[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8015-H8016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ASHLAND BREAKWATER LIGHT TRANSFER ACT

  Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4049) to amend the Act to provide for the establishment of 
the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in the State of Wisconsin, and 
for other purposes, to adjust the boundary of that National Lakeshore 
to include the lighthouse known as Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4049

       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 ``Ashland Breakwater Light 
     Transfer Act''.

     SEC. 2. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT TO INCLUDE LIGHTHOUSE.

       Public Law 91-424 (16 U.S.C. 460w et seq.) is amended as 
     follows:
       (1) In the first section as follows:
       (A) In the matter preceding subsection (a)--
       (i) by striking ``islands and shoreline'' and inserting 
     ``islands, shoreline, and light stations''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``historic,'' after ``scenic,''.
       (B) In subsection (a)--
       (i) by striking ``the area'' and inserting ``The area''; 
     and
       (ii) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a period.
       (C) In subsection (b), by striking the final period.
       (D) By inserting after ``1985.'' the following:
       ``(c) Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light.--
       ``(1) The Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light generally 
     depicted on the map titled `Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light 
     Addition to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore' and dated 
     February 11, 2014, located at the end of the breakwater on 
     Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin.
       ``(2) Congress does not intend for the designation of the 
     property under paragraph (1) to create a protective perimeter 
     or buffer zone around the boundary of that property.''.
       (2) In section 6 as follows:
       (A) By striking ``The lakeshore'' and inserting:
       ``(a) In General.--The lakeshore''.
       (B) By inserting ``this section and'' before ``the 
     provisions of''.
       (C) By adding after subsection (a) the following:
       ``(b) Federal Use.--Notwithstanding subsection (c) of the 
     first section--
       ``(1) the Secretary of the department in which the Coast 
     Guard is operating may operate, maintain, keep, locate, 
     inspect, repair, and replace any Federal aid to navigation 
     located at the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light for as long as 
     such aid is needed for navigational purposes; and
       ``(2) in carrying out the activities described in paragraph 
     (1), such Secretary may enter, at any time, the Ashland 
     Harbor Breakwater Light or any Federal aid to navigation at 
     the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light, for as long as such aid 
     is needed for navigational purposes, without notice to the 
     extent that it is not possible to provide advance notice.
       ``(c) Clarification of Authority.--Pursuant to existing 
     authorities, the Secretary may enter into agreements with the 
     City of Ashland, County of Ashland, and County of Bayfield, 
     Wisconsin, for the purpose of cooperative law enforcement and 
     emergency services within the boundaries of the lakeshore.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois). Pursuant to 
the rule, the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Labrador) and the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Idaho.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Idaho?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1900

  Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light is an operational lighthouse 
located near Ashland, Wisconsin, and is currently owned and managed by 
the U.S. Coast Guard. In 2007, the Coast Guard announced its intent to 
give up ownership of the Ashland light, and only the National Park 
Service expressed interest in maintaining the public access to it.
  H.R. 4049 adjusts the boundaries of the Apostle Islands National 
Lakeshore to include the light station, but protects the ability of the 
Coast Guard to maintain the light as an aid to navigation.
  Congressman Sean Duffy should be commended for his work on this 
issue, which also has the support of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Natural Resources,

                                Washington, DC, November 14, 2014.
     Hon. Bill Shuster,
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: On June 19, 2014, the Committee on 
     Natural Resources ordered reported without amendment H.R. 
     4049, the Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act by unanimous 
     consent. The bill was referred primarily to the Committee on 
     Natural Resources, with an additional referral to the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
       I ask that you allow the Transportation and Infrastructure 
     Committee to be discharged from further consideration of the 
     bill so that it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader. This 
     discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction over the 
     subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as 
     precedent for future referrals. The Committee on Natural 
     Resources concurs with the mutual understanding that when the 
     House considers H.R. 4049, it will consider amended text 
     negotiated between the staffs of our two committees. In 
     addition, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I 
     would support your request to have the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure represented on the 
     conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to include 
     this letter and your response in the bill report filed by the 
     Committee on Natural Resources, as well as in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration, to 
     memorialize our understanding.

