[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6187-H6189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            DOROTHY BUELL MEMORIAL VISITOR CENTER LEASE ACT

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1423) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease a 
portion of a visitor center to be constructed outside the boundary of 
the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter County, Indiana, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1423

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

     SECTION 1. DOROTHY BUELL MEMORIAL VISITOR CENTER.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Partnership Act''.
       (b) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary of the 
     Interior may enter into a memorandum of understanding to 
     establish a joint partnership with the Porter County 
     Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission. The memorandum 
     of understanding shall--
       (1) identify the overall goals and purpose of the Dorothy 
     Buell Memorial Visitor Center;
       (2) establish how management and operational duties will be 
     shared;
       (3) determine how exhibits, Signs, and other information 
     are developed;
       (4) indicate how various activities will be funded;
       (5) identify who is responsible for providing site 
     amenities;
       (6) establish procedures for changing or dissolving the 
     joint partnership; and
       (7) address any other issues deemed necessary by the 
     Secretary or the Porter County Convention, Recreation and 
     Visitor Commission.
       (c) Development of Exhibits.--The Secretary may plan, 
     design, construct, and install exhibits in the Dorothy Buell 
     Memorial Visitor Center related to the use and management of 
     the resources at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, at a cost 
     not to exceed $1,500,000.
       (d) National Lakeshore Presence.--The Secretary may use 
     park staff from Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the 
     Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center to provide visitor 
     information and education.

     SEC. 2. INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE.

       Section 19 of the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the 
     establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and 
     for other purposes'' (16 U.S.C. 460u-19) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``After notifying'' and inserting ``(a) 
     After notifying''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) Contiguous Clarified.--For purposes of subsection 
     (a), lands may be considered contiguous to other lands if the 
     lands touch the other lands, or are separated from the other 
     lands by only a public or private right-of-way, such as a 
     road, railroad, or utility corridor.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Guam.


                             General Leave

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in 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 
gentlewoman from Guam?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1423 would allow the National Park 
Service to share visitor center facilities for the Indiana Dunes 
National Lakeshore with the Porter County Indiana Convention, 
Recreation and Visitor Commission.
  The bill also allows the National Park Service to construct exhibits 
at the visitor center and authorizes National Park Service employees to 
work there. Congress must approve the spending and the use of personnel 
because the visitor center lies outside the established boundaries of 
the park.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1423 would clarify the definition of 
``contiguous lands'' in the park's original legislation so that the 
National Park Service could accept donations of contiguous land even if 
that land is separated by a right-of-way such as a road, a railway line 
or utility corridor.
  I commend the sponsor, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), 
for his work on the legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support 
passage of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, Indiana Dunes National 
Lakeshore, on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, is comprised of 15,000 
acres along 15 miles of shoreline. This bill authorizes the Secretary 
of Interior to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Porter 
County Commission to lease space for the use of a visitor center. It 
also permits the Secretary to accept donations of lands that are 
located along the borders of the lakeshore but are separated by a 
right-of-way.
  And today, as we are dealing with this particular unit of the 
National Park Service, I think it's fitting to remember that our 
constituents are dealing with high gasoline prices that are cutting 
into family vacations this summer, making it increasingly costly to 
visit our national parks.
  Over the Independence Day work period back in my district, I spoke 
with a number of constituents who are still frustrated about high 
gasoline prices and also are frustrated with what they perceive as 
Congress' failure to do anything to adopt a comprehensive energy 
policy. This Congress needs to take action to put all of our available 
resources and technologies on the table, including increase American-
made energy, conservation and efficiency to bring relief at the pumps.
  I thought the best story that I heard was a lady that came to me and 
I asked her, I said, what do you think we ought to be doing about this 
energy issue that we're dealing with? And she said, Mr. Wittman, do you 
remember the movie Apollo 13? And I said, yes, I did. And she said, do 
you remember the scene there where the oxygen tank on the outside of 
the service capsule blew up and the engineers there had to figure out 
how they were going to get those astronauts back to Earth? So they 
moved the astronauts into the command module, but the problem with the 
command module is it didn't have enough capacity to take CO2 
out of the air, so eventually the astronauts would be asphyxiated if 
they didn't come up with a solution to that problem and still have 
enough oxygen to propel the spaceship back to Earth.
  So what did they do? They sent the engineers to the duplicate capsule 
they

