[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 22, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                H.R. 1374--FLORIDA NATIONAL FOREST LAND

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                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Madam Speaker, today the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee considered S. 934, a companion bill to H.R. 1374, 
which passed the House of Representatives on December 17, 2007. This 
legislation provides the Forestry Service the flexibility they need to 
properly manage their assets. This legislation modifies the Florida 
National Forest Land Management Act in two simple ways which will 
provide the Forest Service essential authority to manage the national 
forests in Florida effectively.
  The first provision simply adds an unmanageable tract of land located 
in Tallahassee, FL to the list of lands the Secretary of Agriculture is 
currently authorized to sell. This specific property, tract W-1979, is 
approximately 114 acres of land that has evolved into an unmanageable, 
problem area for the Apalachicola National Forest. Due to the 
configuration and surrounding development, the vegetation cannot be 
managed through prescribed fire. Although a very valuable tract from a 
real estate/commercial aspect, this tract has lost its national forest 
character. The sale of this land will allow the Forest Service to 
purchase other lands located within the Forest that are more manageable 
and will enhance national forests in Florida.
  Secondly, this legislation would allow the Forest Service to use 
proceeds from the sale of other ``non-green land'' to be used for 
construction and improvements to administrative facilities essential to 
the proper management of the Forest. These ``non-green land'' tracts of 
land are owned by the Forest Service, but have urban improvements like 
fairgrounds or sporting complexes and are not conducive to the overall 
purpose of protecting our national forests.
  This legislation would allow the Service to use the proceeds from the 
sale of improved lands to build critical infrastructure they need to 
manage the forests in Florida, while allowing the forest service to 
continue its practice of using receipts from all non-developed ``green 
land'' tracts for the acquisition of other ``green land'' tracts to 
enhance the national forests in Florida. I am pleased that this 
legislation is moving forward and the Forest Service will have the 
ability to efficiently and effectively manage our Nation's precious 
resources.

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