[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 103 (Monday, July 23, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H4382-H4384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROVIDING FURTHER PROTECTIONS FOR WATERSHED OF LITTLE SANDY RIVER

  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 427) to provide further protections for the watershed of the 
Little Sandy River as part of the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit, 
Oregon, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 427

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

     SECTION 1. INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL PORTION OF THE LITTLE 
                   SANDY RIVER WATERSHED IN THE BULL RUN WATERSHED 
                   MANAGEMENT UNIT, OREGON.

       (a) In General.--Public Law 95-200 (16 U.S.C. 482b note; 91 
     Stat. 1425) is amended by striking section 1 and inserting 
     the following:

     ``SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT 
                   UNIT; DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.

       ``(a) Definition of Secretary.--In this Act, the term 
     `Secretary' means--
       ``(1) with respect to land administered by the Secretary of 
     Agriculture, the Secretary of Agriculture; and
       ``(2) with respect to land administered by the Secretary of 
     the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior.
       ``(b) Establishment.--
       ``(1) In general.--There is established, subject to valid 
     existing rights, a special resources management unit in the 
     State of Oregon, comprising approximately 98,272 acres, as 
     depicted on a map dated May 2000 and entitled `Bull Run 
     Watershed Management Unit'.
       ``(2) Map.--The map described in paragraph (1) shall be on 
     file and available for public inspection in the offices of--
       ``(A) the Regional Forester-Pacific Northwest Region of the 
     Forest Service; and
       ``(B) the Oregon State Director of the Bureau of Land 
     Management.
       ``(3) Boundary adjustments.--The Secretary may periodically 
     make such minor adjustments in the boundaries of the unit as

[[Page H4383]]

     are necessary, after consulting with the city and providing 
     for appropriate public notice and hearings.''.
       (b) Conforming and Technical Amendments.--
       (1) Secretary.--Public Law 95-200 (16 U.S.C. 482b note; 91 
     Stat. 1425) is amended by striking ``Secretary of 
     Agriculture'' each place it appears (except subsection (b) of 
     section 1, as added by subsection (a), and except in the 
     amendments made by paragraph (2)) and inserting 
     ``Secretary''.
       (2) Applicable law.--
       (A) In general.--Section 2(a) of Public Law 95-200 (16 
     U.S.C. 482b note; 91 Stat. 1425) is amended by striking 
     ``applicable to National Forest System lands'' and inserting 
     ``applicable to land under the administrative jurisdiction of 
     the Forest Service (in the case of land administered by the 
     Secretary of Agriculture) or applicable to land under the 
     administrative jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management 
     (in the case of land administered by the Secretary of the 
     Interior)''.
       (B) Management plans.--The first sentence of section 2(c) 
     of Public Law 95-200 (16 U.S.C. 482b note; 91 Stat. 1426) is 
     amended--
       (i) by striking ``subsection (a) and (b)'' and inserting 
     ``subsections (a) and (b)''; and
       (ii) by striking ``, through the maintenance'' and 
     inserting ``(in the case of land administered by the 
     Secretary of Agriculture) or section 202 of the Federal Land 
     Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) (in the 
     case of land administered by the Secretary of the Interior), 
     through the maintenance''.

     SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT.

       (a) Timber Cutting Restrictions.--Section 2(b) of Public 
     Law 95-200 (16 U.S.C. 482b note; 91 Stat. 1426) is amended by 
     striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
       ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary 
     shall prohibit the cutting of trees on Federal land in the 
     unit, as designated in section 1 and depicted on the map 
     referred to in that section.''.
       (b) Repeal of Management Exception.--The Oregon Resource 
     Conservation Act of 1996 (division B of Public Law 104-208) 
     is amended by striking section 606 (110 Stat. 3009-543).
       (c) Repeal of Duplicative Enactment.--Section 1026 of 
     division I of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management 
     Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-333; 110 Stat. 4228) and the 
     amendments made by that section are repealed.
       (d) Water Rights.--Nothing in this section strengthens, 
     diminishes, or has any other effect on water rights held by 
     any person or entity.

     SEC. 3. LAND RECLASSIFICATION.

       (a) Oregon and California Railroad Land.--Not later than 
     180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior 
     shall identify any Oregon and California Railroad land that 
     is subject to the distribution provision of title II of the 
     Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181f), within the boundary 
     of the special resources management area described in section 
     1 of Public Law 95-200 (as amended by section 1(a)).
       (b) Public Domain Land.--
       (1) Definition of public domain land.--
       (A) In general.--In this subsection, the term ``public 
     domain land'' has the meaning given the term ``public land'' 
     in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
     of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
       (B) Exclusion.--The term ``public domain land'' does not 
     include any land managed under the Act of August 28, 1937 (43 
     U.S.C. 1181a et seq.).
       (2) Identification.--Not later than 18 months after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior 
     shall identify public domain land within the Medford, 
     Roseburg, Eugene, Salem, and Coos Bay Districts and the 
     Klamath Resource Area of the Lakeview District of the Bureau 
     of Land Management in the State of Oregon that--
       (A) is approximately equal in acreage and condition as the 
     land identified in subsection (a); but
       (B) is not subject to the Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 
     1181a et seq.).
       (c) Maps.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
     submit to Congress and publish in the Federal Register 1 or 
     more maps depicting the land identified in subsections (a) 
     and (b).
       (d) Reclassification.--After providing an opportunity for 
     public comment, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
     administratively reclassify--
       (1) the land described in subsection (a), as public domain 
     land (as the term is defined in subsection (b)) that is not 
     subject to the distribution provision of title II of the Act 
     of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181f); and
       (2) the land described in subsection (b), as Oregon and 
     California Railroad land that is subject to the Act of August 
     28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181a et seq.).

