[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6822-H6824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CASA GRANDE RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY MODIFICATION ACT OF 2010

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 5110) to modify the boundary of the Casa Grande Ruins 
National Monument, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5110

       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 ``Casa Grande Ruins National 
     Monument Boundary Modification Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled 
     ``Proposed Casa Grande Ruins Boundary Modification'', 
     numbered 303/100,934, and dated January 2010.
       (2) Monument.--The term ``Monument'' means the Casa Grande 
     Ruins National Monument in the State of Arizona.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.
       (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Arizona.

     SEC. 3. ACQUISITION AND TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE 
                   JURISDICTION OF LANDS.

       (a) Acquisition of Lands.--The Secretary is authorized to 
     acquire by donation, exchange, or purchase with donated or 
     appropriate funds from willing owners only, the private or 
     State lands or interests in lands generally depicted on the 
     map, to be administered as part of the Monument.
       (b) Transfer of Administrative Jurisdiction to NPS.--The 
     following Federal lands as generally depicted on the map are 
     hereby withdrawn from all forms of entry, appropriation, and 
     disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and 
     patent under the mining laws; and operation of the mineral 
     leasing and geothermal leasing laws and mineral materials 
     laws, and administrative jurisdiction of such Federal lands 
     is hereby transferred to the National Park Service to be 
     administered as part of the Monument:
       (1) The approximately 3.8 acres of Federal land 
     administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
       (2) The approximately 7.41 acres of Federal land of 
     administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
       (c) Transfer of Administrative Jurisdiction to BIA.--
     Administrative jurisdiction of the approximately 3.5 acres of 
     Federal land administered by the National Park Service as 
     generally depicted on the map as ``Lands to be Transferred to 
     BIA'' are hereby transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
     for the purposes of the San Carlos Irrigation Project.
       (d) Administration.--Upon acquisition or transfer of the 
     lands identified in subsections (a) and (b), the Secretary 
     shall administer those lands as part of the Monument in 
     accordance with the laws generally applicable to units of the 
     National Park System, including--
       (1) the National Park Service Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et 
     seq.); and
       (2) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.).
       (e) Boundary and Map Update.--
       (1) Transfers.--Upon completion of the transfers pursuant 
     to subsection (b), the Secretary shall modify the boundary of 
     the Monument accordingly, and shall update the map to reflect 
     such transfers.
       (2) Acquisitions.--Upon completion of any of the 
     acquisitions pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
     modify the boundary of the Monument accordingly, and shall 
     update the map to reflect such acquisitions.
       (f) Map on File.--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.

     SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION OF STATE TRUST LANDS.

       The Secretary may enter in to an agreement with the State 
     to provide for cooperative management of the approximately 
     200 acres of State trust lands generally depicted on the map.

     SEC. 5. BOUNDARY STUDY.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a study to 
     identify any additional lands that the Secretary considers 
     appropriate to be a part of any future adjustments to the 
     boundary of the Monument.
       (b) Criteria.--The study shall examine the natural, 
     cultural, recreational, and scenic values and characteristics 
     of the lands identified under subsection (a).
       (c) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date funds 
     are made available for the study under this section, 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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Washington 
(Mr. Hastings) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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 the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5110 would add 415 acres to Casa 
Grande Ruins National Monument located south of Phoenix, Arizona.
  Currently, the 472-acre monument represents only part of the historic 
Native American community that once existed in that area. A 2003 
National

[[Page H6823]]

Park Service report identified seven parcels for potential addition to 
this monument.
  H.R. 5110 authorizes the acquisition of three properties ``by 
donation, exchange, or purchase with donated or appropriated funds from 
willing owners only.''
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5110 is a good bill. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick 
has worked hard to bring it to the floor, and I urge the House to 
approve it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there are many things in my view that are wrong with 
this bill, but I just want to point out three of them. First, this bill 
represents wasteful and unnecessary spending at a time of exploding 
Federal debt. Second, it lacks needed protection for private property 
rights. Third, it expands the already bloated Federal Government at a 
time when our priority should be on jobs and economic growth, not the 
growth of government.
  It shouldn't be necessary to point out that at a time of near double-
digit unemployment and trillion-dollar debt, we really ought to be 
working to unleash private-sector economic growth so more Americans can 
find jobs, can pay their mortgages, and provide for a better life for 
their families. Instead, as usual, with the current Democrat 
leadership, we are talking about borrowing more money from foreign 
countries to pass a bill to further aggrandize the Federal estate.
  The National Park Service estimates that it would cost $10 million to 
buy the land targeted in this bill. Now this isn't beachfront property 
in the Virgin Islands like we saw targeted earlier in this Congress. 
Instead, it is in the Arizona desert. But we are hearing the same 
argument why we should go along with this.
  Are these private lands in danger of being injured by development? 
Hardly. It seems some of the land may be owned by the State or a 
wealthy nonprofit presumably created to protect the land from 
development. There is no urgent need to borrow money to buy this land 
right now. No one can claim that these lands are in imminent danger.
  Further, this legislation does not protect the rights of private 
property owners. Instead it continues the disturbing practice of 
Congress drawing boundaries of Federal land management areas around 
private property, even in cases where the landowners have not given 
their written approval.
  When Congress expands Federal boundaries to encircle private 
property, we sometimes shower ourselves in praise for protecting 
private property from the dreaded private property owner. But Congress 
should only draw boundaries around lands the Federal Government already 
owns, not around what it wants to own.
  I know the bill purports to protect private property, but it does 
nothing, Mr. Speaker, and this is important, it does nothing to 
restrain the eminent domain authority already possessed by the 
Secretary of the Interior according to both Federal case law and the 
Congressional Research Service. This bill expands an area previously 
designated under the Antiquities Act. As the Committee on Natural 
Resources learned from recently leaked Department of the Interior 
documents, this administration is strongly interested in creating new 
national monuments or expanding existing ones, and doing so with or 
without Congress.
  The American people are way ahead of Washington on these issues, Mr. 
Speaker. They know that what we should be doing is controlling 
spending, protecting private property, taking better care of the land 
we already own, and reducing the dead weight of taxation and Federal 
bureaucracy that is stifling free enterprise, which is the engine of 
economic growth.

