[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 129 (Wednesday, November 15, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8646-H8649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NEW ENGLAND WILDERNESS ACT OF 2006

  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 4001) to designate certain land in New England as 
wilderness for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System 
and certain land as a National Recreation Area, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 4001

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``New 
     England Wilderness Act of 2006''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act 
     is as follows:

Section 1. Short title; table of contents
Sec. 2. Definition of Secretary

                         TITLE I--NEW HAMPSHIRE

Sec. 101. Definition of State
Sec. 102. Designation of wilderness areas
Sec. 103. Map and description
Sec. 104. Administration

                           TITLE II--VERMONT

Sec. 201. Definitions

              Subtitle A--Designation of Wilderness Areas

Sec. 211. Designation
Sec. 212. Map and description
Sec. 213. Administration

            Subtitle B--Moosalamoo National Recreation Area

Sec. 221. Designation
Sec. 222. Map and description
Sec. 223. Administration of National Recreation Area

     SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.

       In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
     Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

                         TITLE I--NEW HAMPSHIRE

     SEC. 101. DEFINITION OF STATE.

       In this title, the term ``State'' means the State of New 
     Hampshire.

     SEC. 102. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS.

       In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
     seq.), the following Federal land in the State is designated 
     as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness 
     Preservation System:
       (1) Certain Federal land managed by the Forest Service, 
     comprising approximately 23,700 acres, as generally depicted 
     on the map entitled ``Proposed Wild River Wilderness--White 
     Mountain National Forest'', dated February 6, 2006, which 
     shall be known as the ``Wild River Wilderness''.
       (2) Certain Federal land managed by the Forest Service, 
     comprising approximately 10,800 acres, as generally depicted 
     on the map entitled ``Proposed Sandwich Range Wilderness 
     Additions--White Mountain National Forest'', dated February 
     6, 2006, and which are incorporated in the Sandwich Range 
     Wilderness, as designated by the New Hampshire Wilderness Act 
     of 1984 (Public Law 98-323; 98 Stat. 259).

     SEC. 103. MAP AND DESCRIPTION.

       (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a 
     legal description of each wilderness area designated by 
     section 102 with the committees of appropriate jurisdiction 
     in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
       (b) Force and Effect.--A map and legal description filed 
     under subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as 
     if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may 
     correct clerical and typographical errors in the map and 
     legal description.
       (c) Public Availability.--Each map and legal description 
     filed under subsection (a) shall be filed and made available 
     for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the 
     Forest Service.

     SEC. 104. ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) Administration.--Subject to valid existing rights, each 
     wilderness area designated under this title shall be 
     administered by the Secretary in accordance with--
       (1) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 
     U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
       (2) the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
       (b) Effective Date of Wilderness Act.--With respect to any 
     wilderness area designated by this title, any reference in 
     the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) to the effective 
     date of the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a reference 
     to the date of enactment of this Act.
       (c) Fish and Wildlife.--As provided in section 4(d)(7) of 
     the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(7)), nothing in this 
     title affects any jurisdiction or responsibility of the State 
     with respect to wildlife and fish in the State.

[[Page H8647]]

       (d) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, all 
     Federal land in the wilderness areas designated by section 
     102 are withdrawn from--
       (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under 
     the public land laws;
       (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
       (3) disposition under the mineral leasing laws (including 
     geothermal leasing laws).

                           TITLE II--VERMONT

     SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.

       In this title:
       (1) Management plan.--The term ``Management Plan'' means 
     the Green Mountain National Forest Land and Resource 
     Management Plan.
       (2) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Vermont.

              Subtitle A--Designation of Wilderness Areas

     SEC. 211. DESIGNATION.

