[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 13, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5511-H5512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK LEASING AND BOUNDARY
EXPANSION ACT OF 2010
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4438) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter
into an agreement to lease space from a nonprofit group or other
government entity for a park headquarters at San Antonio Missions
National Historical Park, to expand the boundary of the Park, to
conduct a study of potential land acquisitions, and for other purposes,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4438
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 ``San Antonio Missions
National Historical Park Boundary Expansion Act of 2010''.
SEC. 2. PARK BOUNDARY STUDY.
Section 201 of Public Law 95-629 (16 U.S.C. 410ee) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), and
(f) as subsections (c), (e), (f), (g), and (h) respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsection:
``(b)(1) The Secretary shall conduct a study of lands
within Bexar and Wilson Counties, Texas, to identify lands
that would be suitable for inclusion within the boundaries of
the park. In conducting the study, the Secretary shall
examine the natural, cultural, recreational, and scenic
values and characteristics of lands within Bexar and Wilson
Counties.
``(2) Not later than 3 years after the date funds are made
available for the study under paragraph (1), 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 on the findings,
conclusions, and recommendations of the study.''; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) (as so redesignated)
the following new subsection:
``(d) The Secretary may assign park employees to provide
interpretive services, including visitor information and
education, at facilities outside the boundary of the park.''.
SEC. 3. BOUNDARY EXPANSION.
Section 201(a) of Public Law 95-629 (16 U.S.C. 410ee(a)) is
amended as follows:
(1) By striking ``In order'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In order''.
(2) By striking ``The park shall also'' and inserting the
following:
``(2) The park shall also''.
(3) By striking ``After advising the'' and inserting the
following:
``(4) After advising the''.
(4) By inserting after paragraph (2) (as so designated by
paragraph (2) above) the following:
``(3) The boundary of the park is further modified to
include approximately 151 acres, as depicted on the map
titled `San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Proposed Boundary Addition 2009', numbered 472/68,027, and
dated November 2009. The map shall be on file and available
for inspection in the appropriate offices of the National
Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The Secretary
of the Interior may not use condemnation authority to acquire
any lands or interests in lands under this Act.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Guam.
General Leave
Ms. BORDALLO. 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 Guam?
There was no objection.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4438 was introduced by Representative Ciro
Rodriguez from San Antonio, Texas. The bill would expand the boundaries
of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and require a
study of possible further additions.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established in 1978
to preserve, restore, and interpret four Spanish missions along the San
Antonio River. H.R. 4438 would expand the current boundaries of the
park to include 151 acres of land that has already been found suitable
for addition to the park. The bill also would direct the NPS to study
other lands that might be suitable for inclusion in the park boundaries
in Bexar and Wilson Counties.
The version before the House today does not include language that
would have authorized the park to lease space outside the park for
headquarters offices and an educational center. We have removed that
provision to address PAYGO concerns.
Mr. Speaker, Representative Rodriguez has been an excellent advocate
for the many people in his district who hope to see this important and
historic park grow and flourish. I commend his efforts, and I urge the
House to support this excellent bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 4438 has both fiscal and policy problems. The stated purpose of
this bill is to expand the park by an additional 151 acres. The reasons
for the expansion are vague, but the CBO cost estimate is fairly
precise, $4 million. Add to this another $350,000 that will be spent by
the National Park Service to determine whether it wants even more
property.
The current level of Federal spending is too high to rubber-stamp the
flood of plans to expand our government's property holdings. Our parks
are important assets, but I question the wisdom of going further into
debt to continually expand Park Service holdings while our existing
parks face a $9 billion backlog in maintenance and upkeep.
I am pleased that the Resources Committee did include one Republican
amendment to prohibit takings by condemnation. However, under this
bill, property owners who have not consented to being included within
the expanded boundaries of this park may find themselves fending off
the unwanted attention of Federal officials pursuing their land. This
can be an overwhelming burden and not one with which we should yoke the
American people.
I am also concerned that national parks are increasingly being used
by litigation-prone environmental activists and by some in the National
Park Service to control activities outside the congressionally
determined boundaries of each park.
{time} 1440
De facto buffer zones have been used to interfere with energy
projects that are planned near and even far from national parks.
[[Page H5512]]
To restrain this particular abuse, Republicans offered amendments in
the Resources Committee to prevent the park designation from being
misused to prohibit construction and maintenance of power generating
facilities, whether coal-fired, wind or solar. With some people opposed
to almost any new power facility, and others opposed only to those near
their backyards, this has been an escalating problem. The National Park
Service has participated in killing or delaying affordable and
renewable energy projects from coast to coast. Unfortunately, Committee
Democrats rejected these commonsense amendments on nearly party-line
votes, and those protections are not in this bill today.
