[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 118 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H8194-H8195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SNOQUALMIE PASS LAND CONVEYANCE ACT
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1285) to provide for the conveyance of a parcel of National
Forest System land in Kittitas County, Washington, to facilitate the
construction of a new fire and rescue station, and for other purposes,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1285
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 ``Snoqualmie Pass Land
Conveyance Act''.
SEC. 2. LAND CONVEYANCE, NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND,
KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON.
(a) Conveyance Required.--The Secretary of Agriculture
shall convey, without consideration, to the King and Kittitas
Counties Fire District #51 of King and Kittitas Counties,
Washington (in this section referred to as the ``District''),
all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to
a parcel of National Forest System land in Kittitas County,
Washington, consisting of approximately 1.5 acres within the
SW\1/4\ of the SE\1/4\ of section 4, township 22 north, range
11 east, Willamette meridian, for the purpose of permitting
the District to use the parcel as a site for a new Snoqualmie
Pass fire and rescue station.
(b) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at
any time that the real property conveyed under subsection (a)
is not being used in accordance with the purpose of the
conveyance specified in such subsection, all right, title,
and interest in and to the property shall revert, at the
option of the Secretary, to the United States, and the United
States shall have the right of immediate entry onto the
property. Any determination of the Secretary under this
subsection shall be made on the record after an opportunity
for a hearing.
(c) Survey.--If necessary, the exact acreage and legal
description of the lands to be conveyed under subsection (a)
shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the
Secretary. The cost of a survey shall be borne by the
District.
(d) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may
require such additional terms and conditions in connection
with the conveyance under subsection (a) as the Secretary
considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United
States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs.
McMorris Rodgers) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
General Leave
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend 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. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1285, introduced by Representative
Doc Hastings of Washington, conveys 1.5 acres of land in the Mt. Baker-
Snoqualmie National Forest to facilitate the construction of a new fire
and rescue station.
Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue is in need of a new fire station as
the current station has numerous deficiencies. The fire station is
important to the community and often responds to fires on Federal
lands.
Mr. Speaker, it is our understanding that there are ongoing
discussions in Washington State to address some lingering issues
related to this conveyance, and we support those efforts.
With that understanding, we have no objection to H.R. 1285, and
support its adoption by the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The majority has adequately explained the bill. I would like to
commend Congressman Doc Hastings and his staff for their work on this
legislation.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, the Snoqualmie Pass Land
Conveyance Act would transfer an acre and a half of Forest Service land
to the King and Kittitas Counties Fire District No. 51--also known as
Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue. This land would be conveyed at no
cost, but would have to be used by the Fire District specifically for
the constructon of a new fire station or it would revert back to the
federal government.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
July 23, 2007 On Page H8194 the following appeared: Mr. HASTINGS
of Florida.
The online version should be corrected to read: Mr. HASTINGS of
Washington.
========================= END NOTE =========================
Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue serves a portion of two counties on
both sides of the Cascade Mountains along Interstate 90. This is a very
rural area, with a small number of full-time residents, but it is also
the major transportation corridor for goods and services between
Eastern and Western Washington, as well as a destination for winter
recreation. In recent years, this area has been the scene of major
winter snowstorms, multi-vehicle accidents, and even avalanches. The
Fire District is often the first responder to incidents in the area.
For decades, the Fire District has been leasing its current site from
the Forest Service. They operate out of an aging building that was
never designed to be a fire station. Through their hard work and
dedication, they have served their community ably despite this
building's many shortcomings. However, with traffic on the rise and the
need for emergency services in the area growing, the Fire District
needs to move to a true fire station.
They have identified a nearby site that would better serve the public
safety needs of interstate travelers. This location would provide easy
access to the interstate in either direction, reducing response times
in emergencies. The parcel is on Forest Service property, immediately
adjacent to a freeway interchange, between a frontage road and the
interstate itself. The parcel was formerly a disposal site during
construction of the freeway and is now a gravel lot.
I acknowledge that the Forest Service does not normally support
conveyances of land free of charge. However, I believe an exception
should be made in this particular circumstance because of the important
public service provided by the Fire District, the heavy traffic and
emergency calls created by non-residents in the area, the distance of
Snoqualmie Pass from other communities with emergency services, and
because of the high amount of federal land ownership in the area, which
severely limits the local tax base. In fact, the Forest Service has
acquired 20,000 acres in King and Kittitas counties at a cost of more
than $52 million over just the last ten years. I would also note again
that under this bill, this land would revert back to the Forest Service
if for whatever reason a new fire station is not built on the property.
Passage of this legislation would not guarantee that a new station
would be built--the Fire District would have to work hard to gather the
financing that would be required from state and local sources, as well
as any applicable federal grants or loans. However, the conveyance of
this site at no cost would help this Fire District hold down the
overall cost of this project.
I first introduced this legislation last year, with my colleague from
Washington, Mr. Reichert. Unfortunately, the bill was not considered
before the end of the last Congress. We reintroduced the bill in early
March and were pleased the Natural Resources Committee held a
subcommittee hearing on the bill in April to take testimony on the
issues involved. At a subsequent markup of the bill last month, the
acreage involved was reduced to acre and a half to address concerns
that a fire station would not require three acres. With this change,
the bill was approved by voice vote in committee.
Last week, at a meeting in the region, several environmental interest
groups expressed reservations about the conveyance. Over the next
several weeks, it is understood these groups will meet with the Fire
District to discuss their concerns. I am committed to working with my
colleagues from Washington state in the Senate, as well as the Natural
Resources Committee, to facilitate these discussions to ensure we have
the public safety infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of this
unique area. I am confident this can be done with little or no impact
to the environment. It is my hope that the parties can reach agreement
on this issue by September when
[[Page H8195]]
the Congress will reconvene and can resume work on the legislation.
I appreciate the efforts of my colleagues on the Natural Resources
Committee to review this issue and bring this bill forward. I look
forward to continuing to work with the community at the Pass and my
Washington colleagues to improve public safety in the area.
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. 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. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1285, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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