                              {time}  1440

  With that being said, there are parts of this bill that I could 
support, such as clearing up administrative jurisdiction issues and a 
boundary modification to remedy trespassing issues for an irrigation 
project. However, I am sorry that these sections, which had broad 
support, weren't allowed to stand on their own.
  So for those reasons I've cited, I urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 5110.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume 
to the sponsor of this important piece of legislation, the gentlewoman 
from Arizona, Representative Ann Kirkpatrick.
  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my 
legislation, H.R. 5110, the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument 
Boundary Modification Act.
  In Coolidge, Arizona, we have the largest prehistoric structure in 
the Nation--the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Throughout 
Coolidge and the nearby city of Florence, there is evidence of 
prehistoric structures--homes, irrigation canals and potential 
recreational facilities.
  Each year, thousands of visitors come to Pinal County to visit the 
ruins, to learn about the ancient Hohokam culture that lived there, and 
to see the amazing prehistoric architecture they left behind. 
Protecting more of these sensitive areas will allow further development 
of tourism to the area, and it will help fulfill the mission of the 
monument.
  The legislation under consideration today does two things. First, it 
allows an expansion of the boundary of the monument to include land 
nearby, which will greatly enhance the existing site. Second, it 
provides for a study to determine what additional sites in Coolidge and 
Florence could be incorporated in the future.
  This bill is critical to the economic development of Coolidge and 
Florence and of the entire county. It is critical for the preservation 
of cultural and historical sites, which is unequaled anywhere else on 
the continent. It is the kind of low-cost, job-creating project we need 
in Arizona.
  Mr. Speaker, since I have been in Congress, I have been the voice of 
fiscal discipline, and I have been looking for low-cost, job-creating 
projects. This is one of them. This project would create hundreds of 
jobs in an area where it does have double-digit unemployment. Talk 
about double-digit unemployment--that's in my district. That is what 
this is going to address. This is a low-cost jobs project.
  Let me tell you that this is exactly why the American people right 
now are so angry and frustrated. It is why I am angry and frustrated, 
and it is why you are angry and frustrated. It is because Washington is 
not listening to the local people. The people of Coolidge and Florence 
have worked on this project for years. It is not about partisanship. 
They have come together as local community leaders and as private 
businesses to support this job-creation project. It makes common sense. 
Yet, once again, Washington is not going to listen to the voices of the 
American people. Once again, Washington is going to impose its partisan 
bickering to stop jobs and to not listen to the American people. That 
is what is wrong with Washington.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this critical legislation.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that it is not in 
order to address occupants of the gallery.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the gentlewoman from Arizona did not yield to 
me so I could ask her a question as we have heard a great deal of talk 
here on the floor about jobs creation. I am certainly one who believes 
that we need to create jobs, particularly in the private sector, 
because the private sector is the engine of growth in our country.
  I was simply going to ask the gentlewoman if she could document 
officially how many jobs have been created. The reason, Mr. Speaker, is 
that this existing area is already some 1,600 acres. To suggest that an 
area which is 1,600 acres is not creating jobs but that adding some 
400-plus acres would create jobs flies in the face of common sense.
  What this bill is all about, once again, is the Federal Government's 
buying more land when we have a backlog of some $9 billion of 
maintenance in this country. Yet here we are, trying to add more land, 
which presumably adds more to the backlog. The American people get it. 
They understand it. While this is small, I understand, Mr. Speaker, it 
is the reason I think this bill is ill-advised today. I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``no.''
  I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H6824]]

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I also want to commend Congresswoman 
Kirkpatrick for her leadership in preserving the culture, history and 
artifacts of this important area.
  Just like Castle Nugent, enacting this bill spends no money and 
acquires no land--none. What it does is puts in place the authority 
necessary to acquire these invaluable pieces of our ancient past if and 
when the time is right and the money is available. Given the value of 
the resources involved, this should be an easy decision. It would be a 
shame if political gamesmanship and partisan bickering allowed these 
pieces of our past, the jobs that would be created, and the hard work 
of the people of this part of Arizona to be lost forever.
  I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  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. 5110, 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. HASTINGS of Washington. 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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