[[Page H8016]]

       Thank you for your cooperation.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Doc Hastings,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of 
           Representatives,
                                Washington, DC, November 17, 2014.
     Hon. Doc Hastings,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Hastings: Thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 4049, the Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act, as 
     ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. I 
     appreciate your inclusion of changes requested by the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as this bill 
     moves forward.
       I agree to allow the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure to be discharged from consideration of H.R. 
     4049 with the understanding that this discharge does not 
     affect the Committee's jurisdiction over the subject matter 
     of the bill, and does not serve as precedent for future 
     referrals. In addition, I expect the negotiated text to be 
     the text considered on the floor. Finally, as stated in your 
     letter, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I fully 
     expect the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to 
     be represented on the conference committee.
       Thank you for your assistance in this matter and for 
     agreeing to include a copy of this letter in the Committee on 
     Natural Resources filed bill report, as well as in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bill Shuster,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First of all, I would like to commend Representative Duffy, with whom 
I share lakeshore on the world's largest freshwater lake and also 
borders on our district. I tell you, Mr. Duffy, I found the television 
commercial with you and your family to be my favorite commercial of the 
last election, of which there were not many favorable commercials for 
anyone.
  So it is with a fun and joyful spirit that I rise in support of your 
legislation to prove to those beautiful children of yours that a lot of 
us really like each other and know how to get along and support the 
efforts of one another.
  Mr. Speaker, with that in mind, H.R. 4049 transfers ownership and 
management of the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light to the Apostle 
Islands National Lakeshore. Thanks to the leadership of the late 
Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson, Congress established the Apostle 
Islands National Lakeshore in 1970.
  The area consists of 21 islands and 70 acres of shoreline in Lake 
Superior. It is a popular tourist destination in the summer and home to 
the 35,000-acre Gaylord Nelson Wilderness area.
  Apostle Islands already manages eight historic lighthouses which were 
transferred to the National Park Service in 1986. This bill would add 
one more to the collection and contribute to the mission of protecting 
these historic cultural resources. Additionally, the text of this bill 
ensures that the Coast Guard will continue to maintain historic access 
to the lighthouse.
  We support passage of this bill and look forward to working with the 
majority to advance more legislation that helps to enhance our national 
parks.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy).
  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. 
Labrador) for yielding, and I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for 
his kind remarks about my ads, which I know there weren't many positive 
ads in the Duluth market, but I did have one. So I appreciate that, Mr. 
Nolan, and thank you for your support of what is a very important bill 
for folks in northern Wisconsin.
  I have a picture of what this actual lighthouse looks like right off 
the community of Ashland. This bill, H.R. 4049, is the bill that will 
transfer the Ashland Breakwater Light from the Coast Guard to the 
National Park Service.
  This lighthouse has stood here for over 100 years, standing strong on 
the shores of Lake Superior in dark nights and in storms, guarding our 
ships in their safe passage to our harbor, but also welcoming back 
travelers who have left the greater Ashland community and on the way 
home.
  I had a chance to live in Ashland for 10 years, raising my children. 
My second-born son was born there. I think my third, fourth, and fifth 
were born there as well. I lose count after a while, but it is a great 
community. This lighthouse is a big part of our identity in Ashland.
  Right now, the lighthouse has an uncertain future because the Coast 
Guard has indicated several times, most recently in 2012, that they are 
going to give up management of the lighthouse. No public entity, aside 
from the National Park Service's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore 
have stepped forward and indicated that they would obtain and maintain 
this very important lighthouse in our community.
  Absent this legislation, there is no guarantee that this historic 
lighthouse would be maintained and continue to operate and be 
accessible for educational purposes. H.R. 4049 will allow the Apostle 
Islands National Lakeshore to maintain the lighthouse alongside, as Mr. 
Nolan and I think Mr. Labrador mentioned, eight other lighthouses they 
maintain.
  Just a little trip down history lane: in 1986, the Coast Guard 
transferred eight of these lighthouses to the National Park Service, 
but they didn't transfer this one. All we are doing right now is saying 
let's redraw that line and include this one with the other eight, so 
the National Park Service can now manage this lighthouse as well.
  If I were looking at this bill, I might say, ``Well, I have a concern 
if I am a fisherman or a boater who might use the waters outside the 
lighthouse.'' I can guarantee you that the way this is written and the 
way the line is drawn there will be no additional rules or regulations 
coming from the Feds that are going to affect your ability to fish or 
boat right around the lighthouse.
  We have adequately addressed that concern in this House by having so 
many different folks come together, people across the aisle who share a 
border and a lake, but also share a love for the environment and all it 
has to offer.
  We also have support of the National Park Service who supports this 
bill; the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; the U.S. Coast Guard; the 
Wisconsin DNR; the Wisconsin Historical Society; the Ashland Chamber of 
Commerce, which is very important; the city of Ashland; and a lot of 
local outdoor recreational communities.
  With that, I would urge passage of H.R. 4049, and I want to thank 
everyone for their support for what is a very important bill to my 
community in northern Wisconsin.
  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Labrador) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4049, 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.

                          ____________________