[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 61 (Tuesday, May 14, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S4331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BURNS:
  S. 2510. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to accept 
the donation of certain lands previously disposed of from the public 
domain, together with certain mineral rights on federal land, in the 
Mineral Hill-Crevice Mountain Mining District in the State of Montana, 
to be returned to the United States for management as part of the 
national public lands and forests, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am pleased to announce the introduction 
of the Mineral Hill Historic Mining District Preservation Act of 2002. 
The purpose of this act is for the Forest Service to accept a donation 
from TVX Mineral Hill, Inc., an inholding of approximately 570 acres of 
private land in the Gallatin National Forest. This inholding overlooks 
the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park and is within well-
known elk habitat. The donation also includes 194 acres of mineral 
rights underlying Federal lands.
  This bill provides a win-win situation with benefits for the 
community, for wildlife, for the company, and for the environment. 
After a rich and storied history, the Mineral Hill Mine is played out 
and the opportunity to extract minerals has passed. The property is in 
very good condition and is being reclaimed in accordance with a 
reclamation plan approved by the Montana Department of Environmental 
Quality. The Forest Service has been closely involved during the 
reclamation planning and implementation processes to make certain that 
the property will remain in the excellent environmental state it is in 
today. As an added guarantee, the United States will also be the 
beneficiary of a $10 million insurance policy provided by TVX to clean 
up the site in the unlikely event that hazardous materials are 
discovered in the future.
  The Mineral Hill Mine is located in the historic Jardine Mining 
District which was established during the 1860s. Many of the buildings 
at the site go back to that time period. Some of the buildings will be 
preserved for interpretation purposes and will be available to the 
public. In addition, the site will be used in cooperation with Montana 
Tech of the University of Montana for mining and geologic education. 
The Mineral Hill property is being donated by TVX to the Government 
without the necessity of a payment. There will be ongoing permits 
issued by the State of Montana and by EPA for monitoring of water 
discharge. This bill allows for those permits to be upheld and for the 
water processes to be maintained. In a letter to my office dated June 
25, 2001, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition observed that ``we believe 
that there would be no adverse impact to the agency and indeed would be 
a benefit to the public that this donated land is conveyed with the 
obligation to maintain the NPDES permit already in force.'' This is 
exactly what the bill provides in section 11.
  I am pleased to say that this is a bill with the support of all key 
parties. The Forest Service has agreed to the transfer and management 
of the land and has been actively involved in this process. The 
Gardiner Chamber of Commerce supports the project, as do the 
Commissioners of Park County. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition also 
supports the donation. Simply put, this legislation is in the public 
interest. On behalf of the people of Montana, I look forward to its 
passage.
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