[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 105 (Tuesday, July 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H8058-H8059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY LAND CONVEYANCE

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 409) to provide for the conveyance of certain Bureau of Land 
Management land in the State of Nevada to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 409

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

     SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the 
     approximately 115 acres of Bureau of Land Management land 
     identified on the map as ``Lands identified for Las Vegas 
     Speedway Parking Lot Expansion''.
       (2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map titled ``Las Vegas 
     Speedway Parking Lot Expansion'', dated March 6, 2009, and on 
     file in the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Land 
     Management.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE OF FEDERAL LAND TO NEVADA SPEEDWAY.

       (a) In General.--If Nevada Speedway, LLC, submits to the 
     Secretary an offer to acquire the Federal land for the 
     appraised value, notwithstanding the land use planning 
     requirements of section 202 and 203 of the Federal Land 
     Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713), the 
     Secretary shall convey to Nevada Speedway, LLC, all right, 
     title, and interest in and to the Federal land, subject to 
     valid existing rights.
       (b) Appraisal.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete an 
     appraisal of the Federal land.
       (2) Applicable law.--The appraisal under paragraph (1) 
     shall be conducted in accordance with--
       (A) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land 
     Acquisitions; and
       (B) the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal 
     Practice.
       (3) Costs.--All costs associated with the appraisal 
     required under paragraph (1) shall be paid by Nevada 
     Speedway, LLC.
       (c) Payment of Consideration.--As a condition of the 
     conveyance, Nevada Speedway, LLC, shall pay to the Secretary 
     an amount equal to the appraised value of the Federal land, 
     as determined under subsection (b).
       (d) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition of the conveyance, 
     any costs of the conveyance under subsection (a) shall be 
     paid by Nevada Speedway, LLC.
       (e) Reversion.--If Nevada Speedway, LLC, or any subsequent 
     owner of the Federal land conveyed under subsection (a), uses 
     the Federal land for purposes other than a parking lot for 
     the Nevada Motor Speedway, all right, title, and interest in 
     and to the land (and any improvements to the land) shall 
     revert to the United States at the discretion of the 
     Secretary.
       (f) Compliance.--Except as otherwise provided in this Act, 
     the conveyance authorized in this section shall be carried 
     out in compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to 
     the conveyance of Federal land.

     SEC. 3. WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL LAND.

       (a) Withdrawal.--Except as provided in section 2(a) and 
     subject to valid existing rights, the Federal land is 
     withdrawn from--
       (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under 
     the public land laws;
       (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
       (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, 
     and geothermal leasing laws.
       (b) Termination.--If two years after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the conveyance authorized under 
     section 2 has not

[[Page H8059]]

     been executed, the withdrawal under subsection (a) shall have 
     no force or effect.

     SEC. 4. SUNSET.

       The authority provided to the Secretary under this Act 
     shall terminate 5 years after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Baca) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BACA. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 409, introduced by Congressman Dean Heller, would 
provide for the conveyance of certain Bureau of Land Management land in 
Nevada to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for use as a parking lot.
  The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts NASCAR and other racing events and 
can draw as many as 100,000 racing fans to these races. For several 
years now, the Speedway has been looking for options to expand its 
parking and accommodate the growing number of fans attending this 
event.
  H.R. 409 would require the conveyance of 115 acres of Bureau of Land 
Management land to the owners of the Speedway specifically for 
expansion of the parking lot. This land is adjacent to the land owned 
by the Speedway which is already used for a parking lot.
  The bill further provides that the land be withdrawn from public 
land, mining, and mineral leasing laws and must be used only as a 
parking lot. I would add that the Bureau of Land Management supports 
this conveyance.
  We have no objections to H.R. 409, and I urge its adoption by the 
House today.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 409 directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Las 
Vegas Motor Speedway 115 acres adjacent to the Speedway at fair market 
value. The Speedway attracts over 140,000 fans, and the additional 
acreage is needed to prevent the hazardous driving conditions that 
result from the backup of cars trying to park in inadequate facilities.
  All costs associated with the conveyance, including the appraisal, 
will be paid by the Speedway. The bill also includes a reversionary 
clause that would return the land to the Department of Interior should 
it be used for anything other than a parking lot.
  Mr. Heller should be commended for his work on this bill. I 
congratulate him for his efforts to reduce--however small--the Federal 
Government land inventory.
  I support the bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BACA. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. I rise in support of this bill. I like the land transfer 
aspects of this bill because it's important when we can use Federal 
lands to address a pressing need, unlike the cap-and-tax energy bill, 
which tried to address a woody biomass provision which would allow 
excess wood of decayed trees to be used in the renewable fuel standard. 
That was one provision of many provisions which really identified the 
failure of the national energy tax and the cap-and-trade bill.
  Now, I have promised to continue to come down to the floor to talk 
about the failed policy of that bill, the bipartisan ``no'' vote of 
that bill, and basically about the concerns that I have of my miners in 
southern Illinois, and really the attack on fossil fuels in this 
country.
  If you have a raceway and a speedway, they are the epitome of either 
the renewable fuels, as some of the high-speed dragsters are actually 
ethanol-based fuels, or the technology and the efficiency of reusing 
fossil fuels in the ability to really compete and improve fossil 
fuels--the basic foundation of a thriving economy and something that 
shouldn't be attacked; it should be incentivized.
  So, this bill that allows for the transfer of Federal lands for a 
good process, it also speaks of how we need to look at other uses of 
Federal land, especially the woody biomass provisions, to say they 
ought to get renewable credits.
  When you have Federal lands that are privately managed and you use 
the forestry aspects, those wood products get a renewable fuel credit. 
But those, based upon this energy bill, do not get the renewable 
credit.
  So that was part of the failure of the bill, and that's why, really, 
the bipartisan vote on the cap-and-tax bill was a strong bipartisan 
``no'' vote and primarily for other reasons which talked about Illinois 
coal miners in the last energy bill--1,200 coal miners from southern 
Illinois.
  So what is our response to the energy needs that we have in this 
country? It's basically an all-of-the-above process, using woody 
biomass from our Federal lands, which gets the same credit as privately 
forested areas. It's also addressing the Outer Continental Shelf 
provisions; allowing oil and gas exploration; using those revenues to 
move to renewable technologies--wind and solar; addressing coal and 
electricity generation from coal. Also, liquid fuels from that. That is 
a diversified energy portfolio. And of course the provisions of 
biofuels, which is what we address in the woody biomass provisions.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. I yield the gentleman 1 additional 
minute.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. I would just remind my colleagues and friends we had a 
very great debate and a tough vote two weeks ago, but this debate is 
not going to end. We're going to continue to talk about the effects of 
raising energy taxes in a time of economic downturn, and the provisions 
that have been passed in this Chamber, the bipartisan vote, was in 
opposition to that bill. And we will continue to talk on the floor 
about that failed policy.
  Mr. BACA. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation. 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge all Members to support the bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 409, 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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