       In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
     seq.), the following areas in the State are designated as 
     wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness 
     Preservation System:
       (1) Certain Federal land managed by the United States 
     Forest Service, comprising approximately 22,425 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Glastenbury 
     Wilderness--Proposed'', dated September 2006, which shall be 
     known as the ``Glastenbury Wilderness''.
       (2) Certain Federal land managed by the United States 
     Forest Service, comprising approximately 12,333 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Joseph Battell 
     Wilderness--Proposed'', dated September 2006, which shall be 
     known as the ``Joseph Battell Wilderness''.
       (3) Certain Federal land managed by the United States 
     Forest Service, comprising approximately 3,757 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Breadloaf Wilderness 
     Additions--Proposed'', dated September 2006, which shall be 
     known as the ``Breadloaf Wilderness''.
       (4) Certain Federal land managed by the United States 
     Forest Service, comprising approximately 2,338 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Lye Brook Wilderness 
     Additions--Proposed'', dated September 2006, which shall be 
     known as the ``Lye Brook Wilderness''.
       (5) Certain Federal land managed by the United States 
     Forest Service, comprising approximately 752 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Peru Peak Wilderness 
     Additions--Proposed'', dated September 2006, which shall be 
     known as the ``Peru Peak Wilderness''.
       (6) Certain Federal land managed by the United States 
     Forest Service, comprising approximately 47 acres, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Big Branch 
     Wilderness Additions--Proposed'', dated September 2006, which 
     shall be known as the ``Big Branch Wilderness''.

     SEC. 212. MAP AND DESCRIPTION.

       (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a 
     legal description of each wilderness area designated by 
     section 211 with--
       (1) the Committee on Resources of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (2) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (3) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
     of the Senate.
       (b) Force of Law.--A map and legal description filed under 
     subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as if 
     included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct 
     clerical and typographical errors in the map and legal 
     description.
       (c) Public Availability.--Each map and legal description 
     filed under subsection (a) shall be filed and made available 
     for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the 
     Forest Service.

     SEC. 213. ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) Administration.--Subject to valid rights in existence 
     on the date of enactment of this Act, each wilderness area 
     designated under this subtitle and in the Green Mountain 
     National Forest (as of the date of enactment of this Act) 
     shall be administered by the Secretary in accordance with the 
     Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
       (b) Fish and Wildlife.--Nothing in this subtitle affects 
     the jurisdiction of the State with respect to wildlife and 
     fish on the public land located in the State, including the 
     stocking of fish in rivers and streams in the State to 
     support the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration 
     Program.
       (c) Trails.--The Forest Service shall allow the continuance 
     of--
       (1) the Appalachian National Scenic Trail;
       (2) the Long Trail;
       (3) the Catamount Trail; and
       (4) the marking and maintenance of associated trails and 
     trail structures of the Trails referred to in this 
     subsection, consistent with the management direction 
     (including objectives, standards, guidelines, and agreements 
     with partners) established for the Appalachian National 
     Scenic Trail, Long Trail, and Catamount Trail under the 
     Management Plan.

            Subtitle B--Moosalamoo National Recreation Area

     SEC. 221. DESIGNATION.

       Certain Federal land managed by the United States Forest 
     Service, comprising approximately 15,857 acres, as generally 
     depicted on the map entitled ``Moosalamoo National Recreation 
     Area--Proposed'', dated September 2006, is designated as the 
     ``Moosalamoo National Recreation Area''.

     SEC. 222. MAP AND DESCRIPTION.

       (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a 
     legal description of the national recreation area designated 
     by section 221 with--
       (1) the Committee on Resources of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (2) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (3) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
     of the Senate.
       (b) Force of Law.--A map and legal description filed under 
     subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as if 
     included in this subtitle, except that the Secretary may 
     correct clerical and typographical errors in the map and 
     legal description.
       (c) Public Availability.--Each map and legal description 
     filed under subsection (a) shall be filed and made available 
     for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the 
     Forest Service.

     SEC. 223. ADMINISTRATION OF NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.

