 1 of the bill authorizes the Coast Guard to spend $100,000 to 
reimburse the owners of the Cape May Lighthouse, formerly a Coast Guard 
facility, for the cleanup of lead contaminated soil found at the site 
of the lighthouse.
  Section 2 of the bill authorizes the Coast Guard to transfer $200,000 
and project management authority to the Traverse City Area Public 
School District for the purposes of demolition and removal of a 
building at a former Coast Guard property located in Traverse City, the 
district of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).
  I urge the Members to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5637 to allow 
environmental compliance funds of the Coast Guard to be used to clean 
up two former Coast Guard facilities.
  More importantly, I want to express my appreciation to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) and the gentleman from Maryland 
(Chairman Gilchrest) for allowing these measures to be separated from 
the Coast Guard bill that is now stuck in conference and to allow it to 
come to the floor separately and recognizing the urgency and the 
importance of moving ahead with each of these projects.
  It is very typical of our chairman to be understanding of the needs 
of Members, responsive to their concerns, and to be flexible in matters 
of this kind; and I greatly appreciate it.
  I also am appreciative of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) 
taking the time to manage this bill on the floor so we could dispose of 
it early on in this reconvened session of the Congress.
  These provisions all were agreed to by conferees on the Coast Guard 
Authorization Act of 2000, which is now unfortunately hung up over a 
non-Coast Guard item, two issues involving cruise ships.
  Funds have been appropriated for each of these projects. But without 
this bill, the Coast Guard cannot move ahead to complete the projects. 
One will allow the Coast Guard to reimburse the owner of the former 
Coast Guard Lighthouse in Cape May, New Jersey, for the cost incurred 
in cleaning up lead contaminated soil at the facility. The other allows 
the Coast Guard to pay for the demolition and removal of a Coast Guard 
building in Traverse City, Michigan, which has pipes on the property 
that are laden with asbestos. In order for the property to be usable, 
the asbestos has to be removed.
  The money is available, as I said. This is the authorization to 
proceed to complete the work.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to commend the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) on his persistence. He has pursued this 
matter vigorously on behalf of the people of his district, as he does 
in all matters. He is very forthright. The cause is just. But without a 
persistent Member keeping our attention focused on a matter of this 
kind, it could easily have been lost in the shuffle. With the gentleman 
from Michigan, that does not happen.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Stupak), in whose district this latter project is 
located, to elaborate on this matter.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation, as one of 
the provisions in the legislation brings us closer to removing an 
asbestos-contaminated building from the soccer fields in Traverse City, 
Michigan.
  In 1996, Congress passed legislation to transfer land from the United 
States Coast Guard to the Traverse City Area Public Schools. This land 
was to become the site of soccer fields for the area's school and 
recreational soccer leagues. Unfortunately, the transfer included an 
asbestos-contaminated structure.
  It is estimated, and thankfully through the help of a lot of Members, 
we have secured $200,000 necessary to remove this building. But in 
order to remove this asbestos-laden building, the Coast Guard asserts 
that it is unable to do so without an authorization. Therefore, this 
legislation authorizes the Coast Guard to demolish and remove the 
former Coast Guard building in Traverse City, Michigan.
  It is crucial that this legislation be passed because asbestos has 
been discovered on the soccer fields. Other than the wooden studs, the 
building is entirely composed of asbestos: the insulation, the inside 
paneling, the shingles, the flooring, and the outdoor siding all 
contain this harmful material.
  Weather and vandalism cause pieces of asbestos to break off from the 
building and spread across the grounds. Remnants of asbestos from 
former buildings on the site have also resurfaced on the soccer fields. 
Clearly, it is time to permanently clean up the site and prevent 
greater community exposure to the asbestos.
  In addition, failure to remove the building will prevent the school 
district from expanding seating for the main field, which can draw up 
to 2,000 fans during tournaments. The ongoing problem has already 
postponed school district plans to add seven fields and a stadium.
  Most importantly, this is a noncontroversial provision. The local 
community and the Coast Guard all support this language, which is the 
same as found in the stalled Coast Guard Authorization conference 
report. The local community has worked admirably with the Coast Guard 
to resolve this situation. I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Petri), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest), and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) for their help 
and cooperation.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. As the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) said, we have been at this for about 4 
years now. So we really hope this will pass right through both the 
House and Senate. We can get this matter resolved once and for all. I 
thank everyone for the cooperation.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that language has been 
included in H.R. 5637, the bill before us today authorizing 
reimbursement to the owner of the former Coast Guard lighthouse 
facility at Cape May Point State

[[Page H11938]]

Park in New Jersey for costs incurred for clean-up of lead contaminated 
soil at that facility.
  Since leasing this 1859 historic landmark in December, 1986, the Mid-
Atlantic Center for the Arts, a non-profit cultural organization, has 
raised and spent nearly $2 million for restoration efforts. During the 
final work on the Lighthouse tower in the winter of 1998, the project 
was brought to a halt by the unexpected discovery of lead contamination 
in the soil. In order to open the facility to the more than 100,000 
expected visitors during the 1998 season, the Mid-Atlantic Center 
diverted $98,953.00 from other projects to clean up the site.
  Two years later, the Center has still not received the appropriate 
reimbursement from the U.S. Coast Guard. Because the Coast Guard has 
accepted responsibility for the lead contamination and supports this 
request, it is imperative that Congress follow through with the 
appropriate provisions in law allowing the funds to be released.
  Section 202 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1999 authorizes 
this appropriation to be used for this purpose and has previously 
passed the House. It is unfortunate this measure has been stalled in a 
House-Senate Conference Committee. The appropriated funds have already 
been included in the FY2001 Transportation Appropriations legislation 
signed into law last month. I commend the Chairman of the 
Transportation Committee for recognizing the urgency of this matter and 
allowing a separate bill to move forward. Congress must not let this 
funding commitment fall through the cracks again, and I urge passage of 
this legislation authorizing funding for this historic landmark.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. 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 Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5637.
  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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