Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 32 (Tuesday, March 19, 2002)

[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 19, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H952-H953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

UTAH PUBLIC LANDS ARTIFACT PRESERVATION ACT

Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3928) to assist in the preservation of archaeological,
paleontological, zoological, geological, and botanical artifacts
through construction of a new facility for the University of Utah
Museum of Natural History, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Clerk read as follows:

H.R. 3928

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Utah Public Lands Artifact
Preservation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--
(1) the collection of the Utah Museum of Natural History in
Salt Lake City, Utah, includes more than 1,000,000
archaeological, paleontological, zoological, geological, and
botanical artifacts;
(2) the collection of items housed by the Museum contains
artifacts from land managed by--
(A) the Bureau of Land Management;
(B) the Bureau of Reclamation;
(C) the National Park Service;
(D) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and
(E) the Forest Service;
(3) more than 75 percent of the Museum's collection was
recovered from federally managed public land; and
(4) the Museum has been designated by the legislature of
the State of Utah as the State museum of natural history.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Museum.--The term ``Museum'' means the University of
Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.

SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE FOR UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY.

(a) Assistance for Museum.--The Secretary shall make a
grant to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, to
pay the Federal share of the costs of construction of a new
facility for the Museum, including the design, planning,
furnishing, and equipping of the Museum.
(b) Grant Requirements.--
(1) In general.--To receive a grant under subsection (b),
the Museum shall submit to the Secretary a proposal for the
use of the grant.
(2) Federal share.--The Federal share of the costs
described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 percent.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to
remain available until expended.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3928 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to
assist the University of Utah by making a grant to the University of
Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City, Utah, to help pay for
the Federal share of the costs of construction of a new natural history
museum. The Federal share, however, would not exceed 25 percent of the
total cost.
Mr. Speaker, while the museum holds large collections of objects and
specimens recovered from State and private lands, the vast majority of
the collection has come from public lands in Utah and the surrounding
States in the Intermountain West. In fact, more than 75 percent of the
museum's collection contains artifacts from lands managed by the Bureau
of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park
Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The building which currently houses archeological, paleontological,
zoological, geological, and botanical artifacts poses serious
environmental threats to the collection, lacks good public access, and
contains very small and outdated exhibits.
Mr. Speaker, for its part, the University of Utah has acquired the
land for a new building, and the State of Utah has committed $800,000
for its annual operations and has collected $11 million towards the
construction of the new building.
Mr. Speaker, I believe this is a good example of a public-private
partnership. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3928.
Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I would like to say concerning the
bill. Too often in this town there is more emphasis placed on who gets
the credit rather than what is the right thing to do. I would like to
thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson), who has worked tirelessly
on this issue; and I want the record to show that without his ability
to make compromises, we would not be here today.
I have learned in my 22 years that the most successful legislators
are those willing to take up the pick and the shovel and go to work.
The gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) has demonstrated his willingness
to do that.
The Members of the other body also deserve credit for this
initiative. They have been a friend to the museum for years. Although
we have the luxury of expending the legislative process over

[[Page H953]]

here and expediting it, I hope that Members of the other body will be
able to carry this legislation from here and let us get this done. I
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3928.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the distinguished chairman of the Committee on
Resources, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), for his eloquent
remarks and as a cosponsor of this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Utah (Mr. Matheson), the chief cosponsor of this legislation.
Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give support to H.R. 3928,
a bill that would provide the Natural History Museum at the University
of Utah with the means to restore, protect, and preserve our shared
natural heritage.
In 1824, a philanthropist named James Smithson bequeathed his fortune
to the government of the United States in order to found an institution
to ``increase the diffusion of knowledge among men.''
In 1846 the United States established the Smithsonian Institution and
established the wise and remarkable precedent of the value of public
investment in institutions of science, research, and heritage.
Mr. Speaker, in Utah we have an institution that houses 1 billion
years of the history of life on our planet. It is an institution that
holds three-quarters of a million artifacts detailing tens of thousands
of years of Native American life throughout the Rocky Mountain and
Great Basin areas of our country.
It contains over 30,000 specimens of mammals, one of the 30 largest
collections in the western hemisphere, and its 18,000 specimen reptile
collection contains one of the largest turtle assemblages in the world.
It is an institution that houses one of the world's great
paleontology collections. Its 12,000 specimen vertebrate fossil
collection is dominated by 150 million-year-old dinosaurs from the
Jurassic period, as well as Ice Age mammals such as giant bears,
mammoths, and mastodons.
What I have just described is just a fraction of the resources
provided by the University of Utah's Natural History Museum. It is a
treasure unsurpassed in the western United States.
However, these resources are under threat. First, they are housed in
a converted library built during the 1930s. It is a building
constructed for the close, claustrophobic stacking of books, not for
the storage of artifacts. Most of the ceilings throughout the building
are 7 feet 2 inches high, which makes dinosaur storage somewhat of a
problem.
Climate control and water systems are woefully antiquated. The
humidity and temperature in the display and storage areas have wide
swings. This inconsistency puts tremendous strain on the increasingly
fragile collections. It is plausible to think that a child's Pokemon
cards might be at less risk for damage than some of the pieces in this
collection.
The university, along with private donors and the State government,
have embarked on an ambitious project to build a new museum that would
be a centerpiece for cultural and scientific education in the
Intermountain West.
This project will be a partnership in every sense of the word. State
and private donors have promised to match every Federal dollar with
three of their own. The university's donors and alumni network view
this as a priority project for Utah and are actively engaged in its
development.
The university has already contributed the 14 acres for the
development. The State has guaranteed the operating funds for the
facility at $800,000 per year. To date, close to $12 million has been
raised from private donors. This includes $10 million from the Emma
Eccles Jones Foundation.
Unlike many museums throughout the country, 75 percent of the
museum's holdings are owned outright by the Federal Government, with
more than 90 percent of some collections coming from Federal lands.
That means that these artifacts, fossils, and specimens belong to the
people of the United States. These exhibits and collections are part of
our collective national heritage. With Congress' help, we can save
these treasures for future generations of Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I want to give special thanks to the distinguished
chairman of the Committee on Resources. I thank the gentleman from Utah
(Mr. Hansen) for his diligence, dedication, and commitment to this
project. This was a collaborative effort in every sense. The gentleman
from Utah (Mr. Hansen) is a true gentleman legislator, and this Chamber
will be diminished by his upcoming departure.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon).
Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3928, the
Utah Public Lands Artifact Preservation Act.
Before Utah was home to the Olympics, it was home to dozens of Native
American tribes, ancient plants, wildlife and dinosaurs. The rich
history of this region has been a looking glass into the natural
history of America. Scientists have used the millions of artifacts
discovered here to preserve the past and gain knowledge for the future.
The University of Utah houses over a million artifacts from this
region. Though famous for the exhibits that feature tens of thousands
of ancient mammals, reptiles, dinosaurs, and Native American artifacts,
the museum serves a much greater purpose. It will also serve as a
center for science literacy and educating students about the natural
history of the Columbia Plateau.
Mr. Speaker, 75 percent of the artifacts have been recovered from
federally managed land. With this grant from the Department of the
Interior, the museum will continue to promote cultural diversity of the
region for future generations. I applaud the gentleman from Utah (Mr.
Hansen) and all others who have worked to make this bill a reality.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of the Utah delegation for their
bipartisanship in supporting this legislation. It goes without saying
that this was also true when the proposed bill was brought before the
Committee on Resources. I commend our chairman, the gentleman from Utah
(Mr. Hansen), and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) for their
cosponsorship of this bill, and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon)
for his remarks and his support.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HANSEN. 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 Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 3928.
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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