[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H6022-H6023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST LAND TRANSFER

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 689) to interchange the administrative jurisdiction of 
certain Federal lands between the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 689

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

     SECTION 1. INTERCHANGE OF LANDS TO THE BUREAU OF LAND 
                   MANAGEMENT.

       (a) Interchange.--Effective on the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, administrative jurisdiction of the federally owned 
     lands described in subsection (b) is transferred from the 
     Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior to 
     be subject to the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to 
     the public lands administered by the Bureau of Land 
     Management (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
     ``BLM'').
       (b) Lands Affected.--Except as provided in subsection (c), 
     the lands transferred to the administration of the Secretary 
     of the Interior, through the BLM, under subsection (a) are 
     those heretofore within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in 
     California, Mount Diablo Meridian, as shown on the map titled 
     ``H.R. 689, Transfer from Forest Service to BLM, Map 1'', 
     dated April 21, 2009.
       (c) Excepted Lands.--Excepted from the transfer under this 
     section are those lands within the Shasta Dam Reclamation 
     Zone which shall continue to be administered by the Secretary 
     of the Interior through the Bureau of Reclamation.

     SEC. 2. INTERCHANGE OF LANDS TO THE FOREST SERVICE.

       (a) Interchange.--Effective on the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, administrative jurisdiction of the federally owned 
     lands described in subsection (b) is transferred from the 
     Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Agriculture to 
     be subject to the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to 
     the National Forest System. Such lands are hereby withdrawn 
     from the public domain and reserved for administration as 
     part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

[[Page H6023]]

       (b) Lands Affected.--The lands transferred to the 
     administration of the Secretary of Agriculture, through the 
     Forest Service, under subsection (a), are those heretofore 
     administered by the BLM in California, Mount Diablo Meridian, 
     as shown on the map titled ``H.R. 689, Transfer from BLM to 
     Forest Service, Map 2'', dated April 21, 2009.
       (c) Wilderness Administration.--The transfer of 
     administrative jurisdiction from the BLM to the Forest 
     Service of certain lands previously designated as part of the 
     Trinity Alps Wilderness shall not affect the wilderness 
     status of such lands.
       (d) Land and Water Conservation Fund.--For the purposes of 
     section 7 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 
     (16 U.S.C. 460l-9), the boundaries of the Shasta-Trinity 
     National Forest, as adjusted pursuant to this Act, shall be 
     considered the boundaries of that national forest as of 
     January 1, 1965.

     SEC. 3. EXISTING RIGHTS AND AUTHORIZATIONS.

       Nothing in this Act shall affect any valid existing rights, 
     nor affect the validity or term and conditions of any 
     existing withdrawal, right-of-way, easement, lease, license 
     or permit on lands transferred by this Act, except that any 
     such authorization shall be administered by the agency having 
     jurisdiction of the land after the enactment of this Act in 
     accordance with applicable law. Reissuance of any such 
     authorization shall be in accordance with applicable law and 
     regulations of the agency having jurisdiction.

     SEC. 4. HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES.

       (a) Notice.--The Forest Service for lands described in 
     section 1, and the BLM for lands described in section 2, 
     shall identify any known sites containing hazardous 
     substances and provide such information to the receiving 
     agency.
       (b) Clean up Obligations.--The clean up of hazardous 
     substances on lands transferred by this Act shall be the 
     responsibility of the agency having jurisdiction over the 
     lands on the day before the date of the enactment of this 
     Act.

     SEC. 5. CORRECTIONS.

       (a) Minor Adjustments.--The Director of the BLM and the 
     Chief of the Forest Service, may, by mutual agreement, effect 
     minor corrections and adjustments to the interchange provided 
     for in this Act to facilitate land management, including 
     survey.
       (b) Publications.--Any corrections or adjustments made 
     under subsection (a) shall be effective upon publication of a 
     notice in the Federal Register.

  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. 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, H.R. 689 was introduced by our 
colleague from California, Representative Herger. The bill authorizes 
the exchange of land between the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management. The specified lands are located within the Shasta-Trinity 
National Forest in Northern California.
  The purpose of the exchange is to ease problems that off-highway 
vehicle users are having with permitting. Due to the patchwork nature 
of the Federal land in that area, OHV users currently need to acquire 
two permits--one from the BLM and one from the Forest Service. This 
bill will mean that OHV users need only one permit from the BLM to 
operate the vehicles in the region.
  The administration supports this legislation, and so do I.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of H.R. 689 and 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Congressman Herger and his staff for 
their excellent work on this legislation.
  After hearing from many concerned constituents, Congressman Herger 
has sought to help Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management 
officials better manage a complex mix of administrative jurisdictions 
in Shasta County, a place renown for its natural beauty. This 
legislation will help both agencies. It will also greatly benefit the 
off-highway vehicle users who have been using this area for 
generations.
  Not surprisingly, this bill has widespread support among local OHV 
users. It is a rare feat to have two separate Federal agencies and the 
public all agreeing that a particular piece of legislation is worthy of 
praise. Congressman Herger should be congratulated for this. It is for 
legislation such as this that Congressman Herger has a reputation for 
addressing the needs of his Northern California constituents.
  At this time, I would yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Herger), the author of the bill.
  Mr. HERGER. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 689 to interchange the 
administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal lands between the Forest 
Service and the Bureau of Land Management. This bill is a simple 
jurisdictional exchange between Federal agencies to allow for more 
consolidated and efficient management of the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway 
Vehicle area in the Northern California congressional district I 
represent.
  I'm a firm believer in policies that limit bureaucracy and government 
interference in our everyday lives. H.R. 689 accomplishes these goals 
and will also improve access and recreational use of these Federal 
lands.
  For years, many of my constituents have raised their concerns over 
difficulties in dealing with two Federal agencies to use one OHV area. 
Issues such as duplicative permits add substantial and unnecessary 
costs to the users, and even different opening dates for the same area 
have resulted in frustration from the thousands of users from across 
California and elsewhere who try to cope with this redundant 
management.
  This noncontroversial exchange was developed collaboratively at the 
local level by the Forest Service and BLM in conjunction with the local 
OHV community. The BLM will be able to consolidate the OHV area, while 
in exchange, the Forest Service will benefit by receiving small tracts 
of wilderness area that are currently managed by the BLM but are 
contiguous to Forest Service land. The exchange only involves lands 
that are already controlled by the Federal Government and will not 
change the designation of these lands.
  This legislation is a prime example of commonsense solutions and 
better government that will result in a win-win for the taxpayers and 
their access to our public lands.
  I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire if my colleague has 
any other speakers on the other side?
  Mr. LAMBORN. We have no more speakers.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. And I yield back also.
  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. 689, 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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