[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 105 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H4833-H4836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1645
       CALIFORNIA COASTAL NATIONAL MONUMENT EXPANSION ACT OF 2013

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 1411) to include the Point Arena-Stornetta 
Public Lands in the California Coastal National Monument as a part of 
the National Landscape Conservation System, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1411

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; DEFINITIONS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``California 
     Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013''.
       (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map created by the 
     Bureau of Land Management, entitled ``California Coastal 
     National Monument Addition'' and dated September 15, 2012.
       (2) Monument.--The term ``Monument'' means the California 
     Coastal National Monument established by Presidential 
     Proclamation 7264.
       (3) Point arena-stornetta public lands.--The term ``Point 
     Arena-Stornetta Public Lands'' means the Federal land 
     comprising approximately 1,255 acres in

[[Page H4834]]

     Mendocino County, California, as generally depicted on the 
     map.
       (4) Presidential proclamation 7264.--The term 
     ``Presidential Proclamation 7264'' means Presidential 
     Proclamation Number 7264, dated January 11, 2000 (65 Fed. 
     Reg. 2821).
       (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

       The purpose of this Act is to protect, conserve, and 
     enhance for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future 
     generations the unique and nationally important historical, 
     natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, economic 
     and recreational values of the Point Arena-Stornetta Public 
     Lands, while allowing certain recreational, research and 
     traditional ecomomic activities or uses, such as grazing, to 
     continue.

     SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF CALIFORNIA COASTAL NATIONAL MONUMENT.

       (a) In General.--The boundary of the Monument established 
     by Presidential Proclamation 7264 is expanded to include the 
     Federal land shown on the map.
       (b) Map and Legal Description.--
       (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file with the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives a map and boundary description of land added 
     to the Monument by this Act.
       (2) Force and effect.--The map and boundary description 
     filed under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and 
     effect as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary 
     may correct any minor errors in the map and boundary 
     descriptions.
       (3) Availability of map and boundary description.--The map 
     and boundary description filed under paragraph (1) shall be 
     on file and available for public inspection in appropriate 
     offices of the Bureau of Land Management.

     SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall manage the land added 
     to the Monument by this Act--
       (1) as a part of the Monument; and
       (2) in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 7264, 
     except that--
       (A) traditional economic activities and existing uses, such 
     as grazing and the maintenance of existing structures that 
     are used for grazing, shall not be restricted; and
       (B) lands and interests in land within the proposed land 
     addition not owned by the United States shall not be part of 
     the monument and the future acquisition of those lands and 
     interests in lands by the United States may occur only 
     through donation or exchange with the written consent of the 
     landowner.
       (b) Management Plan.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall finalize an 
     amendment to the Monument management plan for the long-term 
     protection and management of the land added to the Monument 
     by this Act.
       (2) Requirements.--The plan amendment shall--
       (A) be developed with an opportunity for full public 
     participation; and
       (B) describe the appropriate uses and management of the 
     land consistent with this Act.
       (c) Motorized and Mechanized Transport.--Except as needed 
     for emergency or authorized administrative purposes, the use 
     of motorized and mechanized vehicles in the Monument shall be 
     permitted only on roads and trails designated for that use.
       (d) Incorporation of Land and Interests.--
       (1) Authority.--The Secretary may acquire non-Federal land 
     or interests in land within or adjacent to the land added to 
     the Monument by this Act only through exchange, or donation 
     with the written consent of the landowner, and such non-
     Federal land shall not be included within the boundaries of 
     the Monument absent written consent of the landowner.
       (2) Management.--Any land or interests in land within or 
     adjacent to the land added to the Monument by this Act 
     acquired by the United States after the date of enactment of 
     this Act shall be added to and administered as part of the 
     Monument.
       (3) Access to private property.--The addition of lands 
     under this Act to the Monument may not result in a lack of or 
     restricted access by motorized vehicle to any non-Federal 
     lands within the Monument.
       (e) Overflights.--Nothing in this Act--
       (1) restricts or precludes overflights, including low-level 
     overflights or military, commercial, and general aviation 
     overflights that can be seen or heard within the land added 
     to the Monument by this Act;
       (2) restricts or precludes the designation or creation of 
     new units of special use airspace or the establishment of 
     military flight training routes over the land added to the 
     Monument by this Act; or
       (3) modifies regulations governing low-level overflights 
     above the adjacent Gulf of the Farallones National Marine 
     Sanctuary.
       (f) Law Enforcement.--Nothing in this Act effects the law 
     enforcement authorities of the Department of Homeland 
     Security.
       (g) Native American Uses.--Nothing in this Act enlarges, 
     diminishes, or modifies the rights of any Indian tribe or 
     Indian religious community.
       (h) Buffer Zones.--
       (1) In general.--The expansion of the Monument is not 
     intended to lead to the establishment of protective 
     perimeters or buffer zones around the land included in the 
     Monument by this Act.
       (2) Activities outside the monument.--The fact that 
     activities outside the Monument can be seen or heard within 
     the land added to the Monument by this Act shall not, of 
     itself, preclude those activities or uses up to the boundary 
     of the Monument.
       (i) Grazing.--Nothing in this Act affects the grazing of 
     livestock and the maintenance of existing structures that are 
     used for grazing within the Point Arena-Stornetta Public 
     Lands or the Monument.
       (j) National Landscape Conservation System.--The Secretary 
     shall manage the Monument as part of the National Landscape 
     Conservation System.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Huffman) 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 material 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. 1411 would add 1,255 acres of the Point Arena-Stornetta Public 
Lands to the California Coastal National Monument, which was created by 
Presidential Proclamation 7264 in January of 2000.
  The Stornetta family, the namesake of this area being annexed into 
the monument, grazes cattle in this area, so it is imperative that 
grazing continues and is compatible with the long-term protection and 
management of the monument. Public land grazers in Arizona, Montana, 
and Utah have already been targeted by a few antigrazing zealots who 
want to litigate to extinction the legitimate and long-standing 
practice of grazing in national monuments.
  During committee consideration of H.R. 1411, an amendment was adopted 
to ensure that traditional economic activities and uses, such as 
grazing, will be allowed to continue once the Point Arena-Stornetta 
Public Lands are added to the California Coastal National Monument. It 
also limited future land acquisitions to only those done by donations 
or exchange, thereby preventing any unnecessary taxpayer expense. 
Private property rights were also protected by ensuring motorized 
vehicle access to any non-Federal lands within the monument and 
requiring written consent from the landowners before their property can 
be included in the monument.
  The bill includes provisions preventing restrictions on military or 
commercial low-level overflights and training activities, and also on 
Department of Homeland Security law enforcement activities, other 
routine provisions protecting activities outside of the designation, 
and prohibiting the creation of buffer zones.
  I think these conditions are the right conditions when you take land 
for other uses, and I support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. HUFFMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HUFFMAN. I am honored to rise in support of my first piece of 
legislation as a Member of Congress: H.R. 1411. This bill will add 
Mendocino's Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the California 
Coastal National Monument.
  Those of my colleagues who have visited the Mendocino coast 
appreciate the true unspoiled beauty of this region, and understand why 
it's so important to protect it for future generations.
  This bill will preserve a complex and fragile ecosystem on the 
Mendocino coast, approximately 130 miles north of San Francisco. It 
will serve as the first land-based addition to the California Coastal 
National Monument. It will also add 10 miles of connectivity to the 
California Coastal Trail.
  The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands encompass 1,255 acres of 
pristine coastal wetlands, including habitat for

[[Page H4835]]

several endangered species. The bill will also protect the Garcia River 
estuary and 2 miles of the Garcia River itself. This river is critical 
habitat for coho salmon and steelhead. In addition, we will maintain 
the existing ranching, recreation, and research uses of this land, 
preserving much of it as a sustainable working landscape.
  But safeguarding this national treasure isn't just good for the 
environment; it is also good for the economy. Environmental tourism is 
critical to the economy of the north coast of California, and expanding 
the Coastal National Monument will bring new visitors and new economic 
activity.
  Tourism is already the number one source of jobs on the Mendocino 
coast. We get close to 2 million annual visitors in the region, and 
that supports more than 5,000 jobs and generates more than $110 million 
in economic activity annually. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands 
are a perfect gateway for visitors to experience the California Coastal 
National Monument. That is one of the reasons why the effort to protect 
this amazing stretch of the Mendocino coast has such broad public 
support from State and local elected officials to the Manchester-Point 
Arena Band of Pomo Indians, conservation groups across the country, and 
business and civic leaders in the community. In addition, hundreds of 
individuals in this rural area have expressed their support by way of 
petition.
  My friend and predecessor in representing the north coast in 
Congress, Congressman Mike Thompson, initiated the effort to protect 
this area in the last Congress, and I am very pleased that he is 
joining me as a cosponsor of this bill.
  I am also very appreciative of the support of the chairman of the 
Natural Resources Committee, Chairman Doc Hastings, and also of the 
newest Member of our Senate and our former ranking Democrat, Ed Markey.
  In addition, I want to thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member 
Grijalva of the Public Lands Subcommittee for not only hearing the 
bill, but for inviting my constituent, Scott Schneider, who is 
president and CEO of Visit Mendocino, to come and testify in support of 
this legislation.
  This bill was reported by the Natural Resources Committee by 
unanimous consent, and I am grateful that we have come so far to 
preserve this iconic landscape.
  I look forward to continuing to work with the committee, with 
Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and with my colleagues to ensure that we 
fully and permanently protect this magnificent coastline.

