[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 189 (Friday, December 9, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         FORT PULASKI NATIONAL MONUMENT LEASE AUTHORIZATION ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 5, 2011

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support passage of S. 535, the 
Fort Pulaski National Monument Lease Authorization Act, which would 
allow the Savannah Bar Pilots 10-year leases for their operating base 
on Cockspur Island which they have used continuously in cooperation 
with the National Park Service since 1940. I also would like to thank 
Chairman Hastings and Chairman Bishop for holding hearings and bringing 
this bill to the Floor today.
  The Savannah Bar Pilots were founded in 1864, making them one of the 
nation's oldest pilots associations. Since then, they have helped 
Savannah grow into the nation's fourth largest seaport and fastest 
growing port on the East Coast. Bar Pilots assist cargo ships 
navigating the Savannah River and guide them 20 miles upriver to either 
the Georgia Port Authority's Garden City Terminal or Ocean Terminal, 
both of which make up the Savannah Port.
  The Bar Pilots' expertise is essential in helping ships reach the 
terminals. Every cargo ship above 200 gross tons--which is nearly every 
ship that calls on the Port of Savannah--must have a bar pilot on 
board. After an incoming ship contacts the pilots and a meeting is 
established, the pilots depart from their operating base on Cockspur 
Island and are ferried on one of several pilot boats up to 12 miles 
offshore to the ``pilotage grounds.'' There they board the cargo ship 
and safely guide them through the channel. Cockspur Island is the ideal 
location for the operating base, situated just inside the mouth of the 
Savannah River separating the north and south channel. Other than this 
location, there is no other available land near the Savannah River 
entrance from which the pilot boats can quickly and efficiently reach 
the pilotage grounds in the Atlantic. If the pilots are forced to move, 
they would have to move inland, leading to longer transit times and 
ship delays, increased safety risks in stormy weather, and increased 
fuel usage. The Bar Pilots' use of the Park Service land is a unique 
situation in which the pilots provide a crucial public service and also 
act as good neighbors to one of Coastal Georgia's most treasured 
historic sites.
  S. 535 will allow the Bar Pilots to have 10-year leases with the 
National Park Service. Bar Pilots have been using this land since 1940 
under a Special Lease Permit agreement, sometimes having to renew the 
permit on a year-to-year basis. The National Park Service, the Bar 
Pilots, and local authorities have worked together to draft this 
language which will save all parties involved time and paperwork. 
Additionally, the language protects the integrity of the park and Fort 
Pulaski National Monument. The language explicitly states that the 
rental fee paid by the Bar Pilots will be based on a fair market value 
and be subject to change by the Secretary of the Interior if property 
preservation, maintenance, or repair require increased outlays. This 
bill is identical to H.R. 4773, also titled the For Pulaski National 
Monument Lease Authorization Act, which passed the House during the 
111th Congress.
  I thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Lujan for their support 
of S. 535, and I urge my colleagues to pass the bill.

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