[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.
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