  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1411, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I have no more requests for time.
  I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan).
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  From his days in the California State House and now here in Congress, 
Congressman Jared Huffman has been a leader in protecting our valuable 
natural resources. H.R. 1411 is a fine example of this commitment and 
office leadership. Congressman Huffman's bill incorporates the area 
known as the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands into the California 
Coastal National Monument.
  The bill gives permanent protection to 1,255 acres of wetlands along 
the Mendocino County coast. The area provides habitat for endangered 
species, including the Point Arena mountain beaver and the Behren's 
silverspot butterfly. The Garcia River running through it shelters 
steelhead and silver and king salmon.
  While I have the floor, I also want to commend Congressman Huffman 
for his efforts to protect sharks. In the California Legislature, 
Congressman Huffman wrote the law banning wasteful trade in shark fins. 
Here in Congress, he led the effort to protest when the Commerce 
Department proposed regulations preempting State laws against shark 
finning.
  The Northern Mariana Islands, which I represent, has enacted a 
similar law. So along with other Members who respect State authority, I 
cosigned Congressman Huffman's letter asking NOAA to withdraw its 
proposed regulation.
  Again, I commend Mr. Huffman for his dedication to protecting our 
natural resources, and I ask all my colleagues to support H.R. 1411.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. I thank the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands.
  Mr. Speaker, I would yield as much time as he may consume to my 
colleague, the gentleman from Monterey, California (Mr. Farr).
  Mr. FARR. I thank Mr. Huffman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the committee and Chairman Doc 
Hastings on bringing this bill to the floor.
  I was instrumental in creating the Coastal National Monument along 
the California coastline. It had to be done by executive order because 
we couldn't get the bills out of committee. I just really appreciate 
the fact that the committee is concentrating on this, because a lot of 
these things that people kind of argue against they don't realize what 
the positive unintended consequences are.
  What this bill does is it really talks about management of land. As 
the chairman pointed out, the substance of the bill allows the private 
enterprise, the agriculture to continue, and to have it in a way that 
is going to be cost-effective management. This is a win-win for the 
private sector and for the public sector.
  In many cases, the Bureau of Land Management is a very effective land 
manager. It essentially, in the West, has a lot of the land that 
actually was never picked up by Forest Service. When you think of 
Forest Service, you think of timbering or mining and those kinds of 
things, or land that qualified for the National Park System as kind of 
the leftover lands of the westward expansion. They have a lot of land 
management responsibility and know-how.
  The California coastline is the number one attraction and the number 
one engine. It is the whole engine of California. Most of the cities 
and stuff are all along the coast. So any time you add to ability to 
expand access--we sometimes forget in Congress that the number one 
activity of interest in this country is watchable wildlife. More people 
watch wildlife, whether it is in the movies or channels or buy gear to 
go out, than watch all the national sports. It is huge business and it 
is jobs. In the rural area, this is key to job development.
  Since we've created the Coastal National Monument, we have had little 
towns and counties in the rural area that have been identifying the 
rocks, all of which have historical names from families or shipwrecks. 
Now it gives some attraction to it, some historical attraction, which 
people love to learn about. It has been a great educational tool to 
teach us about this 1,100-mile coastline in California sort of inch by 
inch.
  This addition is going to be able to build more opportunity for job 
creation, as people want to hire people to give them access, want to 
buy pictures, want to buy books, want to buy art that's made from it.
  So I really commend the committee on realizing that these things are 
responsible job development jobs, not just government ownership of 
land. When you say, well, it is taking it off the private tax rolls, 
remember, this is a private interest that wanted to sell it to a public 
system. Those lands will pay taxes in lieu of property taxes, PIL 
taxes. It will continue the economy of the area. But for the local 
area--this is pretty rural California, really rural--this will just be 
a huge economic boon tool.
  I compliment Mr. Huffman. This is the first bill he has brought to 
the floor. I hope he brings more. He is a very able Member of Congress. 
He proved a great member of the California State Legislature.
  Mr. Hastings, thank you for providing the leadership to get these 
bills to the floor so that we can have an opportunity to vote on them.
  I urge an ``aye'' vote.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. I thank the gentleman and yield back the balance of my 
time.

[[Page H4836]]

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of 
legislation. I urge my colleagues to adopt it, 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 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1411, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________