[[Page H6188]]

had there at Mission Control in Houston. And they sent them in there 
and they said take everything out of there that's available to these 
astronauts and put it in a box. So those engineers put those materials 
in a box and they brought it downstairs to Mission Control and they 
laid those pieces out on the table. And they told those engineers, 
solve the problem, make sure we get those astronauts back here. Come up 
with a CO2 scrubber that gets that CO2 out of the 
air so those astronauts can survive and get back to Earth. And lo and 
behold, those engineers did just that. But they weren't crippled by 
saying, well, you can only use this in the box and that in the box. 
They were there to use everything.
  Folks, if we're going to be successful in this effort for our 
comprehensive energy policy, we need to make sure that we use 
everything. And that includes looking at the energy that we have 
available here in the United States, being aggressive with 
conservation, being aggressive in developing alternative and renewable 
sources here. And this country has shown to have the engineering and 
ability and the willingness to get to work on these tough issues and to 
solve them. Our history has been wrought with just those efforts to 
make sure that we solve these problems.
  The American people are looking at us now to make sure that we solve 
this problem. And they don't want us to take anything out of that 
Apollo 13 box to solve this problem. They expect us to put everything 
there and to make sure that we come up with a solution to this, and I 
believe that this country can do that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Indiana, the bill's sponsor, Mr. Visclosky.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. I want to thank the gentlelady.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1423, the Dorothy 
Buell Memorial Visitor Center Lease Act, as amended. I am proud to 
sponsor this legislation, and I thank Mr. Donnelly for joining me as a 
cosponsor.
  I also do want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Don Young, 
the chairman of the subcommittee, as well as the ranking member, and 
especially the exceptional staff of the subcommittee and the full 
committee of Natural Resources for their consideration and good work on 
this measure.
  This measure will grant the Secretary of the Interior the authority 
to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint 
partnership with Porter County. This partnership will allow the 
National Park Service and the Porter County Convention, Recreation and 
Visitor Commission to develop a plan to maximize the efficiency of the 
Visitor Center at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and enhance the 
visitor experience. The measure also will provide funding to develop 
exhibits for the center.
  Additionally, the bill will help us enhance the Indiana Dunes 
National Lakeshore in the most affordable fashion possible. It will 
permit, but not require, the Secretary of the Interior to accept 
donations of lands located outside the present boundaries of the 
Lakeshore if they are contiguous with the park or separated by only a 
right-of-way. At present, the Secretary of the Interior cannot accept 
such donations. This provision makes a minor technical correction that 
has no financial impact, and will allow this natural treasure to expand 
by the generosity of those wishing to enhance the Lakeshore. It is my 
sincere hope that this legislation will continue our efforts to protect 
and enhance the Lakeshore, and to ensure that all Americans can benefit 
from the park.
  The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is an incredible natural 
treasure, as was mentioned, comprised of about 15,000 pristine acres 
along the southern shore of Lake Michigan in the midst of an urban 
environment. With its vast array of flora and fauna in northwest 
Indiana, a short distance from downtown Chicago, the Lakeshore receives 
over 3 million visitors from that urban area each year.
  The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore owes a great deal of gratitude 
to Dorothy Buell, who was instrumental in its establishment and 
development. Buell devoted much of her life to saving the dunes. In 
1952, she founded the Save the Dunes Council to obtain dunes land and 
to give it to the National State Park so that the unique habitat could 
be preserved and enjoyed by the general public.
  In 1992, Buell's extraordinary contributions to the dunes were 
recognized when the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Access and 
Enhancement Act was signed into law, thereby naming the park's visitor 
center for her and commemorating her vision, dedication and work.

                              {time}  1500

  The Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center is an excellent facility 
for providing environmental education programs and recreational 
activities. Visitors can enjoy displays and exhibits.
  I am very proud of the continued investment in the Indiana Dunes 
National Lakeshore by the National Park Service staff, our local 
communities, and Lakeshore volunteers in Indiana's First Congressional 
District. They seek to preserve, protect, and restore the Lakeshore and 
surrounding resources for an enhanced quality of life.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank the members and the leaders of the 
committee and subcommittee as well as the staff, and I ask my 
colleagues to support the measure.
  Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. I thank my friend for yielding again.
  Mr. Speaker, I got the whip report today and was looking over some of 
the bills that we're going to be going over today and this week. And I 
felt like, Mr. Speaker, it might be good just to remind our colleagues 
maybe of what all we're going to be doing this week so they can get 
their staffs down and start looking at this real hard.
  I was hoping that we might be talking about some ways to improve our 
energy management because what has happened so far on this House floor 
by the majority has simply not worked. We voted, I guess, almost 6 
weeks ago now, to stop sending oil into the Strategic Petroleum 
Reserve, and so thus far I believe, today is July 8; so at 70,000 
barrels of oil a day, that's over half a million barrels of oil that we 
have kept from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and yet gas is at a new 
record of $4.11 a gallon. So that's not working.
  The energy bill that the majority passed in January of 2007, which we 
called the ``No Energy Policy,'' has actually turned out to be a no 
energy policy because gas has gone from $2.35 a gallon to $4.11 a 
gallon. And light bulbs, or the CFLs, was mentioned over 350 times in 
that bill, and we have now learned that you can't dispose of those 
things because of the mercury in them, and they are only produced in 
China.
  So we have got a long way to go on correcting our energy situation in 
this Congress, and for some reason the majority just keeps turning its 
head.
  But I just felt like for some of our colleagues that are listening 
today they might know that we have already heard today that we amended 
High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act. We're going to 
get a chance to vote today to authorize the Preserve America Program 
and Save America's Treasures. We are now authorizing the Secretary of 
Interior to lease a portion of the visitor center to be constructed 
outside the boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter 
County, Indiana. I know that's a big one. You all need to be looking at 
that, Mr. Speaker.
  Number four, to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act 
of 1992 to add sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park, and 
I know that's an important piece of legislation. We're also going to do 
the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act. And we're going to name three 
post offices today.
  Now, tomorrow we are going to get into the real meat of some of this 
stuff. We've got 12 more suspensions, which are bills that really just 
come to the floor with about 20 minutes of debate, I believe, on either 
side, no amendments, not structured to any rule. We are going to look 
at the Pension Protection Technical Corrections Act, and I know, Mr. 
Speaker, these people at home will be glad to know that we're doing 
that. And then we have got to

