[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 158 (Tuesday, November 4, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H10307-H10308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON BOUNDARY REVISION ACT OF 2003

  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 677) to revise the boundary of the Black Canyon of the 
Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area in 
the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 677

       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 ``Black Canyon of the Gunnison 
     Boundary Revision Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK BOUNDARY 
                   REVISION.

       (a) Boundary Revision.--Section 4(a) of the Black Canyon of 
     the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge National 
     Conservation Area Act of 1999 (16 U.S.C. 410fff-2(a)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``There'' and inserting ``(1) There''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) The boundary of the Park is revised to include the 
     addition of approximately 2,530 acres, as generally depicted 
     on the map entitled `Black Canyon of the Gunnison National 
     Park and Gunnison Gorge NCA Boundary Modifications' and dated 
     April 2, 2003.''.
       (b) Transfer of Administrative Jurisdiction.--On the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transfer the 
     land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management 
     identified as ``Tract C'' on the map described in subsection 
     (a)(2) to the administrative jurisdiction of the National 
     Park Service for inclusion in the Black Canyon of the 
     Gunnison National Park.
       (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 5(a)(1) of the Black 
     Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge 
     National Conservation Area Act of 1999 (16 U.S.C. 410fff-
     3(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``Map'' and inserting ``Map 
     or the map described in section 4(a)(2)''.

     SEC. 3. GUNNISON GORGE NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA BOUNDARY 
                   REVISION.

       Section 7(a) of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National 
     Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Act of 
     1999 (16 U.S.C. 410fff-5(a)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``There'' and inserting ``(1) There''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) The boundary of the Conservation Area is revised to 
     include the addition of approximately 7,100 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled `Black Canyon of the 
     Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge NCA Boundary 
     Modifications', and dated April 2, 2003.''.

     SEC. 4. GRAZING PRIVILEGES.

       (a) Transfer of Privileges.--Section 4(e)(1) of the Black 
     Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge 
     National Area Act of 1999 (16 U.S.C. 410fff-2(e)(1)) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) If land within the Park on which the grazing of 
     livestock is authorized under permits or leases under 
     subparagraph (A) is exchanged for private land under section 
     5(a), the Secretary shall transfer any grazing privileges to 
     the land acquired in the exchange.''.
       (b) Privileges of Certain Partnerships.--Section 4(e)(3) of 
     the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison 
     Gorge National Area Act of 1999 (16 U.S.C. 410fff-2(e)(3)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
       (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (D);
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
       ``(B) with respect to the permit or lease issued to 
     LeValley Ranch Ltd., for the lifetime of the last surviving 
     limited partner as of October 21, 1999;
       ``(C) with respect to the permit or lease issued to Sanburg 
     Herefords, L.L.P., for the lifetime of the last surviving 
     general partner as of October 21, 1999; and''; and
       (4) in subparagraph (D) (as redesignated by paragraph 
     (2))--
       (A) by striking ``partnership, corporation, or'' each place 
     it appears and inserting ``corporation or''; and
       (B) by striking ``subparagraph (A)'' and inserting 
     ``subparagraph (A), (B), or (C)''.

     SEC. 5. ACCESS TO WATER DELIVERY FACILITIES.

       The Commissioner of Reclamation shall retain administrative 
     jurisdiction over the Crystal Dam Access Road and land, 
     facilities, and roads of the Bureau of Reclamation in the 
     East Portal area,including the Gunnison Tunnel, and the 
     Crystal Dam area, as depicted on the map entitled ``Black 
     Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge NCA 
     Boundary Modifications'', and dated April 2, 2003, for the 
     maintenance, repair, construction, replacement, and operation 
     of any facilities relating to the delivery of water and power 
     under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Renzi) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi).


                             General Leave

  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on S. 677.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 677 introduced by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of 
Colorado would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to revise the 
boundary of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison 
Gorge National Conservation Area through various exchanges and 
purchases with willing sellers.
  In addition, S. 677 would authorize the Secretary to transfer lands 
under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and ensure that 
any grazing rights involved in the land transfer would be continued. 
Finally, Section 5 on the bill clarifies that the Commissioner of the 
Bureau of Reclamation shall have access to and retain jurisdiction over 
certain roads and areas in the park in addition to roads and facilities 
in the East portal and Crystal Dam areas.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 677 is supported by the administration and the 
majority and minority of the committee. I urge adoption of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  (Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)

[[Page H10308]]

