[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 100 (Monday, July 19, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5931-H5932]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GATEWAY COMMUNITIES COOPERATION ACT
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1014) to require Federal land managers to support, and to
communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with, designated gateway
communities, to improve the ability of gateway communities to
participate in Federal land management planning conducted by the Forest
Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior, and to respond
to the impacts of the public use of the Federal lands administered by
these agencies, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1014
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 ``Gateway Communities
Cooperation Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDERAL LAND MANAGERS
AND GATEWAY COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE
LAND MANAGEMENT OF BOTH FEDERAL AND ADJACENT
LANDS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Many communities that abut or are near Federal lands,
including units of the National Park System, units of the
National Wildlife Refuge System, units of the National Forest
System, and lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management, are vitally impacted by the management and public
use of these Federal lands.
(2) Some of these communities, commonly known as gateway
communities, fulfill an integral part in the mission of the
Federal lands by providing necessary services, such as
schools, roads, search and rescue, emergency service, medical
support, logistical support, living quarters, and drinking
water and sanitary systems for visitors to the Federal lands
and employees of Federal land management agencies.
(3) Provision of these vital services by gateway
communities is an essential ingredient for a meaningful and
enjoyable experience by visitors to the Federal lands because
Federal land management agencies are unable to provide, or
are prevented from providing, these services.
(4) Many gateway communities serve as an entry point for
persons who visit the Federal lands and are ideal for
establishment of visitor services, including lodging, food
service, fuel, auto repairs, emergency services, and visitor
information.
(5) Development in some gateway communities may impact the
management and protection of these Federal lands.
(6) The planning and management decisions of Federal land
managers can have unintended consequences for gateway
communities and the Federal lands when the decisions are not
adequately communicated to, or coordinated with, the elected
officials and residents of gateway communities.
(7) Experts in land management planning are available to
Federal land managers, but persons with technical planning
skills are often not readily available to gateway
communities, particularly small gateway communities.
(8) Gateway communities are often affected by the policies
and actions of several Federal land management agencies and
the communities and the agencies would benefit from greater
interagency coordination of those policies and actions.
(9) Persuading gateway communities to make decisions and
undertake actions in their communities that would also be in
the best interest of the Federal lands is most likely to
occur when such decisionmaking and actions are built upon a
foundation of cooperation and coordination.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to require
Federal land managers to communicate, coordinate, and
cooperate with gateway communities in order to--
(1) improve the relationships among Federal land managers,
elected officials, and residents of gateway communities;
(2) enhance the facilities and services in gateway
communities available to visitors to Federal lands when
compatible with the management of these lands, including the
availability of historical and cultural resources; and
(3) result in better local land use planning in gateway
communities and decisions by the relevant Secretary.
(c) Definitions.--For the purpose of this section, the
following definitions apply:
(1) Gateway community.--The term ``gateway community''
means a county, city, town, village, or other subdivision of
a State, a federally recognized Indian tribe, or Alaska
Native village, that--
(A) is incorporated or recognized in a county or regional
land use plan or within tribal jurisdictional boundaries; and
(B) the relevant Secretary (or the head of the tourism
office for the State) determines is significantly affected
economically, socially, or environmentally by planning and
management decisions regarding Federal lands administered by
the relevant Secretary.
(2) Relevant secretary--The term ``relevant Secretary''
means the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of
Agriculture, as appropriate.
(d) Participation in Federal Planning and Land Use.--
(1) Participation in planning.--At the earliest possible
time, the relevant Secretary shall solicit the involvement of
elected and appointed officials of governments of gateway
communities in the development of land use plans, programs,
land use regulations, land use decisions, transportation
plans, general management plans, and any other plans,
decisions, projects, or policies for Federal lands under the
jurisdiction of these Federal agencies that are likely to
have a significant impact on these gateway communities.
(2) Information provided.--To facilitate such involvement,
the relevant Secretary shall provide the appropriate
officials, at the earliest possible time but not later than
the scoping process, with the following:
(A) A summary, in nontechnical language, of the
assumptions, purposes, goals, and objectives of the a plan,
decision, project, or policy.
(B) A description of any anticipated significant impact of
the plan, decision, project, or policy on gateway
communities.
(C) Information regarding the technical assistance and
training available to the gateway community.
(3) Training sessions.--At the request of a gateway
community, the relevant Secretary shall offer training
sessions for elected and appointed officials of gateway
communities at which such officials can obtain a better
understanding of--
(A) the agency planning processes; and
(B) the methods by which they can participate most
meaningfully in the development of the agency plans,
decisions, and policies referred to in paragraph (1).
