[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6928-S6929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. THOMAS (for himself and Mr. Enzi):
  S. 1105. A bill to provide for the expeditious completion of the 
acquisition of State of Wyoming lands within the boundaries of Grand 
Teton National Park, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce a bill today to 
authorize the exchange of State lands inside Grand Teton National Park.
  Grand Teton National Park was established by Congress on February 29, 
1929, to protect the natural resources of the Teton range and recognize 
the Jackson area's unique beauty. On March 15, 1943, President Franklin 
Delano Roosevelt established the Jackson Hole National Monument 
adjacent to the park. Congress expanded the Park on September 14, 1950, 
by including a portion of the lands from the Jackson Hole National 
Monument. The park currently encompasses approximately 310,000 acres of 
wilderness and has some of the most amazing mountain scenery anywhere 
in our country. This park has become an extremely important element of 
the National Park system, drawing almost 2.7 million visitors in 1999.
  When Wyoming became a State in 1890, sections of land were set aside 
for school revenue purposes. All income from these lands--rents, 
grazing fees, sales or other sources--is placed in a special trust fund 
for the benefit of students in the State. The establishment of these 
sections predates the creation of most national parks or monuments 
within our State boundaries, creating several state inholdings on 
federal land. The legislation I am introducing today would allow the 
Federal Government to remove the state school trust lands from Grand 
Teton National Park and allow the State to capture fair value for this 
property to benefit Wyoming school children.
  This bill, entitled the ``Grand Teton National Park Land Exchange 
Act,'' identifies approximately 1406 acres of State lands and mineral 
interests within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park for 
exchange for Federal assets. These Federal assets could include mineral 
royalties, appropriated dollars, federal lands or combination of any of 
these elements.
  The bill also identifies an appraisal process for the state and 
federal government to determine a fair value of the state property 
located within the

[[Page S6929]]

park boundaries. Ninety days after the bill is signed into law, the 
land would be valued by one of the following methods: (1) the Interior 
Secretary and Governor would mutually agree on a qualified appraiser to 
conduct the appraisal of the State lands in the park; (2) if there is 
no agreement about the appraiser, the Interior Secretary and Governor 
would each designate a qualified appraiser. The two designated 
appraisers would select a third appraiser to perform the appraisal with 
the advice and assistance of the designated appraisers.
  If the Interior Secretary and Governor cannot agree on the 
evaluations of the State lands 180 days after the date of enactment, 
the Governor may petition the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to determine 
the final value. One-hundred-eighty days after the State land value is 
determined, the Interior Secretary, in consultation with the Governor, 
shall exchange Federal assets of equal value for the State lands.
  The management of our public lands and natural resources is often 
complicated and requires the coordination of many individuals to 
accomplish desired objectives. When western folks discuss Federal land 
issues, we do not often have an opportunity to identify proposals that 
capture this type of consensus and enjoy the support from a wide array 
of interests; however, this land exchange offers just such a unique 
prospect.
  This legislation is needed to improve the management of Grand Teton 
National Park, by protecting the future of these unique lands against 
development pressures and allow the State of Wyoming to access their 
assets to address public school funding needs.
  This bill enjoys the support of many different groups including the 
National Park Service, the Wyoming Governor, State officials, as well 
as folks from the local community. It is my hope that the Senate will 
seize this opportunity to improve upon efforts to provide services to 
the American public.
                                 ______