[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 8, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7267-S7268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. UDALL of Colorado (for himself and Mr. Bennet):
  S. 1418. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out 
a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing 
Camp Hale as a unit of the National Park System; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Camp 
Hale Study Act of 2009. This is a companion bill to the one my Colorado 
colleague, Rep. Doug Lamborn, has introduced in the House of 
Representatives, H.R. 2330.
  This bill was first introduced by Rep. Lamborn in the last Congress 
and I was proud to cosponsor that bill. The bill passed the House of 
Representatives last session, but was not taken up by the Senate. H.R. 
2330 has passed the House of Representatives in this Congress and I 
hope that the Senate can do the same.
  I am again pleased to join my colleague Representative Lamborn in 
reintroducing this bill. It concerns an important military legacy from 
the WWII era. Camp Hale, located in the mountains of central Colorado, 
was a facility that trained a number of soldiers for combat in high 
alpine and mountainous conditions. Principally, it was a training venue 
for the Army's 10th Mountain Division and other elements of the U.S. 
Armed Forces. The geography of the area was ideal for winter and high-
altitude training, with steep mountains surrounding a level valley 
suitable for housing and other facilities. The camp itself was located 
in Eagle County along the Eagle River, and its training boundary 
included lands in Eagle, Summit, Lake, and Pitkin Counties.
  In addition to the 10th Mountain Division, the 38th Regimental Combat 
Team, 99th Infantry Battalion, and soldiers from Fort Carson were 
trained at Camp Hale from 1942 to 1965. Throughout this time, the Army 
tested a variety of weapons and equipment at Camp Hale.
  Between 1956 and 1965, the camp was also used by the Central 
Intelligence Agency as a secret center for training Tibetan refugees in 
guerilla warfare to resist the Chinese occupation of their mountainous 
country.
  In July 1965, Camp Hale was deactivated and control of the lands was 
returned to the Forest Service in 1966. Today the camp is part of the 
White River and San Isabel National Forests. The U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers is working to clean up potentially hazardous munitions left 
over from weapons testing at the camp, particularly in the East Fork.
  Camp Hale was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 
1992. The bill I am introducing today would direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the feasibility and suitability of establishing Camp 
Hale, near Leadville, CO, as a national historic district.
  Specifically, the bill directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Director of the National Park Service, to complete a 
special resource study of Camp Hale to determine the suitability and 
feasibility of designating Camp Hale as a separate unit of the National 
Park System, and also to consider other Federal, State, local, private 
or nonprofit means of protecting and interpreting the site. That would 
include an analysis of the significance of Camp Hale in relation to the 
defense of our Nation during World War II and the Cold War, including 
the use of Camp Hale for training of the 10th Mountain Division and 
other elements of the United States Armed Forces; and use of Camp Hale 
for training by the Central Intelligence Agency of Tibetan refugees 
seeking to resist the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
  The study would also examine the opportunities for public enjoyment 
of the site, any operational, management, and private property issues 
that need to be considered if Camp Hale were to be added to the 
National Park System, the feasibility of administering Camp Hale as a 
unit of the National Park System considering its size, configuration, 
ownership, costs, and other factors, and the adequacy of other 
alternatives for management and resource protection of Camp Hale and 
for appropriately commemorating the role of Camp Hale in connection 
with training of United States troops and assistance to Tibetans 
opposed to the occupation of Tibet.
  The bill also contains language ensuring that existing private 
property rights are not affected by this study, including water rights. 
The bill in this Congress contains a small change from the last bill in 
that it makes clear that the bill does not affect the ability to 
construct needed water infrastructure in the area subject to the study.
  Camp Hale is an important part of our nation's proud national defense 
legacy and it deserves to be recognized and protected. The people who 
trained there are proud of their accomplishments and I am proud to join 
Representative Lamborn in supporting this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.

[[Page S7268]]

  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1418

       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 ``Camp Hale Study Act''.

     SEC. 2. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY OF THE SUITABILITY AND 
                   FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING CAMP HALE AS A UNIT 
                   OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting 
     through the Director of the National Park Service, 
     (hereinafter referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall complete 
     a special resource study of Camp Hale to determine--
       (1) the suitability and feasibility of designating Camp 
     Hale as a separate unit of the National Park System; and
       (2) the methods and means for the protection and 
     interpretation of Camp Hale by the National Park Service, 
     other Federal, State, or local government entities or private 
     or nonprofit organizations.
       (b) Study Requirements.--The Secretary shall conduct the 
     study in accordance with section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 
     (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
       (c) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which 
     funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary 
     shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources of the Senate a report containing--
       (1) the results of the study; and
       (2) any recommendations of the Secretary.

     SEC. 3. EFFECT OF STUDY.

       Nothing in this Act shall affect valid existing rights or 
     the exercise of such rights, including--
       (1) all interstate water compacts in existence on the date 
     of the enactment of this Act (including full development of 
     any apportionment made in accordance with the compacts);
       (2) water rights decreed at the Camp Hale site or flowing 
     within, below, or through the Camp Hale site;
       (3) water rights in the State of Colorado;
       (4) water rights held by the United States;
       (5) the management and operation of any reservoir, 
     including the storage, management, release, or transportation 
     of water; and
       (6) the ability, subject to compliance with lawful existing 
     local, State, and Federal regulatory requirements, to 
     construct and operate that infrastructure determined 
     necessary by those with decreed water rights to develop and 
     place to beneficial use such rights.

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