[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 86 (Monday, June 17, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H3663-H3664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ROTA CULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES STUDY ACT
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 674) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study
the suitability and feasibility of designating prehistoric, historic,
and limestone forest sites on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, as a unit of the National Park System.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 674
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Rota
Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) The island of Rota was the only major island in the
Mariana Islands to be spared the destruction and large scale
land use changes brought about by World War II.
(2) The island of Rota has been described by professional
archeologists as having the most numerous, most intact, and
generally the most unique prehistoric sites of any of the
islands of the Mariana Archipelago.
(3) The island of Rota contains remaining examples of what
is known as the Latte Phase of the cultural tradition of the
indigenous Chamorro people of the Mariana Islands. Latte
stone houses are remnants of the ancient Chamorro culture.
(4) Four prehistoric sites are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places: Monchon Archeological District
(also known locally as Monchon Latte Stone Village), Taga
Latte Stone Quarry, the Dugi Archeological Site that contains
latte stone structures, and the Chugai Pictograph Cave that
contains examples of ancient Chamorro rock art. Alaguan Bay
Ancient Village is another latte stone prehistoric site that
is surrounded by tall-canopy limestone forest.
(5) In addition to prehistoric sites, the island of Rota
boasts historic sites remaining from the Japanese period
(1914-1945). Several of these sites are on the National
Register of Historic Places: Nanyo Kohatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
Sugar Mill, Japanese Coastal Defense Gun, and the Japanese
Hospital.
(6) The island of Rota's natural resources are significant
because of the extent and intact condition of its native
limestone forest that provides habitat for several federally
endangered listed species, the Mariana crow, and the Rota
bridled white-eye birds, that are also native to the island
of Rota. Three endangered plant species are also found on
Rota and two are endemic to the island.
(7) Because of the significant cultural and natural
resources listed above, on September 2005, the National Park
Service, Pacific West Region, completed a preliminary
resource assessment on the island of Rota, Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, which determined that the
``establishment of a unit of the national park system
appear[ed] to be the best way to ensure the long term
protection of Rota's most important cultural resources and
its best examples of its native limestone forest.''.
SEC. 2. NPS STUDY OF SITES ON THE ISLAND OF ROTA,
COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall--
(1) carry out a study regarding the suitability and
feasibility of designating prehistoric, historic, and
limestone forest sites on the island of Rota, Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the National Park
System; and
(2) consider management alternatives for the island of
Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(b) Study Process and Completion.--Except as provided by
subsection (c) of this section, section 8(c) of Public Law
91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)) shall apply to the conduct and
completion of the study required by this section.
(c) Submission of Study Results.--Not later than 3 years
after the date that funds are made available for 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 describing the results of the study.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands
(Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.
General Leave
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. 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 Utah?
There was no objection.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes a study for the suitability and
feasibility of designating this particular area as part of a unit of
the National Park System. I think it is a wise concept in which to go
to find out the cultural and natural resources that are on this
particular area and look forward to its further designation.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 674, the Rota Cultural and
Natural Resources Study Act. The bill authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior to determine whether it would be suitable and feasible to add
certain cultural, archeological, historical, and natural resources on
the island of Rota in the Northern Marianas to the National Park
System.
The House has already voted to authorize the suitability and
feasibility study for Rota on two separate occasions, but the other
body did not follow through, so here we are again. The third time may
be the charm.
Mindful of the previous House votes, I will not preach to the choir,
but I do think that it is worth reminding my colleagues that a Park
Service reconnaissance survey reported in 2005 that Rota contains
natural, archaeological, and historical features of national
significance. These include precontact village sites of the Chamorro
people, who discovered and populated the Mariana Islands 3,500 years
ago.
I also want to remind my colleagues, because we're all mindful of
cost, that the Congressional Budget Office finds the bill will not
affect direct spending or revenues.
Finally, I want to thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey
of the Natural Resources Committee for their support of H.R. 674. I
also want to thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva of the
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation for their
help in bringing this measure to the floor today. I urge my colleagues
to support passage of H.R. 674.
At this time, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, this is getting to be an island
occasion or something. But at any rate, I do thank the gentleman from
Utah and the gentleman from the Northern Marianas for allowing me to
comment on this proposed legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 674, the Rota Cultural
and Natural Resources Act.
First, I want to thank the gentleman from the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, my dear friend Mr. Sablan, for his authorship
of this important piece of legislation that will authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of
designating prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota,
the southernmost island of CNMI, as a unit of the National Park System.
This legislation is critical to CNMI and will enable the preservation
of village sites of the ancient Chamorro people and Rota's native
limestone forests that provide a habitat for locally and federally
endangered listed bird species, including the Mariana crow and the Rota
bridled white-eye birds.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation previously passed the House in the last
Congress, but, unfortunately, the Senate did not have time in its
agenda to address the legislation prior to the end
[[Page H3664]]
of the Congress. Leaders of Rota unanimously support this legislation.
Additionally, the National Park Service, after completing a preliminary
resources assessment of Rota in 2005, concluded that designating Rota
as part of the National Park System appeared to be the best way to
ensure the long-term protection of Rota's prehistoric and historic
natural and man-made habitat structures.
Mr. Speaker, again, I commend Mr. Sablan for his leadership. I urge
my colleagues to support this bill.
I want to also share with my colleagues a little bit of history.
{time} 1730
Twenty miles away from the island of Rota is the island called Tinian
in the Northern Mariana Islands. This is where the Enola Gay was
launched and delivered the two atomic bombs that were dropped in the
war in Japan, which brought about the closing of World War II,
especially against Japan.
So in terms of historical perspectives, Rota, Tinian, the Northern
Mariana Islands, I think you've made a tremendous contribution for the
betterment of our country.
And, again, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, before I yield back my time, I'd also like
to thank the gentleman from American Samoa for his support of the bill.
And because he mentioned Tinian, the Enola Gay and the Boxcar did fly
from Tinian to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki and ended the war against
Japan.
Those airplanes, I'd like to also note for the record, originated and
took off from Utah before they came to the Mariana Islands. So there's
that connection here.
So Mr. Bishop is actually the one who reminded me that while they
took off from Tinian, it was in Utah that they started the flight to
Tinian and eventually flew to Japan.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, he did steal my thunder. They did
train and start in Wendover, Utah, which was part of my district until
the legislature became involved in district lines in this last session.
I urge my colleagues to support this particular piece of legislation
and remind them that any costs that would be associated with this study
has to be appropriated. We have another chance to look at that. I
firmly support it.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 674.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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