[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 62 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H2227-H2228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1010
SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS BACKCOUNTRY ACCESS ACT
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further
consideration of the bill (H.R. 4849) to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to issue commercial use authorizations to commercial stock
operators for operations in designated wilderness within the Sequoia
and Kings Canyon National Parks, and for other purposes, and ask for
its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to
object, and I will not object, I yield to the gentleman from
Washington, the chairman of the committee.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
This legislation addresses an urgent need at Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks in California. Because of a lawsuit, the National Park
Service has chosen not to issue commercial packer permits this year.
These permits allow mules and horses into the park to carry visitors
and supplies. Unfortunately, this not only means the loss of hundreds
of jobs, it also canceled long-planned family vacations into the
outdoors. For many Americans, whether elderly or handicapped, stock
animals are the only option if they want to visit our national parks.
Today, we have the option to right a wrong and allow these permits to
be awarded to responsible stewards of our parks. This bipartisan
legislation was worked out between Members of both parties in the
California delegation. Time is very crucial here. This only extends
what has been happening for decades in Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks. We must act now if there's any hope in preserving the
season for those individuals who have planned and paid for their visit
in the national park.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Further reserving my right to
object, Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today, as amended this morning,
gives the Secretary of the Interior the authority to reopen the
wilderness areas in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to pack and
saddle animals for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Earlier this week, I joined with my colleagues, Jim Costa, Mike
Thompson, John Garamendi, and Sam Farr, in a letter to Chairman
Hastings and Ranking Member Markey of the Natural Resources Committee.
We asked the committee, on behalf of our California constituents, to
resolve a situation that's already affecting families and businesses
and harming the regional economy.
In response to a court order, the National Park Service has not been
allowing pack animals into the parks' wilderness areas this year. This
situation has caused economic harm to outfitters, packers, guides, and
other permit holders who rely on the income that the park visitors
bring to the area, and it's causing visitors to reconsider their trips
to the park and the wilderness areas.
Today, this House is taking this action, and I want to thank Mr.
Markey and Chairman Hastings. I spoke to Chairman Hastings less than 24
hours ago on the content of our letter, and both he and Mr. Nunes came
forward and asked whether or not we could do this by unanimous consent,
and that's why we're here this morning.
I want to thank the staffs of both of the majority and the minority
side of this committee for all of their work. They worked overnight
because very early this morning we all signed off on this legislation.
I think that this legislation is a very good deal for families and
visitors to the park. It's a good deal for the businesses who depend
upon spring and summer wilderness trips for their livelihood.
The high country wilderness in the Sierras is one of the premier
experiences the National Park System has to offer, and for many, the
only way to have this experience is through use of pack animals for
whatever personal reasons, either frailty, age--age would be my reason.
I think it's important. I've had the honor and the pleasure to hike the
high country in Kings Canyon and in Sequoia and Yosemite, and it's a
unique experience, unique to the American Sierra Mountains system.
I hope that the Senate will be able to take this up by unanimous
consent quickly so, again, the people planning to take the trips will
have certainty, the packers will have certainty, and the surrounding
businesses around Sequoia-Kings Canyon Park will have certainty that
the summer trade will be there.
[[Page H2228]]
Again, I want to thank the chairman of the committee for his
immediate response to our letter of concern. I want to thank my
colleagues who joined me on that.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4849
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 ``Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks Backcountry Access Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL USE AUTHORIZATIONS IN DESIGNATED
WILDERNESS WITHIN THE SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON
NATIONAL PARKS.
(a) Issuance of Commercial Use Authorizations.--
Notwithstanding the decision or any other provision of law,
the Secretary shall issue such packer permits at the levels
of commercial services authorized by the Secretary in 2011
until the Secretary--
(1) makes an extent necessary determination that addresses
the violations of the Wilderness Act found in the decision;
and
(2) begins to issue packer permits for operations in
designated wilderness within the Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks in accordance with that extent necessary
determination.
(b) Definitions.--For the purposes of this Act, the
following definitions apply:
(1) Decision.--The term ``decision'' means the January 24,
2012, ruling by the United States District Court for the
Northern District of California in High Sierra Hikers
Association v. United States Department of the Interior, et
al., Case No. C09 4621 RS.
(2) Extent necessary determination.--The term ``extent
necessary determination'' means a determination on the need
for commercial services within Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Park wilderness under to section 4(2)(5) of the
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(5)).
(3) Packer permit.--The term ``packer permit'' means a
commercial use authorization granted to a commercial stock
operator.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
Amendment Offered by Mr. Hastings of Washington
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the
desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
Page 2, line 5, strike ``Notwithstanding'' and all that
follows through line 8 and insert the following:
``Notwithstanding the decision, for the 2012 and 2013
seasons, the Secretary shall issue packer permits at no more
than the levels of commercial services authorized by the
Secretary in 2011 until the Secretary--''.
Page 2, line 15, strike the period and insert ``reflected
in a Record of Decision for the Wilderness Stewardship
Plan.''.
Page 2, line 22, strike ``C09 4621'' and insert ``C 90
4621''.
Page 3, line 2, strike ``to section 4(2)(5)'' and insert
``section 4(d)(5)''.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask
unanimous consent that the amendment be considered read.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
The amendment was agreed to.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the
table.
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