     SEC. 4. FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out, in 
     accordance with section 323 of the Department of the Interior 
     and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 1101 
     note; 112 Stat. 2681-290), watershed restoration that 
     protects or enhances water quality, or relates to the 
     recovery of endangered species or threatened species listed 
     under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
     seq.), in Clackamas County, Oregon, $10,000,000.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
McGovern) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).
  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 427 was introduced by the gentleman from Oregon 
(Mr. Blumenauer) and would extend the boundary of the Bull Run 
Management Unit on U.S. Forest Service land near Portland, Oregon, to 
include the hydrologic boundary of the Little Sandy Watershed.
  The Little Sandy has been identified as a potential source of 
drinking water by the City of Portland. As part of the Bull Run 
Management Unit, the Little Sandy would receive permanent management 
safeguards to protect the area's water supplies. The legislation would 
generally prohibit the cutting of trees in the Little Sandy.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 427 would permanently protect approximately 2,900 
acres of the Mount Hood National Forest near Portland, Oregon. By 
adding the Little Sandy Watershed to the Bull Run Watershed Management 
Unit, the bill would prevent access and timber harvesting in this 
important watershed. The Little Sandy Watershed is 25 miles east of 
Portland and adjacent to the Bull Run Watershed, which is the primary 
municipal water supply for Portland.
  Since 1892, when the area was protected by Presidential proclamation, 
the area has been protected through various measures. In 1977, the 
95,000-acre Bull Run Watershed Management Unit was established by 
Public Law 95-200 to protect the watershed and plan for municipal water 
use. In 1993, the Northwest Forest Plan provided additional protection 
by restricting timber harvests in sensitive areas.
  In 1996, Congress passed the Oregon Resources Conservation Act which 
gave the Little Sandy Watershed temporary protection.
  Madam Speaker, this bill affords permanent protection for this 
significant resource, and I join with my colleague from Nevada in 
commending the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for his work on 
this bill both in the last Congress and this Congress, and urge my 
colleagues to support the bill.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the courtesy of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts in yielding me time and his support and 
also thank the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons). I thank the chair 
of the Committee on Natural Resources, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Hansen); the forest subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. McInnis); and the ranking member, the gentleman from Washington 
(Mr. Inslee), for their support and swift passage of this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, we introduced the Little Sandy Protection Act to 
provide important protections for this sensitive watershed. This Little 
Sandy Protection Act enjoys broad bipartisan support of the Oregon 
delegation in both this House and the other body, and is strongly 
backed by local organizations, including the City of Portland. No 
resource is more fundamental to the livability of our communities than 
safe, clean drinking water. This legislation will help protect water 
quality and quantity for a million residents, not just in the city of 
Portland but throughout the Portland metropolitan area who drink the 
Bull Run water today and are counting on it for future generations.
  This watershed, which stretches across three congressional districts, 
provides our region with its cleanest and most reliable source of 
drinking water. In fact, Portland is one of only two American 
metropolitan areas that provide fresh, untreated water to citizens due 
to the high quality of the

[[Page H4384]]

fresh water that is available. This legislation helps protect the 
supply not just of the water, but also being sensitive to the fragile 
fish habitat that has been a concern for people in our region.
  It also recognizes the natural significance of this area. President 
Teddy Roosevelt signed into law protections for the Bull Run Reserve 
over 97 years ago, and this measure brings us full circle by extending 
the boundary of the management unit to include the entire hydrologic 
boundary of the Little Sandy Watershed, another 2,800 acres. This 
expansion is critical to secure water quality for potential drinking 
water for the metropolitan area for years to come.
  Madam Speaker, the bill before us is the product of many years of 
discussion and deliberation amongst all parties concerned, and it is 
something that I began with former Senator Hatfield when I first joined 
this body. The bill provides additional protections for endangered 
salmon, it protects water quality, it maintains the integrity of the 
ONC county funding, and it authorizes Clackamas County to seek 
additional watershed restoration projects of $10 million that relate to 
the Endangered Species Act and water quality improvement.
  Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 
427, the Little Sandy Protection Act. It is the product of years of 
work, and it will pay dividends for years to come.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 427.
  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.

                          ____________________