[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H6021-H6022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1430
                     LAND GRANT PATENT MODIFICATION

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1280) to modify a land grant patent issued by the 
Secretary of the Interior.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1280

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

[[Page H6022]]

     SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS TO LAND GRANT PATENT ISSUED BY 
                   SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

       Patent Number 61-2000-0007, issued by the Secretary of the 
     Interior to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, 
     Chippewa County, Michigan, pursuant to section 5505 of 
     division A of the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
     1997 (Public Law 104-208; 110 Stat. 3009-516) is amended in 
     paragraph 6, under the heading ``subject also to the 
     following conditions'' by striking ``Whitefish Point 
     Comprehensive Plan of October 1992, or a gift shop'' and 
     inserting ``Human Use/Natural Resource Plan for Whitefish 
     Point, dated December 2002, permitted as the intent of 
     Congress''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Lamborn) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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 the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to bring to the House for 
its consideration this legislation sponsored by the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Stupak). This bill makes a minor technical correction to 
a land patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior to the Great 
Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
  In 1997, Congress directed the Secretary to grant a land patent 
transferring a portion of the Whitefish Point Coast Guard Light Station 
to the society for the purposes of developing a public museum dedicated 
to shipping on the Great Lakes, including the well-known tragedy of the 
S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, an iron ore carrier lost on Lake Superior in 
1975.
  A condition of the patent was that the use of the land conform to the 
Whitefish Point Comprehensive Plan of 1992. That plan has been replaced 
by a new document, the December 2002 Human Use/Natural Resource Plan 
for Whitefish Point. This bill strikes the reference to the old plan 
and replaces it with the title of the current document.
  Congressman Stupak has worked diligently on behalf of this 
legislation. The museum is one of the most popular attractions in 
Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Mr. Stupak has been a great advocate on 
its behalf.
  I wholeheartedly support H.R. 1280 and urge its adoption by the House 
today.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 1280, and I yield 
myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 1280 has been well explained by the majority, and we support the 
legislation.
  At this point, I would reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield to 
the sponsor of the legislation, Mr. Bart Stupak of Michigan.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the author of H.R. 1280. I 
would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Interior 
Committee, Mrs. Christensen and Mr. Lamborn, and the committee staff 
for their assistance in moving forward with this legislation.
  H.R. 1280 is a straightforward bill that would allow the Great Lakes 
Shipwreck Historical Society to implement the new Human Use/Natural 
Resource Management Plan for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in 
Chippewa County, Michigan.
  We have passed identical legislation on suspension out of the House 
of Representatives in the 109th and 110th sessions of Congress before, 
but it was not considered by the Senate. I am hopeful, with the House 
acting early this year in this legislative session, that the 
legislation we pass today will allow the Senate ample time to consider 
and approve this legislation.
  The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is a nonprofit 
organization dedicated to preserving the history of shipwrecks in the 
Great Lakes. Since 1992, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society 
has operated the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to educate the public 
about shipwrecks in the region. The museum provides exhibits on several 
shipwrecks in the area, including an in-depth exhibit on the Edmund 
Fitzgerald, which was lost with her entire crew of 29 men near 
Whitefish Point, Michigan, on November 10, 1975. Among the items on 
display is the 200-pound bronze bell recovered from the wreckage in 
1995, as a memorial to her lost crew.
  In 2002, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, working with 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Audubon Society, and 
the local community finalized a new management plan to improve the 
experience at the museum. The new management plan, which was signed and 
agreed upon by the interested parties, will allow the historical 
society to expand the museum's exhibits while addressing concerns about 
parking and access to surrounding wildlife areas. However, because the 
original land patent references the previous management plan, 
legislation to amend the patent is necessary before the new management 
plan can be implemented.
  H.R. 1280 amends the land grant patent to allow the new management 
plan to be implemented. Congressman Camp of Michigan has joined me in 
cosponsoring this legislation, and I thank him for his support.
  The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has continuously 
improved the experience at the museum since it was established in 1992. 
With the approval of H.R. 1280, Congress will allow the Great Lakes 
Shipwreck Museum to further develop this cultural and historical 
resource.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this simple legislation which 
would improve the opportunities available to visitors of Chippewa 
County, Michigan, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
  I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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 the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1280.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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