[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.

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