[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 100 (Monday, July 19, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5930-H5931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NEWLANDS PROJECT HEADQUARTERS AND MAINTENANCE YARD FACILITY TRANSFER
ACT
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2831) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey
the Newlands Project Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facility to the
Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2831
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 ``Newlands Project
Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facility Transfer Act''.
SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE OF NEWLANDS PROJECT HEADQUARTERS AND
MAINTENANCE YARD FACILITY.
(a) Conveyance.--The Secretary of the Interior shall convey
to the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, Nevada, as soon as
practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act and
in accordance with all applicable law and the terms of the
memorandum of agreement between the District and the
Secretary dated June 9, 2003 (Contract No. 3-LC-20-8052), all
right, title, and interest of the United States in and to
real property within the Newlands Projects, Nevada, known as
2666 Harrigan Road, Fallon, Nevada, and identified for
disposition on the map entitled ``Newlands Project
Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facility''.
(b) Treatment of Proceeds From Fallon Freight Yard as
Consideration.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law to
the contrary, amounts received by the United States for the
lease and sale of Newlands Project lands comprising the
Fallon Freight Yard shall, for purposes of this section, be
treated as payment in full of consideration for the property
conveyed under subsection (a).
(c) Report.--If the Secretary has not completed such
conveyance within 12 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress
explaining the reasons the conveyance has not been completed
and stating the date by which the conveyance will be
completed.
(d) Environmental Review, Remediation, and Removal.--The
Secretary may not make any conveyance under this section
until the completion with respect to the conveyance, in
accordance with the memorandum of agreement referred to in
subsection (a), of-
(1) compliance with requirements relating to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. et seq. 4321 et
seq.) and cultural resources; and
(2) environmental site assessments, remediation, or
removal.
(e) Liability.--The United States shall not be liable for
damages of any kind arising out of any act or omission by, or
occurrence relating to, the Truckee-Carson Irrigation
District or its employees, agents, or contractors relating to
the property conveyed under this section and occurring prior
to, on, or after the date of such conveyance.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).
General Leave
Mr. HAYWORTH. 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 H.R. 2831, the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 2831, authored by the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons), our
distinguished Committee on Resources vice chairman, directs the
Secretary of the Interior to transfer 35 acres to the Truckee-Carson
Irrigation District as soon as practicable. This transfer, which
includes the Newlands Projects headquarters and maintenance yard
facility, would occur after adjustments for the lease and sale of other
project lands have been included in the valuation process.
The bill also stipulates that environmental analyses, including those
under the National Environmental Policy Act, must be completed prior to
the transfer.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2831 would provide for the transfer
of the Bureau of Reclamation land in Nevada to the Truckee-Carson
Irrigation District. My Republican colleagues have already explained
the legislation, and we have no objection.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).
(Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my good
friend and colleague, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth), for
yielding me the time on which to speak on this bill. I also would like
to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the chairman, and
the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), the ranking member, as
well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the subcommittee
chairman, for working with me to bring this important piece of
legislation to the floor today.
H.R. 2831, Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues have already heard, will
require the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Truckee-Carson
Irrigation District, or TCID, as we say in Nevada, all rights, title
and interest of the Newlands Reclamation Project located in Fallon,
Nevada.
On June 9, 2003, a little over a year ago, the Bureau of Reclamation
and the TCID reached an agreement and signed a Memorandum of Agreement
specifying the details of this transfer. This transfer of approximately
35 acres will allow the irrigation district to make permanent
improvements on the property for the continued operation and
maintenance of the Newlands Reclamation Project. This transfer is
necessary so that financing can be obtained for these improvements.
It is important to note that in 1996, the Bureau of Reclamation
certified that the TCID had repaid to the United States all of the
original construction charges that were designated for repayment to the
U.S. Government on this project.
This legislation, Mr. Speaker, is of utmost importance to the people
of the State of Nevada and especially those in the Second District of
Nevada. Consequently, I have received letters of support from the
governor of the State of Nevada, Mr. Kenny Guinn; Churchill County
Commissioners; the mayor of Fallon; State representatives Grady and
Goicoechea; as well as State senator Mike McGinness.
Obviously, Mr. Speaker, there is a great deal of support and common-
sense agreement on this bill, and so I would urge all Members of this
body to vote in favor of H.R. 2831.
{time} 1430
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stearns). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2831, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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