[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.
____________________