[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 159 (Wednesday, November 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14043-S14044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. Ensign):
  S. 1826. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey 
certain land in Washoe County, Nevada, to the Board of Regents of the 
University and Community College System of Nevada; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, sometime, when the opportunity arises, I am 
going to introduce, for myself and Senator Ensign, the Dandini Research 
Park Transfer Act, which will transfer an important tract of land in 
Washoe County, Nevada, to the University and Community College System 
of Nevada.
  The University of Nevada holds two patents from the Bureau of Land 
Management for approximately 467 acres of

[[Page S14044]]

public land located north of downtown Reno. In the early 1970s, the 
land was patented to the university pursuant to the Recreation and 
Public Purposes Act. Now known as the Dandini Research Park, it is the 
home of Truckee Meadows Community College and the Desert Research 
Institute's Northern Nevada Science Center.
  Truckee Meadows Community College and its predecessor, Western Nevada 
Community College, have provided educational programs and opportunities 
to the residents of Reno, Sparks, and the surrounding communities for 
over 30 years. Construction of the College's facilities on the Dandini 
campus began in 1975, shortly after conveyance of the original patents.
  For over 25 years the Desert Research Institute has excelled in 
applied scientific research and the application of technologies to 
improve people's lives in Nevada and throughout the world. Its three 
core divisions of Atmospheric, Hydrologic, and Earth and Ecosystem 
Sciences cooperate with two interdisciplinary centers to provide 
innovative solutions to pressing environmental problems. The Center for 
Arid Lands Environmental Management and the Center for Watersheds and 
Environmental Sustainability apply scientific understanding to the 
effective management of natural resources while addressing our needs 
for economic diversification and science-based educational 
opportunities. In doing so, DRI undertakes fundamental scientific 
research in Nevada and around the globe. For example, as a key 
participant in the U.S. Geological Survey Water Research Program, DRI 
plays a critical role in identifying and helping protect the region's 
scarce water resources.
  DRI shares its facility with the Western Regional Climate Center, one 
of six regional climate centers operating under the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration's climate program. The Western Regional 
Climate Center conducts applied research and provides high quality 
climate data and information pertaining to the western United States.
  The Desert Research Institute wishes to expand its Northern Nevada 
Science Center. DRI is considering an innovative means of financing the 
expansion, which would involve a private developer who would build and 
finance the expansion and lease it back to DRI. The private developers 
with whom DRI has discussed the proposal, as well as the Institute's 
counsel, however, have pointed out that the terms of the patents and 
the restrictions imposed by the Recreation and Public Purposes Act 
represent obstacles to such an arrangement.
  Truckee Meadows Community College and the Northern Nevada Science 
Center are exceptional assets to the scientific and educational 
community in the Truckee Meadows. The Center serves not only the 
citizens of Washoe County, but the needs of all Nevadans and the 
western United States as well. It deserves the opportunity to grow and 
prosper with the community--one of the fastest-growing communities in 
the Nation.
  The bill Senator Ensign and I will introduce simply directs the 
Secretary of the Interior to convey this property from the Bureau of 
Land Management to the University and Community College System of 
Nevada. Because of the overwhelming public benefit provided by the 
Center, we ask that the land be conveyed for free, but that the 
University cover the costs of the transaction.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1826

       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 ``Dandini Research Park 
     Conveyance Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Board of regents.--The term ``Board of Regents'' means 
     the Board of Regents of the University and Community College 
     System of Nevada.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE TO THE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE 
                   SYSTEM OF NEVADA.

       (a) Conveyance.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall convey to the Board of 
     Regents, without consideration, all right, title, and 
     interest of the United States in and to the approximately 467 
     acres of land located in Washoe County, Nevada, patented to 
     the University of Nevada under the Act of June 14, 1926 
     (commonly known as the ``Recreation and Public Purposes 
     Act'') (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), and described in paragraph 
     (2).
       (2) Description of land.--The land referred to in paragraph 
     (1) is--
       (A) the parcel of land consisting of approximately 309.11 
     acres and more particularly described as T. 20 N., R. 19 E., 
     Sec. 25, lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 11, SE \1/4\ NW \1/4\, NE 
     \1/4\ SW \1/4\, Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada; and
       (B) the parcel of land consisting of approximately 158.22 
     acres and more particularly described as T. 20 N., R. 19 E., 
     Sec. 25, lots 6 and 7, SW \1/4\ NE \1/4\, NW \1/4\ SE \1/4\, 
     Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada.
       (b) Costs.--The Board of Regents shall pay to the United 
     States an amount equal to the costs of the Secretary 
     associated with the conveyance under subsection (a)(1).
       (c) Conditions.--If the Board of Regents sells any portion 
     of the land conveyed to the Board of Regents under subsection 
     (a)(1)--
       (1) the amount of consideration for the sale shall reflect 
     fair market value, as determined by an appraisal; and
       (2) the Board of Regents shall pay to the Secretary an 
     amount equal to the net proceeds of the sale, for use by the 
     Director of the Bureau of Land Management in the State of 
     Nevada, without further appropriation.
                                 ______