[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.

                          ____________________