[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4117-S4118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. Ensign):
  S. 809. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to sell 
certain land to the town of Kingston, Nevada, for use as an emergency 
medical air evacuation site and for other public uses; to the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Town of 
Kingston Emergency Landing Strip Conveyance Act.
  The residents of Kingston in southern Lander County, NV, depend on an 
emergency landing strip owned by the Bureau of Land Management, BLM. 
Kingston is a small rural town of 780 people located on an island of 
private land in central Nevada, which is surrounded by public lands 
owned by the United States Forest Service and the BLM. Lack of private 
land around Kingston constrains the growth, economic diversity, and 
public services available to those who live in or visit Kingston. The 
local Fire and Rescue maintains an agreement with Medic Air of Reno to 
provide 24-hour emergency medical service to this landing strip. 
However, BLM cannot re-issue an airport lease to the Kingston Town 
because the strip does not meet FAA standards.
  This bill will convey 144.88 acres to the Town of Kingston. Seventy 
acres will be conveyed at fair market value and 74.88 acres at no cost. 
The 70 acres to be conveyed at fair market value includes the main 
landing strip. The 74.88 acres to be conveyed at no cost includes the 
balance of the approach; and the disposal of this land for no 
consideration will benefit the United States because it is an isolated, 
segregated parcel that would be difficult to manage for public use. I 
hope that Congress will pass the Town of Kingston Emergency Landing 
Strip Conveyance Act for the benefit of rural Nevadans, federal 
managers, and the residents of Kingston.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the bill be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 809

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

     SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the lease by the Secretary of the Interior of certain 
     land to the town of Kingston,

[[Page S4118]]

     Nevada, for use as an emergency airstrip has expired;
       (2) rather than renew the airport lease (which would 
     require certification by the Federal Aviation 
     Administration), the Secretary and the Town desire that the 
     parcel on which the main landing strip is situated be sold to 
     the Town for fair market value as determined by the 
     Secretary;
       (3) adjacent to that parcel is other land, most of which, 
     if the airstrip parcel is sold to the Town, would be isolated 
     from other land administered by the Secretary and would 
     therefore be difficult for the Secretary to manage;
       (4) it would in the best interests of the United States and 
     the Town for the Secretary to convey to the Town both the 
     airstrip parcel and the adjacent parcel, at the fair market 
     value of the airstrip parcel; and
       (5) the parcels have been determined to be suitable for 
     disposal in the Shoshone-Eureka Resource Management Plan and 
     Environmental Impact Statement.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Adjacent parcel.--The term ``adjacent parcel'' means 
     the parcels of land in the State of Nevada, comprising 74.88 
     acres, described as Mount Diablo Meridian, T16N, R44E, 
     section 31, lot 4, E1/2NESE, S1/2SWNESE, S1/2S1/2NWSE.
       (2) Airstrip parcel.--The term ``airstrip parcel'' means 
     the parcel of land, with a landing strip running on an 
     easterly bearing and a portion of a landing strip running on 
     a southerly bearing, in the State of Nevada, comprising 70.00 
     acres, described as Mount Diablo Meridian, T16N, R44E, 
     section 31, N1/2SESW, N1/2SWSE, N1/2SESE, SESESE.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of 
     Land Management.
       (4) Town.--The term ``Town'' means the town of Kingston, 
     Nevada.
       (c) Conveyance.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights and 
     paragraph (2), the Secretary shall convey to the Town all 
     right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the 
     airstrip parcel and the adjacent parcel, totaling 144.8 
     acres.
       (2) Conditions.--
       (A) Airstrip parcel.--The Secretary shall convey the 
     airstrip parcel under paragraph (1) by direct sale, at fair 
     market value.
       (B) Adjacent parcel.--The Secretary shall convey the 
     adjacent parcel under paragraph (1) for no consideration.
       (d) No Reservations.--The patent by which the conveyance 
     under subsection (c) is made shall contain no reservations.
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