[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 19 (Monday, February 6, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H481-H483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NEW YORK CITY NATURAL GAS SUPPLY ENHANCEMENT ACT
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 2606) to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas
pipeline facilities in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2606
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 ``New York City Natural Gas
Supply Enhancement Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Entity.--The term ``entity'' means an entity holding a
permit issued under this Act.
(2) Lease.--The term ``lease'' means an agreement that
authorizes the occupancy and use of certain designated
premises for facilities associated with the project,
particularly a meter and regulating station.
(3) Natural gas pipeline facilities.--The term ``natural
gas pipeline facilities'' means pipeline and related
equipment necessary for the transmission and distribution of
natural gas, such as meters and heating and pressure-
regulating devices used in the transportation of natural gas.
(4) Permit.--The term ``permit'' means any permits, rights-
of-way, or any other authorizations necessary for the
Secretary to authorize the construction, operation, and
maintenance of natural gas pipeline facilities in the Gateway
National Recreation Area.
(5) Project.--The term ``project'' means the natural gas
pipeline facilities within Gateway National Recreation Area,
including the meter and regulating station to be located at
Floyd Bennett Field, that are part of the Rockaway Delivery
Lateral/Brooklyn Queens Interconnect Project, as further
described in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Docket No. PF09-8, and including authorized revisions to the
project.
(6) Rent.--The term ``rent'' means any payment to the
Secretary pursuant to a lease for occupancy and use of
designated premises to be made in such a manner and at such
intervals as determined by the Secretary.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National
Park Service.
SEC. 3. PERMITTING INSTRUMENTS FOR NATURAL GAS PIPELINE
FACILITIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may issue permits to
authorize the construction, operation, and maintenance of
natural gas pipeline facilities, as provided by the project,
within Gateway National Recreation Area.
(b) Terms and Conditions.--
(1) Any rights-of-way or other permits issued for the
natural gas pipeline facilities under this section shall be
consistent with the laws and regulations generally applicable
to utility rights-of-way within units of the National Park
System.
(2) Any permits issued under this section for the natural
gas pipeline facilities shall be subject to such terms and
conditions the Secretary deems appropriate.
(3) The Secretary shall charge a fee for any permits issued
under this section. The fees shall be based on fair market
value and shall also include costs incurred by the National
Park Service in processing a request for a permit; issuing a
permit, if appropriate; and monitoring the permitted
activities.
(4) Any permits issued under this section shall be for a
term of 10 years, subject to renewal with any changes to its
terms and conditions mutually agreed upon.
(c) Enforcement.--Failure to comply with, or a violation
of, any term or condition of a permit may result in a
citation, or fine, or the suspension or revocation of
authorization to conduct the permitted activity.
SEC. 4. LEASE OF BUILDINGS.
The Secretary may enter into a non-competitive lease with
any entity to allow the occupancy and use of buildings and
associated properties on Floyd Bennett Field to house
facilities associated with the project, particularly a meter
and regulating station. Such lease shall--
(1) otherwise be subject to National Park Service leasing
regulations;
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(2) provide for the restoration and maintenance of the
buildings and associated properties in accordance with the
Secretary of the Interior's Treatment Standards for Historic
Property (36 CFR Part 68), section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR 800), and any programmatic
agreements;
(3) provide for appropriate rent for occupancy and use of
the property representing, at minimum but not limited to,
fair market value; and
(4) provide for monetary penalties for violations of the
lease.
SEC. 5. FEES AND RENT.
(a) Fees.--The Secretary shall retain the portion of any
fee assessed under section 3(b)(3) that is equal to the costs
incurred in processing and issuing the permit request and
monitoring the permitted activities, and the balance of the
fee shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States.
(b) Rent.--Any rent collected pursuant to section 4 shall
be deposited in a special account in the Treasury of the
United States in accordance with section 3(k)(5) of Public
Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-2(k)(5)) and shall be available to
the Secretary, without further appropriation and without
fiscal year limitation, for infrastructure needs, resource
protection, and visitor services at the Gateway National
Recreation Area.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana
Islands (Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
General Leave
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days 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 Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
H.R. 2606, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grimm),
authorizes the construction of a lateral pipeline off the coast of New
York City. The pipeline will pass under the Gateway National Recreation
Area and will deliver natural gas to residents of Brooklyn and Queens.
Under current law, the National Park Service does not have the
authority to approve the pipeline. Therefore, Mr. Grimm introduced H.R.