       (a) In General.--Subject to valid rights existing on the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall administer 
     the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area in accordance with--
       (1) laws (including rules and regulations) applicable to 
     units of the National Forest System; and
       (2) the management direction (including objectives, 
     standards, and guidelines) established for the Moosalamoo 
     Recreation and Education Management Area under the Management 
     Plan.
       (b) Fish and Wildlife.--Nothing in this subtitle affects 
     the jurisdiction of the State with respect to wildlife and 
     fish on the public land located in the State.
       (c) Escarpment and Ecological Areas.--Nothing in this 
     subtitle prevents the Secretary from managing the Green 
     Mountain Escarpment Management Area and the Ecological 
     Special Areas, as described in the Management Plan.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Drake) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days 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 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  S. 4001 would designate 34,500 acres of wilderness in the White 
Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and 41,652 acres of 
wilderness in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont.
  The Resources Committee supports the wilderness designation in the 
White Mountain National Forest. This designation was developed with the 
Forest Service through its forest planning process and with substantial 
input and involvement from the public and local interest groups. It 
boasts the strong support of New Hampshire's citizens, environmental 
groups, the forest products industry, elected officials, the Forest 
Service and the administration.
  With that said, the committee is somewhat troubled with the Vermont 
wilderness designation within S. 4001. The Forest Service's publicly 
vetted and collaborative forest plan recommends only 27,000 acres of 
wilderness. However, considering the few days remaining in this 
Congress and the support of this bill by the entire Vermont delegation, 
the Resources Committee will defer to Vermont's elected officials and 
pass the bill today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. RAHALL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I would simply note that this legislation, 
which would designate Federal wilderness areas on national forest 
system lands within the States of New Hampshire and Vermont, is before 
us in part due to the efforts of our colleague, Bernie Sanders, and for 
that, I commend the gentleman from Vermont for his dedication, 
persistence and willingness to work with us on this legislation. He 
will soon become a member of the other body, but we shall still 
maintain our friendship. I salute him for his tenacity in ensuring that 
his State's interests are included in this measure.

[[Page H8648]]

  I would also observe that the wilderness designations made by the 
pending measure are clean, and by that, I refer to the fact that they 
are not coupled with other matters which have nothing to do with 
wilderness.
  Wilderness standing on its own here, the benefits of wilderness 
designation to the local economy, to hunters and fishermen, and to our 
heritage and future generations of Americans, is on display for all to 
see.
  It is not being coupled or being debased with other matters such as 
the disposal of public lands as the price of obtaining some wilderness 
designation as we have seen with a number of other bills considered by 
this body in recent months.
  So I am pleased to support the measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley).
  Mr. BRADLEY of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the 
leadership of the Resources Committee on both sides of the aisle, as 
well as the leadership on both sides of the aisle in the House, for 
allowing myself, Congressman Bass and Congressman Sanders to have 
another opportunity to debate this bill today.
  What we have before us is a compromise in true New England fashion, 
with both States' delegations and Governors of both States having 
worked together to bring before the House a consensus package that 
represents the best interests of my colleague's State of Vermont and 
the best interests of my State of New Hampshire.
  As someone who is an avid hiker and someone who will have a little 
bit more time now to hike, I can attest to all Members of the House, 
this wilderness designation makes sense for New Hampshire. I have hiked 
in both regions of the proposed wilderness designation. They are worthy 
of this additional protection of wilderness designation.
  In the case of New Hampshire, myself and Congressman Bass, Senator 
Gregg and Senator Sununu, the sponsors of this measure, have worked 
extensively with all sides that were interested in this legislation, 
both environmental groups, logging interests, snowmobiling groups to 
make sure that we had a plan that mirrored the interests of Tom Wagner, 
who is the administrator of the White Mountain National Forest, and his 
very capable group of people that proposed the White Mountain National 
Forest plan and the wilderness designation.
  As a side note, the White Mountain National Forest plan, despite all 
the comments that came in after the plan was published, in particular 
comments about wilderness designation, was not challenged in court by 
any of the various interests, which is a tribute to how hard New 
Hampshire interests worked on the compromise that you see before you 
today.
  So, as somebody who has spent extensive time hiking in the White 
Mountain National Forest, including in these two proposed wilderness 
designations, the Sandwich designation, as well as the Wild River 
designation, I thank again my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for 
allowing this bill to come forward. I thank the leadership on both 
sides for allowing this bill to come forward. It is truly going to 
protect both the Green Mountain National Forest and the White Mountain 
National Forest, and I would welcome all of you to come join me in 
hiking in these two wilderness designations once they have been signed 
into law.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to 
our distinguished colleague from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) and again 
congratulate him on his ascension into the other body.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from West Virginia.
  This has been a somewhat long and unusual path to get here to where 
we are today, and I want to thank the gentlewoman and I want to thank 
the committee for their support and I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. 
Bradley and Mr. Bass from New Hampshire, for their very hard work on 
this, and the New Hampshire delegation in the Senate and Senator Leahy 
and Senator Jeffords for where we are today.