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 677 authorizes several additions to the Black Canyon 
of the Gunnison National Park and the Gunnison Gorge National 
Conservation Area through a combination of exchanges and acquisitions 
of both land and conservation easements.
  If enacted, the legislation would add more than 2,700 acres of land 
to the boundary of the National Park and more than 7,000 acres to the 
boundary of the National Conservation Area while making other technical 
changes to the management of these areas.
  The changes being made in this legislation are supported by the 
administration, and I am unaware of any controversy regarding this 
measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall).
  (Mr. UDALL of Colorado asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for 
yielding me time. I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Renzi) for his work on behalf of this legislation today.
  As a Coloradan but also as an American, I rise to tell the body what 
a beautiful and unique place the Black Canyon is. This bill which has 
already passed the Senate, would revise the boundary of the Black 
Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the Gunnison Gorge National 
Conservation Area in Colorado. It was introduced by our senior Senator, 
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. A similar bill was introduced by our 
colleague here in the House and the chairman of our Subcommittee on 
Forest and Forest Health of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. McInnis).
  They took the initial lead back in 1999 and 2000 in securing the 
enactment of the legislation that established the National Conservation 
Area and redesignated the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National 
Monument as a national park. They deserve our special thanks today for 
their leadership and then also for making it possible for this bill to 
be on the House floor today.
  The bill today authorizes additions to both the park and the National 
Conservation Area, the NCA. And according to the Interior Department, 
these transactions should meet the present and future land requirements 
for the park.
  The present land owners are willing sellers and the legislation is 
also supported by the Montrose County Commissioners, the Montrose 
Chamber of Commerce, and the local and national land trusts involved in 
the project. So you can see it has widespread support.
  The bill also provides for the expansion of the conservation area 
which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, by the addition of 
about approximately 5,759 acres that were acquired by the Federal 
Government in February of 2000 from a willing seller through a land 
exchange. This acquisition was not completed in time to include the 
lands within the original conservation area boundaries, so we have come 
back to the Congress now to make that the law.
  The parcel includes approximately five miles of the Gunnison River 
and provides important resource values and recreational opportunities.

                              {time}  1715

  Finally, there are an additional 1,439 acres of adjacent BLM-managed 
public lands that are in the public estate, but would now be 
transferred over to the conservation area.
  So, in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan, 
noncontroversial bill. It will add important lands to both the park and 
the conservation area, help the economy in that area, and also make 
sure that Americans of all stripes and backgrounds can enjoy an even 
greater section of this beautiful part of Colorado. So I would urge its 
adoption by the full House today.
  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, In 1999, I introduced legislation that 
established this Park and National Conservation Area, so my love of 
this place and belief in its continued protection is obvious. As you 
know, Mr. Speaker, I am a strong believer in local consensus and the 
preservation of western values. The Park and NCA were established on 
those ideals, and I am pleased that the bill I bring before you today 
continues on that path.
  The legislation was originally scheduled for a hearing in the 
Resources Committee last June, after Senator Campbell successfully saw 
it through the Senate. It took a few additional months, however, 
because I wanted to ensure that the water rights involved with these 
land transactions would remain protected for the people of Colorado. 
After working with the landowners and The Conservation Fund, I am now 
comfortable with the commitment that the landowners have made and am 
eager to see this bill move forward.
  As you know, Mr. Speaker, water rights in the West are vital to our 
livelihood and even the murmur of losing control of them is enough to 
start a stampede. That is why language has been included in this bill 
to guarantee that the Bureau of Reclamation retains jurisdiction and 
access to water delivery facilities. For nearly 100 years, the 
Uncompahgre Valley Water User's Association has done a great job 
providing water to the valley; I want to make sure they can continue to 
do so. My 1999 bill establishing the Park did not intend to affect the 
Bureau's jurisdiction in any way, and neither does this boundary 
modification.
  The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Gunnison Gorge 
National Conservation Area is a national treasure to be enjoyed by all. 
The park's combination of geological wonders and diverse wildlife make 
it one of the most unique natural areas in North America. I am proud to 
represent the area and believe that this legislation will greatly 
benefit those who live in the area and all who visit the Park.
  I want to thank Senator Campbell and the Resources Committee for 
their work on this bill. I close by urging all members to support this 
legislation, so it can move promptly to the President's desk and be 
signed into law.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, having no further speakers, I 
yield back all remaining time.
  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield back all my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Boozman). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 677.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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