Unfortunately, we are considering this bill under suspension of the
rules and we are being denied the opportunity to offer amendments to
salvage this flawed legislation. I urge my colleagues to exercise some
fiscal restraint here today, support property rights, and oppose this
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), the author of the bill.
Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, and Madam Chairman, I stand here today in
support of my legislation, H.R. 4438, a bill to authorize the expansion
of the San Antonio Mission National Historic Park boundaries, and to
authorize a boundary study that would identify possible lands for
inclusion in the park within Bexar and Wilson Counties.
This bipartisan piece of legislation is cosponsored by all three of
my colleagues from San Antonio, Congressman Charlie Gonzalez,
Congressman Lamar Smith, and Congressman Henry Cuellar. My colleague in
the Senate, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, has also introduced companion
legislation.
The San Antonio Missions is the largest concentration of Catholic
missions in North America and serve as some of the most well preserved
representations of Spanish colonial history, influence and culture in
the Southwest. It is on this foundation that the City of San Antonio
was established, and today the Missions serve as an important reminder
of the connections to the city's rich past.
Built along the San Antonio River in the early 1700s by Spanish
missionaries, the Missions became important social and cultural centers
of the time. Today, four missions still stand and continue to be active
parishes.
Established as a national park in 1978, the National Park Service and
the City of San Antonio and Bexar County have worked diligently to
restore and preserve the Missions and the surrounding river area.
After years of channelization, the area along the river is at last
being restored to its natural ecosystem. Preserving the natural habitat
in an urban area is hugely important and has long been a priority of
the San Antonio community. Now that this process is underway, expanding
the Missions National Park to include this area is vital to creating a
continuous and seamless park along the river.
This legislation will authorize the acquisition of previously
identified lands currently owned, and I stress, currently owned, by the
City of San Antonio and Bexar County that are suitable for inclusion in
the park. These are willing sellers.
It will also authorize a boundary study for future areas. This bill
will continue the deep tradition of preservation for the parks and
river region, while also ensuring its future growth.
The need to prepare for this growth is clear. Just last year alone,
in 2009, the park had a record-breaking year of visitations with over
1.7 million people visiting the park, a 35 percent increase over 2008
levels.
This legislation ensures that future generations will be able to walk
along the river and see the city through the eyes of its past
inhabitants as they look upon these historic structures and learn about
the people that settled the region.
I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 4438.
Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
Mr. Speaker, I would note that the gentlelady from Wyoming has
expressed concerns over the pending measure and the one we considered
prior to it, which was a National Park Study bill. The next bill we
will consider is also a National Park Study bill, and I will be pleased
to support it, noting that the gentlelady from Wyoming is that bill's
sponsor.
Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of H.R. 4438, the ``San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Leasing and Boundary Expansion Act of 2010,'' as introduced by my
fellow member of the Texas delegation, the distinguished Ciro
Rodriguez. This bill will expand the boundaries of the San Antonio
Missions National Historical Park, adding an additional 150 acres of
land to the site that preserves important pieces of Texas history.
In the early 18th Century, the five missions in San Antonio were the
largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America. Built
primarily to expand Spanish New World influence northward from Mexico,
the missions also served to introduce native inhabitants into Spanish
society. All five thrived through the middle of the 18th Century, and
then slowly declined towards the end of the 1700s, through disease,
inadequate military support, and increased hostility from Comanches and
Apaches.
The Alamo, the most famous of the missions, is well known to all, as
a shrine of Texas history. The other four missions--San Jose, San Juan,
Concepcion, and Espada--have been in active operation as houses of
worship since the 1800s, and are still important to the history of
Texas.
In 1978, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was
authorized by the National Park Service. At that time, the San Antonio
River, which runs through much of the Park's area, was somewhat
polluted. It was always planned and expected that, as the river was
cleaned up, the Park would expand to take advantage of the unpolluted
riverside areas. Now, that time has come.
H.R. 4438 will direct the Secretary of the Interior to study lands
within Bexar and Wilson Counties in Texas, to identify lands that would
be suitable for inclusion. It will also authorize the leasing of office
space for a headquarters and support building, and allow the
construction of an education and research center. It is only fitting
that, as Mission Concepcion has recently been restored, and Mission San
Jose is about to be restored, that the Park they are a part of is
expanded to what it was originally imagined to be. Therefore, I
strongly support this legislation, and urge my colleagues to join me.
Ms. BORDALLO. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4438, 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.
Mrs. LUMMIS. 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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