(4) Technical assistance.--At the request of a gateway
community, the relevant Secretary shall make available
personnel, on a temporary basis, to assist gateway
communities in development of mutually compatible land use or
management plans.
(5) Coordination of land use.--The relevant Secretary may
enter into cooperative agreements with gateway communities to
coordinate the management of--
(A) the land use inventory, planning, and management
activities for the Federal lands administered by the relevant
Secretary; and
(B) the land use planning and management activities of
other Federal agencies, agencies of the State in which the
Federal lands are located, and local and tribal governments
in the vicinity of the Federal lands.
(6) Interagency cooperation and coordination.--To the
extent practicable, when the plans and activities of 2 or
more Federal agencies are anticipated to have a significant
impact on a gateway community, the Federal agencies involved
shall consolidate and coordinate their plans and planning
processes to facilitate the participation of affected gateway
communities in the planning processes.
(7) Treatment as cooperating agencies.--To the earliest
extent practicable, but not later than the scoping process,
when a proposed action is determined to require an
environmental impact statement, the relevant Secretary shall
allow any affected gateway communities the opportunity to be
recognized as cooperating agencies under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(e) Grants to Small Gateway Communities.--
(1) In general.--The relevant Secretary may make grants to
any gateway community with a population of 10,000 or less to
carry out the purposes of this section.
(2) Authorization of appropriations for grantmaking.--
There are hereby authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000
for each fiscal year for grants under this subsection.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are hereby
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act (other
than for grants under subsection (e)), $10,000,000 for each
fiscal year.
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 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.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1014, introduced by the gentleman from California
(Mr. Radanovich), would facilitate better communication between the
Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior and those designated
communities located adjacent to our Federal lands which have come to be
known as gateway communities. These gateway communities have and
continue to be impacted by decisions made by managers of our public
lands and oftentimes fulfill an integral part in the mission of these
Federal lands by providing necessary services such as schools, roads,
search and rescue, emergency and medical support, drinking water and
sanitary systems, to name just a few. It would improve the relationship
among Federal land managers, elected officials, and residents of
gateway communities, enhance facilities and services available to
visitors to our Federal lands, and improve the coordination of land use
planning and decisions made by Federal land managers.
[[Page H5932]]
In addition, this legislation would make grants available to eligible
gateway communities to participate in the Federal land planning
process, further giving these communities a place at the table when
decisions are being made.
H.R. 1014 is supported by the majority and the minority of the
committee. I urge adoption of the 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, as introduced, the gateway community
legislation sponsored by the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich)
was controversial. However, over the last 2 years, committee staff,
outside groups, and the agencies themselves have worked cooperatively
to resolve many of the issues presented by this legislation. Recently,
enough progress was made that the bill is before us today.
We agree with the National Parks Conservation Association, however,
H.R. 1014 is not perfect. It is our hope as this legislation is
considered by the other body, all of the interested parties might
continue working cooperatively to resolve some of the remaining issues.
Furthermore, Members should realize that H.R. 1014 represents yet
another piece of legislation placing new duties upon our Federal land
managers.
As we continue to work on the Interior appropriations legislation, I
would call on all Members to work together to ensure that our Federal
land management agencies receive funding sufficient to meet not only
their current operations and maintenance needs, but also to cover any
new responsibilities we are placing on them through legislation such as
H.R. 1014. In many ways, an increase in funding will do as much to
improve the communication and cooperation between Federal land
management agencies and their neighbors as new authorizing legislation.
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 California (Mr. Radanovich), the chairman of the
Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Land.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I like to call this bill
``the good neighbor act'' even though its real name is the Gateway
Communities Cooperation Act. The purpose of the bill is to make certain
that small communities located just outside the Federal properties have
input in the Federal land planning processes. This measure is critical
to many of my constituents and important for numerous small communities
throughout the country that are impacted by the Federal land management
decisions. Many times they are the ones that provide solutions to
Federal management problems.
As someone who represents several small towns located just outside
Yosemite National Park and near the Stanislaus and Sierra National
forests, I know that too often these communities are left out of the
process.
This bill ensures that communities serving as gateways to our
Nation's Federal lands, including Park Service and Forest Service
properties, have a voice in that process. Gateway communities can
greatly benefit or be severely harmed by the decisions of Federal land
managers, so it is critical that their views are heard before land
managers make final decisions. That is why H.R. 1014 encourages a more
open discussion between Federal agencies and local communities.
Additionally, this bill makes grants available to qualified gateway
communities to provide technical assistance to local communities,
allowing them to more readily participate in the Federal land planning
process. For these reasons, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R.
1014.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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. 1014, 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.
____________________