[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 109 (Monday, July 20, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H8362-H8364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           AUTHORIZING NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PARKS

  Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

[[Page H8363]]

(H.R. 2729) to authorize the designation of National Environmental 
Research Parks by the Secretary of Energy, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2729

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The National Environmental Research Parks are unique 
     outdoor laboratories that provide opportunities for 
     environmental studies on protected lands around Department of 
     Energy facilities.
       (2) In 1972, the Atomic Energy Commission established its 
     first official environmental research park at the Savannah 
     River site in South Carolina.
       (3) In 1976, the Department of Energy defined the mission 
     for the research parks in accordance with the recommendations 
     of the multiagency review team for environmental research 
     activities at the Savannah River site.
       (4) The mission of the research parks is to--
       (A) conduct research and education activities to assess and 
     document environmental effects associated with energy and 
     weapons use;
       (B) explore methods for eliminating or minimizing adverse 
     effects of energy development and nuclear materials on the 
     environment;
       (C) train people in ecological and environmental sciences; 
     and
       (D) educate the public.
       (5) The National Environmental Research Parks are located 
     within six major ecological regions of the United States, 
     covering more than half of the Nation.
       (6) The parks are especially valuable research sites 
     because within their borders they provide secure settings for 
     scientists to conduct long-term research on a broad range of 
     subjects including--
       (A) plant succession;
       (B) biomass production;
       (C) population ecology;
       (D) radioecology;
       (E) ecological restoration; and
       (F) thermal effects on freshwater ecosystems.
       (7) The parks maintain several long-term data sets that are 
     available nowhere else in the United States or in the world 
     on amphibian populations, bird populations, and soil moisture 
     and plant water stress. These data sets are uniquely valuable 
     for the detection of long-term shifts in climate.
       (8) The maintenance of these parks by the Department of 
     Energy is consistent with statutory obligations to promote 
     sound environmental stewardship of Federal lands and to 
     safeguard sites containing cultural and archeological 
     resources.
       (9) Public education and outreach activities carried out on 
     these sites provide unique learning opportunities, promote a 
     stronger connection between these Federal facilities and the 
     surrounding communities, and enhance public confidence that 
     the Department of Energy is fulfilling its environmental 
     stewardship responsibilities.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PARKS.

       (a) Designation.--The Secretary of Energy shall designate 
     the six National Environmental Research Parks located on 
     Department of Energy sites as protected outdoor research 
     reserves for the purposes of conducting long-term 
     environmental research on the impacts of human activities on 
     the natural environment. The six National Environmental 
     Research Parks shall include--
       (1) the Savannah River National Environmental Research 
     Park;
       (2) the Idaho National Environmental Research Park;
       (3) the Los Alamos National Environmental Research Park;
       (4) the Fermi Lab National Environmental Research Park;
       (5) the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park; and
       (6) the Nevada National Environmental Research Park.
       (b) Purposes.--Each site shall support--
       (1) environmental research and monitoring activities to 
     characterize and monitor present and future site conditions, 
     and serve as control areas for comparison with environmental 
     impacts of Department of Energy land management, energy 
     technology development, remediation, and other site 
     activities outside the National Environmental Research Park 
     areas. Areas of research and monitoring on the sites may 
     include--
       (A) ecology of the site and the region;
       (B) population biology and ecology;
       (C) radioecology;
       (D) effects of climate variability and change on 
     ecosystems;
       (E) ecosystem science;
       (F) pollution fate and transport research;
       (G) surface and groundwater modeling; and
       (H) environmental impacts of development and use of energy 
     generation technologies, including renewable energy 
     technologies; and
       (2) public education and outreach activities consistent 
     with subsection (d).
       (c) Cooperative Agreement.--To ensure the independence of 
     the research, monitoring, public education, and outreach 
     activities conducted on each site, the Secretary shall enter 
     into a cooperative agreement with a university, community 
     college, or consortium of institutions of higher education 
     with expertise in ecology and environmental science of the 
     region in which the National Environmental Research Park is 
     located.
       (d) Environmental Education and Outreach.--Each site shall 
     support an outreach program to inform the public of the 
     diverse ecological activities conducted at the park and to 
     educate students at various levels in environmental science. 
     Program activities may include--
       (1) on-site and in-classroom education programs for 
     elementary and secondary students;
       (2) presentations to school, civic, and professional 
     groups;
       (3) exhibits at local and regional events;
       (4) development of educational projects and materials for 
     students at all levels;
       (5) undergraduate and community college internships and 
     graduate research opportunities; and
       (6) regularly scheduled public tours.
       (e) Coordination.--The Secretary of Energy shall designate 
     a National Environmental Research Park Coordinator within the 
     Department of Energy Office of Science. The Coordinator 
     shall--
       (1) coordinate research activities among the National 
     Environmental Research Parks as appropriate;
       (2) ensure that information on best practices for research, 
     education, and outreach activities is shared among the sites; 
     and
       (3) serve as liaison to other Federal agencies to 
     facilitate collaborative work at the Parks.
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy, acting through 
     the Director of the Office of Science, for carrying out this 
     section $30,000,000, including $5,000,000 for each National 
     Environmental Research Park, for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 through 2014.

     SEC. 3. SAVINGS.

       Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the 
     activities that the Federal Government may carry out or 
     authorize on a site on which a National Environmental 
     Research Park is located.

     SEC. 4. SUMMER INSTITUTES PROGRAM.

