[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 149 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE BLUNT RESERVOIR AND PIERRE CANAL LAND CONVEYANCE 
                              ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2005

  Ms. HERSETH. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the Blunt Reservoir 
and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2005.
  The origins of the bill stretch back to The Flood Control Act of 1944 
which authorized a 190,000 acre irrigation project surrounding the Oahe 
dam and reservoir. As part of this project, the Bureau of Reclamation 
acquired approximately 19,000 acres of land in two South Dakota 
counties before organized opposition halted the project in 1977. Since 
then, the Bureau of Reclamation has retained ownership of the land and, 
even today, the original landowners continue to lease the land from the 
department.
  Recognizing that the project will not be restarted, the State of 
South Dakota initiated talks to resolve the ownership situation. 
Working with the South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks, local 
stakeholders, the Bureau of Reclamation, and others, a general 
consensus emerged that the best way to deal with the associated 
economic, tax base, wildlife mitigation, and public access concerns 
would be to allow the original landowners to buy back the land. Years 
of negotiations and meetings led to the bill I am introducing today.
  Under this bill, former Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal landowners 
would be allowed to repurchase their former lands, on which they 
currently hold preferential leases, from the Bureau of Reclamation. The 
bill also will transfer non-preferentially-leased lands and unleased 
lands to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, GFP, as 
part of its broader plan to restore wildlife habitat that was lost due 
to the construction of the Missouri River dams.
  The proposals in this legislation were included in an identical bill 
that passed the Senate by unanimous consent last year. This legislation 
is an important opportunity to resolve a land ownership issue left open 
for over 3 decades. I urge my colleagues in the House to give this bill 
their swift consideration.

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