2606 to allow this project to move forward, benefiting not only New
York residents but visitors to the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Specifically, as part of the agreement reached with the National Park
Service, historic aircraft hangars located at Floyd Bennett Field will
be rehabilitated and put into use by the park. Of course, this project
will also create much-needed jobs and promote job creation by providing
reliable, affordable energy.
The City of New York has enthusiastically embraced this proposal and,
in particular, has expressed support for the use of the horizontal
directional drilling to safely install a 3-mile, 26-inch-diameter
pipeline. H.R. 2606 has bipartisan support, and of course it is
supported by the National Park Service. So I urge its adoption and
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
This legislation appears to be a good solution to a challenging
problem. H.R. 2606 will allow for the delivery of natural gas into an
underserved area while also providing a revenue stream that will allow
the National Park Service to rehabilitate important historic structures
at Gateway National Recreation Area.
Representatives Grimm and Meeks, who represent Gateway, are to be
commended for their hard work on this compromise bill.
In the past, some have raised concerns regarding whether it is
appropriate for Congress to direct funding to specific projects such as
this one. We are pleased to see that when a meritorious project such as
this one is proposed, a project which will provide energy resources
while also improving historic resources, it is allowed to proceed.
We support the passage of H.R. 2606, as amended, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4
minutes to the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Staten
Island, New York (Mr. Grimm).
Mr. GRIMM. I appreciate the opportunity to speak in support of my
bill, H.R. 2606, the New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act.
This bill, as was said, will authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline
facilities in the New York portion of the Gateway National Recreation
Area.
I would like to especially thank my colleague and cosponsor and
friend, Congressman Gregory Meeks, for all of his efforts. It was a
pleasure to work with him in a bipartisan manner, and we appreciate his
staff as well.
We would like to thank Natural Resources Chairman Hastings, Ranking
Member Markey, Subcommittee Chairman Bishop, Ranking Member Grijalva,
and their staffs for helping move our bill through the committee and on
a bipartisan basis for their work with the National Park Service in
strengthening the bill as it moved to the House floor.
The National Park Service deserves our appreciation as well for all
of its efforts over the years for improving the Gateway National
Recreation Area and, in particular, for reviving the historic Floyd
Bennett Field for future generations.
This project will be the first bulk natural gas transmission project
in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens in more than 40 years. The 5.2
million people living in these three boroughs are demanding more and
more natural gas. Natural gas, as we all know, is reliable; it's clean;
it's domestic; and it's economical.
On September 15 of last year, New York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway
testified before the National Parks Subcommittee and, in support of the
Grimm-Meeks bill, explained why it was so important. I would like to
thank Mr. Holloway, the deputy mayor, for his efforts, and I would like
to draw special attention to some of his testimony.
{time} 1650
Deputy Mayor Holloway stated: ``Energy demand in New York City is
increasing and will continue to grow,'' so getting this Gateway project
done, as Deputy Mayor Holloway said, ``is a major effort that includes
the private sector, the city, State, and Federal Governments.''
This pipeline will pass underneath both Gateway's beachfront Jacob
Riis Park in Queens and Jamaica Bay to the meter station located at
Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn where it will then interconnect into
the local natural gas distribution system serving the communities in
and around my district.
The pipeline project authorized in H.R. 2606 will help the Park
Service in the face of severe fiscal constraints by authorizing the NPS
to enter into a lease, which will allow the Gateway pipeline project to
meter and regulate a station inside one of the hangar buildings. The
meter station is basically a secure building inside a building with a
hangar building's exterior being restored to its original condition
coupled with a lease payment that we expect NPS to put towards the
restoration of other hangar buildings for multipurpose park uses. More
importantly, however, is the fact that the Gateway pipeline project
will generate approximately $265 million in construction activity.
That's almost 300 local jobs--300 construction jobs--and that's about
$8 million in annual local property taxes for New York City, providing
a much-needed short-term and long-term boost to our local economy.
When I came to Congress, I promised my constituents on Staten Island
and in Brooklyn that I would find fiscally conservative ways to create
jobs and get the country moving again. Mr. Speaker, this bill does
exactly that. Not only will it create a unique public-private
partnership to revitalize Floyd Bennett Field, but it also creates
good-paying jobs and increases the supply of inexpensive natural gas.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I urge the adoption of H.R. 2606, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) that the House suspend the
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rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2606, 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, I object to the vote on the
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a
quorum is not present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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