[[Page H6189]]

honor the goal of the International Year of Astronomy; celebrating the 
25th anniversary of the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride; 
the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act; 
commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Space Foundation; 
commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration; Homes For Heroes Act; America's Beautiful 
National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act; Community Building Code 
Amendment Grant Act; Lead-Safe Housing for Kids; and Money Services 
Business Act.
  And then we have got one real bill that's going to be subject to a 
rule, Mr. Speaker: the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route 
National Historic Trail Designation Act. So any Members listening to 
this might want to get their amendments ready for that, and I don't 
know if we can amend that to talk about energy.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I just thought it was important that we discuss 
here among ourselves what we are doing in this Congress this week. 
People are paying $4.11 a gallon for gas at the pump. People are having 
to make decisions about whether they can go to work or go visit a loved 
one in a hospital. We need to be discussing our energy crisis because 
this is not something that just happened.
  And, look, we are not innocent in this. We had 12 years. We could 
have led the charge. But I remember back in April of 2006, then 
minority leader, now Speaker  Nancy Pelosi, said, ``Elect us. The 
Democrats have a commonsense plan for lowering the skyrocketing price 
of gasoline.''
  Please bring out that plan, Mr. Speaker. Bring out that commonsense 
plan so that we can see what can lower the skyrocketing prices because 
since that plan has not been revealed, gas has gone from $2.35 to 
$4.11.
  So while we are talking about all these important things today, and I 
know the American people are sitting on the edge of their seat to see 
if these things pass or not because of the effect it's going to have on 
their lives, I think if they could honestly have a good, bipartisan 
debate with an open rule, a good energy bill that all the people could 
come that represent the people all over this country to come in and 
discuss what we can do to give them relief at the pump.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First and foremost, I would like to remind my colleagues across the 
aisle that I feel that all legislation that is heard in the U.S. 
Congress is important legislation. I want to go on record saying that.
  And I would remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that 
in 2005, just 3 years ago, 2005, when you were in the majority, you 
passed an energy bill that you claimed would produce America's energy 
independence. It did not work, did it? What were gas prices then in 
2005, and what are they today?
  So I would again say the blame game is not working and we should 
truly sit down and get serious, dispense with the rhetoric, and address 
the issues facing the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. I want to thank my colleague for yielding to me.
  Just to my good friend from Guam, I don't have a problem with what 
you said because it sounds like we have had a bite of the apple, the 
new majority has had a bite of the apple. People have seen their gas 
prices continue to go up. So why not come up with a bill that we could 
put on the floor, to have an open rule, because there is nothing more 
important in this country right now, not just because the price of 
gasoline is $4.11 a gallon. This is a national security issue. We are 
writing Hugo Chavez a check to the Venezuelans for $170 million a day. 
This is a national security issue. This is an economic issue that we 
are talking about. This is affecting our stock market. This is 
affecting our gross national product. This is affecting a loaf of 
bread. This is affecting a gallon of milk. This is something we need to 
be talking about.
  So I'm glad to hear that you've taken notice that our plan of 2005 
has not been totally successful because it has not been totally 
implemented yet. But I am more than willing to have a discussion on 
this floor, open rule, energy package. Let's write one. Let's let it go 
through regular order. Let's let it have amendments. Let's let it have 
discussion. And I think if we could do that, then we maybe could come 
up with something that could succeed.
  Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues, all of the 
Members of Congress, to support this very important piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1423, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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