                              {time}  1030

  I rise, obviously, in very strong support of this legislation which 
would designate wilderness areas in both Vermont and New Hampshire. 
This legislation passed the Senate unanimously in September, and I hope 
this body will pass it today in similar fashion.
  I should point out that the New England Wilderness Act not only has 
the unanimous support of the New Hampshire delegation and the Vermont 
delegation but the Governor of the State of Vermont and the Governor of 
the State of New Hampshire as well.
  Mr. Speaker, the Green Mountain National Forest is integral to the 
State of Vermont. Established in 1932, the forest includes almost 
400,000 acres stretching across two-thirds the length of the State. As 
you might imagine, the forest looms large on the minds of Vermonters. 
My constituents have high expectations about the stewardship of the 
resources within the forest, and the wilderness created in this bill is 
something almost all Vermonters eagerly await.
  In fact, passage of the New England Wilderness Act would mark a 
successful culmination of on-the-ground efforts in both Vermont and New 
Hampshire. In Vermont, this has involved roughly 5 years of discussions 
as well as cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service as they worked to 
update the forest management plan which included a significant public 
process.
  For example, five local planning groups met monthly during the 
planning process, and over 70 public meetings occurred during this same 
period. Additionally, four educational forums on the future management 
of the forest and four open houses on the forest plan also took place. 
Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, throughout the whole undertaking, one 
message was very clear: Designating wilderness areas in the State of 
Vermont has the overwhelming support of the vast majority of the people 
in my State.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I ask for the support of all of my 
colleagues to pass this important legislation. Enacting this 
legislation into law will provide lasting benefits to current and 
future generations of citizens in Vermont and New Hampshire and 
throughout the entire United States, and I look forward to celebrating 
this important milestone.
  Once again, I want to thank the committee and my colleagues from New 
Hampshire for their very hard work on this.
  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass).
  Mr. BASS. I thank the gentlewoman.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to stand here before you in 
support of S. 4001. As my good friend and colleague from Vermont 
mentioned a minute or two ago, this is the culmination of a very 
tortuous negotiation process that has taken place over a period of 
years. I am very pleased to be able to culminate this process in this 
fashion as the last bill that I, as the Representative of the Second 
Congressional District, will be speaking in favor of and supporting on 
the floor of the House, and probably his last bill as he heads over to 
represent his great State of Vermont in the U.S. Senate, and I offer 
him my congratulations.
  This is a very significant piece of legislation for New Hampshire and 
the White Mountain National Forest. It will set aside 34,000 acres in 
wilderness designated lands, as we said before, in the Sandwich Range 
and Wild River areas of northern New Hampshire. It is, as was said, the 
culmination of 5 years of planning on the part of the U.S. Department 
of Agriculture, the USDA staff that are on the ground in the area, the 
stakeholders in the region, including the towns, environmental groups, 
State reps and State legislators. It is the culmination of an open 
process in which many, many different points of view were brought into 
consideration, and this plan was developed. This is the legislative 
initiative that implements that plan, and I fully support it.
  The White Mountain National Forest was established in 1911 through 
the Weeks Act. It is the most visited national forest in the country. I 
believe, although I don't recall the exact number right now, but over 5 
million people frequent this national forest. We have

[[Page H8649]]

two ski areas that exist in it. It is a great source of recreation, but 
it is also a very diverse ecosystem, and I think that the plan that we 
have here before us today represents a reasonable compromise between 
the need to preserve key wilderness areas for future generations and 
the need to recognize that a national forest is also an economic engine 
and is part of the economy for the region and a critical part of that 
economy.
  So by including the designations in the State of Vermont, New 
Hampshire and Vermont are working together, because indeed their 
forests and our forests are very close to one another. In a bipartisan 
fashion, with the support of both Governors and the whole delegation to 
implement this plan, the impact of this designation will not be felt 
just this year and next year but forever.
  So I just want to say that, as my last bill on the floor of the 
House, I think it is as important a bill as I have ever had because its 
impact will last long after I am gone and everybody else that is here 
today. So I want to thank, in closing, all of those who have helped on 
the House side and on the Senate side to bring this wonderful jewel to 
New Hampshire and preserving 34,000 acres of the White Mountain 
National Forest for eternity.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Drake) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 4001.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having 
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate 
bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________