[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2151-S2152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GREEN MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT HERITAGE PROTECTION ACT
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I come to the floor this afternoon to
request unanimous consent to pass a bill that is a very small step in
what will be a very long recovery process for a community in my home
State of Washington that was devastated by a landslide less than two
weeks ago.
This is the Green Mountain Lookout bill, which will be passed
shortly. It is not going to rebuild anybody's home--which needs to be
done--or provide desperately needed human aid that we are supporting
through our recent Federal disaster designation. What this small,
little bill does is provide a glimmer of hope for the long-term
recovery of this region, and in particularly of the community of
Darrington.
For years now, along with Senator Cantwell, I have fought to pass
this bill through procedural and political hurdles because I know what
it means to Snohomish County and that region of my State. The Green
Mountain Lookout is more than a hiking destination. It is part of the
Pacific Northwest heritage. It is a cherished historical landmark. It
is a place where parents have brought their kids for generations to
appreciate the splendor of the great outdoors in the Northwest, and it
is a place that has been a vital source of tourism-related income for
the people who have been impacted by this deadly landslide that struck
this region.
I was in Darrington this weekend and had an opportunity to sit down
with the mayor and many of the town officials--a town of about 1200
people--and they told me tremendous stories about the families that
have been lost, about people who had driven to the store on that
Saturday morning and now only had what they wore when they left their
homes a few hours earlier. I heard about the needs this community is
going to have for a long time and the emotional impact.
After finishing our official meetings, the mayor took us aside and
told me, Senator Cantwell, and Congresswoman DelBene that the one
glimmer of hope he thought he could provide for this community was
passage of this Green Mountain Lookout bill that we are going to pass
in just a few moments.
So I want to extend truly heartfelt thanks to both Senator Landrieu
and Senator Murkowski, who have been incredibly understanding, and to
all the Members of the Senate who have been helpful in going through
the process of getting the bill to the floor today. They know what it
means when communities large or small are impacted by a disaster of
this size, and both of them know that the Federal Government needs to
be there quickly to provide support.
Madam President, the people of Oso, Arlington, and Darrington have a
very long road to recovery ahead, so I was very pleased when the
President granted a major disaster declaration just last night which
will be vital to meeting many of the immediate human needs that we are
going to be facing.
It is important that these communities know we are in it for the long
term as well. Even a small step like this one that supports the
region's tourist economy and brings that little bit of hope is critical
to showing them that all of us and the Federal Government will be there
for them. So as they mourn their loved ones and work hard to recover
and ultimately rebuild, I am proud that we will not forget them.
With that, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 338, S. 404.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 404) to preserve the Green Mountain Lookout in
the Glacier Peak Wilderness
[[Page S2152]]
of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources, with an amendment.
(Insert the part printed in italic.)
S. 404
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 ``Green Mountain Lookout
Heritage Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF LEGAL AUTHORITY OF GREEN MOUNTAIN
LOOKOUT.
(a) Legal Authority of Lookout.--Section 4(b) of the
Washington State Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-339;
98 Stat. 300; 16 U.S.C. 1131 note) is amended by striking the
period at the end and inserting the following: ``, and except
that with respect to the lands described in section 3(5), the
designation of such lands as a wilderness area shall not
preclude the operation and maintenance of Green Mountain
Lookout.''
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the
Washington State Wilderness Act of 1984.
SEC. 3. PRESERVATION OF GREEN MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT LOCATION.
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of
the Forest Service, may not move Green Mountain Lookout from
its current location on Green Mountain in the Mount Baker-
Snoqualmie National Forest unless the Secretary determines
that moving Green Mountain Lookout is necessary to preserve
the Lookout or to ensure the safety of individuals on or
around Green Mountain. If the Secretary makes such a
determination, the Secretary shall move the Green Mountain
Lookout to a location outside of the lands described in
section 3(5) of the Washington State Wilderness Act of 1984
and designated as a wilderness area in section 4(b) of such
Act.
SEC. 4. ALASKA NATIVE VETERAN ALLOTMENT.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Application.--The term ``application'' means the Alaska
Native Veteran Allotment application numbered AA-084021-B.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the 80
acres of Federal land that is--
(A) described in the application; and
(B) depicted as Lot 2 in U.S. Survey No. 13957, Alaska,
that was officially filed on October 9, 2009.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(b) Issuance of Patent.--Notwithstanding section 41 of the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g) and
subject to subsection (c), the Secretary shall--
(1) approve the application; and
(2) issue a patent for the Federal land to the person that
submitted the application.
(c) Terms and Conditions.--
(1) In general.--The patent issued under subsection (b)
shall--
(A) only be for the surface rights to the Federal land; and
(B) be subject to the terms and conditions of any
certificate issued under section 41 of the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g), including terms and
conditions providing that--
(i) the patent is subject to valid existing rights,
including any right of the United States to income derived,
directly or indirectly, from a lease, license, permit, right-
of-way, or easement on the Federal land; and
(ii) the United States shall reserve an interest in
deposits of oil, gas, and coal on the Federal land, including
the right to explore, mine, and remove the minerals on
portions of the Federal land that the Secretary determines to
be prospectively valuable for development.
(2) Additional terms and conditions.--The Secretary may
require any additional terms and conditions for the issuance
of the patent under subsection (a) that the Secretary
determines to be appropriate to protect the interests of the
United States.
Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and
passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no
intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.
The bill (S. 404), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
Mrs. MURRAY. Thank you, Madam President.
I know the town of Darrington will thank you as well.
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