       The National Environmental Research Parks may be utilized 
     to provide educational opportunities through the Summer 
     Institutes program authorized in section 3185 of the 
     Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act (42 
     U.S.C. 7381n).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Lujan) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on H.R. 2729, the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Mexico?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased that today the House will consider H.R. 
2729, a bill that will formally authorize the National Environmental 
Research Parks at Department of Energy sites across the country, 
including one in my district at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los 
Alamos National Laboratory includes a landscape of canyons, mesas and 
mountains, and the Rio Grande, providing a diverse range of ecosystems 
to explore.
  The Los Alamos Park conducts ongoing environmental studies on 
everything from containment transport to woodland productivity to long-
term climate change effects on the land. These parks have been a 
critical resource to the national and the global environmental research 
community for decades, yet they have never had a clearly defined source 
of support in the department before. This bill finally addresses this 
issue and provides important guidance for research, development, 
education and outreach on the parks.
  H.R. 2729 was developed through a collaborative process that took 
into account comments and concerns from each of the DOE sites, as well 
as helpful input and amendments from both minority and majority 
Members. I'm happy to present a bill with bipartisan cosponsorship, and 
I look forward to working with our Senate colleagues to send this to 
the President's desk as soon as possible.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H8364]]

  I rise today in support of H.R. 2729 to authorize the designation of 
National Environmental Research Parks by the Secretary of Energy, and 
for other purposes.
  H.R. 2729, introduced by the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan), 
authorizes six existing parks that are located within major eco-regions 
of the United States. These eco-regions cover more than half of the 
Nation. In some cases the research parks are the only ecological 
sanctuaries in the entire region. The parks provide secure settings for 
scientists to conduct research on a broad range of subjects, such as 
plant succession, biomass production, environmental behavior of 
radionuclides, cost and effectiveness of revegetation of disturbed 
lands, and thermal effects on freshwater ecosystems. The parks also 
provide rich environments for training researchers and introducing the 
public to ecological sciences.
  The parks have been around in concept since 1969 and in reality, 
actually, since 1972, when the Atomic Energy Commission, the 
predecessor to the Department of Energy, established its first research 
park at the Savannah River site in South Carolina.
  Under this bill, the Parks will continue to serve their intended 
purpose, but will now be able to do so under their own authorization.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lujan for his work on this bill, and also 
the work of his staff.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, the nuclear weapons 
production program at Hanford played a critical role in our nation's 
defense for decades--securing victories in World War II and the Cold 
War. Today, the 586-square-mile Hanford Site, which is located in the 
congressional district that I represent and in the community that I've 
called home for over 50 years, is undergoing the largest and most 
complex nuclear waste cleanup effort in the world.
  While nuclear cleanup will continue at Hanford for decades, the local 
community is already looking towards life post-cleanup and is actively 
engaged in discussing its future and economy once this massive 
undertaking is completed. Clearly, the possible beneficial use of 
portions of land on this massive site to diversify the economy and 
ensure a robust post-cleanup future are options that must be open and 
available. As just one possible example, consideration is being given 
by the Department of Energy and local communities to proposals to use a 
piece of Hanford lands for an Energy Park. Other ideas on how to use 
these suitable lands include nuclear activities such as medical isotope 
production and uranium enrichment for fuel rod production that would 
power nuclear energy reactors.
  At a time when decisions about future uses of lands on the Hanford 
Site have yet to be made, it is critical that this Congress and the 
federal government maintain flexibility in order to keep all options on 
the table--and not enact legislation that could complicate or prohibit 
future activities, thereby preempting the very conversations that are 
underway today.
  Mr. Speaker, as originally introduced, H.R. 2729 would have 
designated the Hanford Site and surrounding lands as a permanent 
protected National Environmental Research Park, or NERP.
  While I believe it appropriate for portions of the Hanford Site to 
conduct activities consistent with the NERP mission, I have very 
serious concerns about rushing through permanent decisions on Hanford 
lands via legislation that was introduced last month with zero input 
from either the Tri-Cities community or their elected Representative.
  That's why I have been working with the Science Committee on trying 
to identify and agree on ways to modify and improve the bill to fully 
protect the unique and complex Hanford site. My overriding goal in 
pursuing modifications was to avoid serious unintended consequences 
that could very well result from H.R. 2729, including the creation of 
yet another overlapping land use management authority at Hanford and 
the permanent lockdown of future land use decisions.
  I have made several suggestions to the Committee including language 
to: (1) enable the Secretary of Energy to modify the boundaries of the 
NERP, (2) exclude privately-owned lands and state lands, (3) ensure 
that nothing in the bill will restrict, limit or condition the ability 
of the Department to lease, convey or transfer lands, (4) ensure that 
no new land use or regulatory authority is created, (5) clearly state 
that this new law could not be used to launch lawsuits, and (6) to make 
certain that the NERP authorization is aimed at the intent of 
facilitating long-term research and promoting education outreach, 
rather than the establishment of a restrictive land use designation 
that could block or stifle future decisions. I support the stated 
intent of this legislation's authors and proponents to encourage 
research and education, but I fear that the language of the bill as 
written could be interpreted to cause real harm to the future of 
Hanford and the local community.
  I very much appreciate the consideration of Ranking Member Hall, and 
the willingness of Chairman Gordon, Subcommittee Chairman Baird and 
Representative Lujan to listen and discuss my concerns over the past 
week. In the end, clarifying language that I felt was necessary to 
protect the interests of those I was elected to represent was not 
agreeable to the Committee, and they instead chose to remove Hanford 
from the bill altogether.
  While I believe we all would have preferred an outcome that was 
acceptable to all Members, which did not prove possible in the past 
week, and the removal of Hanford from the bill is an appropriate course 
of action.
  It took many years for the federal government to produce the massive 
volumes of nuclear waste at Hanford, and it will take many more years 
to complete the cleanup of these wastes. There is absolutely no reason 
to rush through legislation that could make cleanup at Hanford more 
difficult or take away the flexibility to make decisions on the future 
of the Site and the surrounding communities.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2729, 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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