[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 78 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3307-S3308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              COLLINSVILLE RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST LAND CONVEYANCE

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of the following items en bloc: Calendar 
No. 360, H.R. 862; and Calendar No. 123, H.R. 316.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bills 
en bloc.
  Mr. FLAKE. Madam President, I thank my colleagues for their prompt 
consideration and passage of H.R. 862, a bill that would authorize the 
conveyance of 2.67 acres within the Coconino National Forest to 
landowners who built on those parcels in reliance on an erroneous 
survey.
  On Tuesday, a relatively small 4-acre wildfire started just north of 
Sedona, AZ, near the Slide Rock State Park. It took less than 24 hours 
for the Slide Fire, as it is being called, to explode through the 
overgrown and dry vegetation and make its way up Oak Creek Canyon. In 
less than 2 days, estimates put the fire at 4,800 acres. Unfortunately, 
it appears poised to grow larger.
  Some areas have already been evacuated and an estimated 3,200 people 
in the Kachina Village and Forest Highland communities were put on pre-
evacuation notice last night. Nearby, the Mountainaire community sits 
approximately five miles from the fire line. As they watch smoke fill 
the sky near their homes, residents are preparing for the possibility 
of having to evacuate. For some of those residents, the imminent fire 
threat brings added uncertainly due to a longstanding boundary dispute.
  The problem stems from an incorrect survey that was completed in 
1960. Unbeknownst to the landowners, homes and other improvements were 
built based on that errant work. In 2007, a subsequent survey revealed 
the error and a number of landowners were alerted to the fact that 
portions of their property are within the Coconino National Forest 
boundary. As a result, these parcels have a cloud on their title that 
needs to be resolved through a land conveyance.
  The Slide Fire has brought the impact of this survey error into 
further focus. Some of those homeowners have apparently been told by 
their insurance companies that if the Slide Fire destroys their homes, 
they will be compensated. However, it is unlikely they will be able to 
rebuild on the property because of the boundary dispute.
  In my view, the least we can do during this difficult time is remove 
the boundary issue from the litany of concerns these families in the 
Mountainaire community are dealing with right now. That is why Senator 
McCain and I sought expedited consideration of H.R. 862 today through 
the unanimous consent process. This bill, which was introduced by 
Representatives Kirkpatrick and Gosar in the House, would enable the 
conveyance of the 2.67 acres that are tied up in this longstanding 
boundary issue to the private landowners.
  The House passed this measure in June of last year by a vote of 395-
1, and it was favorably reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee by voice vote late last year. The Forest Service 
has also issued a statement signaling its support for this measure.
  I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate, in particular Senators 
McCain, Landrieu, and Murkowski, for their

[[Page S3308]]

support in moving this bill through the Senate today. It provides a 
much needed sliver of good news for families that are dealing with a 
significant threat. Likewise, I look forward to working my colleagues 
to find a path forward to proactively address the catastrophic wildfire 
situation that continues to plague the West.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
substitute amendment to H.R. 316 be agreed to; that the bills, as 
amended, where amended, be read a third time and passed en bloc; and 
the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening 
action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 316 was 
agreed to, as follows:

                                H.R. 316

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Collinsville Renewable 
     Energy Production Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Energy Regulatory Commission.
       (2) License.--The term ``license'' means--
       (A) the license for Commission project number 10822;
       (B) the license for Commission project number 10823; or
       (C) both.
       (3) Town.--The term ``Town'' means the town of Canton, 
     Connecticut.

     SEC. 3. REINSTATEMENT, EXTENSION, AND TRANSFER OF EXPIRED 
                   LICENSES.

       Notwithstanding the termination of the license, the 
     Commission may, at the request of the Town, in accordance 
     with section 4(a), and after reasonable notice--
       (1) reinstate the licence;
       (2) extend for 2 years after the date on which the license 
     is reinstated the time period during which the licensee is 
     required to commence the construction of the project subject 
     to the license; and
       (3) subject to section 4, transfer the license to the Town.

     SEC. 4. CONDITIONS OF TRANSFER.

       (a) Application for Transfer.--The Town may request the 
     reinstatement, extension, and transfer of the license by 
     filing an application for approval of the transfer.
       (b) Contents of Application.--The application for approval 
     of the transfer shall set forth in appropriate detail the 
     qualifications of the Town to hold the license and to operate 
     the property under license, which qualifications shall be the 
     same as those required of applicants for the license.
       (c) Commission Approval.--The Commission may approve the 
     transfer on a showing that the transfer is in the public 
     interest.
       (d) Terms and Conditions of Licenses.--The Town shall be 
     subject to--
       (1) all the conditions of the license and all the 
     provisions and conditions of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 
     791a et seq.), as though the Town were the original licensee; 
     and
       (2) any additional terms and conditions the Commission 
     determines to be necessary, including conditions for the 
     protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife 
     and related habitat under sections 10(j) and 18 of the 
     Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 803(j), 811).

     SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION.

       The Commission shall supplement the environmental impact 
     statement or similar analysis required under the National 
     Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) 
     prepared in connection with the issuance of the original 
     license to examine all new circumstances and information 
     relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the 
     reinstatement of the license or the impact of the license.

  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill (H.R. 316), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
  The bill (H.R. 862) was ordered to a third reading, was read the 
third time, and passed.

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