[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 149 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8880-H8881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE EXPANSION ACT

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 5699) to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, 
California, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5699

       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 ``John Muir National Historic 
     Site Expansion Act''.

     SEC. 2. JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE LAND ACQUISITION.

       (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary of the Interior may acquire 
     by donation the approximately 44 acres of land, and interests 
     in such land, that are identified on the map entitled ``John 
     Muir National Historic Site Proposed Boundary Expansion'', 
     numbered 426/127150, and dated November, 2014.
       (b) Boundary.--Upon the acquisition of the land authorized 
     by subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall adjust 
     the boundaries of the John Muir Historic Site in Martinez, 
     California, to include the land identified on the map 
     referred to in subsection (a).
       (c) Administration.--The land and interests in land 
     acquired under subsection (a) shall be administered as part 
     of the John Muir National Historic Site established by the 
     Act of August 31, 1964 (Public Law 88-547; 78 Stat. 753; 16 
     U.S.C. 461 note).
       (d) Date Certain.--The authority provided in subsections 
     (a), (b), and (c) shall apply only if the lands identified on 
     the map entitled ``John Muir National Historic Site Proposed 
     Boundary Expansion'' are held in title by the Muir Heritage 
     Land Trust by May 31, 2015.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) 
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 in which 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.
  Mr. Speaker, the John Muir Historic Site was established in 1964 and 
currently consists of 345 acres in Martinez, California. H.R. 5699 
allows the National Park Service to accept the donation of 44 acres of 
property adjacent to the John Muir National Historic Site. This 
donation will enhance the recreational value of the existing park by 
creating new opportunities for visitors. It is a good bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Mr. Miller on this legislation. H.R. 5699 
will authorize the National Park Service to expand the boundary of the 
John Muir National Historic Site and acquire, by donation, 44 acres of 
land from the Muir Heritage Land Trust. It will expand the site and 
help carry on Muir's legacy of conservation and environmental 
stewardship.
  John Muir is an important historic figure to me and to millions of 
other Americans in terms of his advocacy for the environment. 
Obviously, we owe him a great debt of gratitude for many, many of the 
actions of his legacy--Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, and he also 
founded the Sierra Club back in the early part of the last century. 
This bill will contribute to his legacy and help protect and conserve 
the place where he found solace and inspiration in his later years.
  It was interesting to me. I read an article that I would describe as 
sort of ascribing 21st century political correctness on the part of a 
few historians--one from UCLA, one from Stanford, and one person from 
the Center for Biological Diversity--essentially criticizing and 
denying the legacy of John Muir and using a 21st century politically 
correct backwards telescope to look at it. It is just extraordinary to 
me that there are people like that who exist. Sure, he didn't live up 
to 21st century political correctness, and he certainly couldn't have 
predicted the phenomenal growth of the Western United States and the 
need for amenities that relate to the environment in major urban areas, 
but what he saved is an extraordinary gift enjoyed by millions of 
Americans and people from around the entire world every year. I just 
have to say to those people that they are a bit misguided.
  With that, I want to congratulate my friend and colleague 
Representative

[[Page H8881]]

George Miller on this. Obviously, this is coming at the end of an 
extraordinary career of service to America and protecting our 
environment for future generations. I think it is really, really 
appropriate that Mr. Miller is moving this bill to help perpetuate the 
legacy of someone else who, at a much earlier time, also contributed 
phenomenally to our public resources and assets.
  With that, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. George Miller).
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman 
for yielding, and I want to thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member 
DeFazio for their help in bringing this bill to the floor. It has been 
subject to negotiations that didn't end until just a couple of weeks 
ago, and fortunately, we have this time for Congress to consider it. It 
is a very simple bill that will greatly benefit our national park 
system by expanding the John Muir National Historic Site in my 
congressional district in Martinez at no cost to the Federal 
Government.
  The Muir Historic Site is a terrific resource for people living in 
and visiting the bay area. Thousands and thousands and thousands of 
people come to the historic site every year. Schoolchildren visit it on 
a regular basis, and certainly visitors from Scotland come to the site 
to learn about this rather remarkable native of Scotland who stirred up 
so much activity in the United States.
  As Ranking Member DeFazio pointed out, he was absolutely key to the 
founding and existence of Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National 
Park. In fact, he left his home site that is part of this park and 
walked to the Sierras to explore the Sierras and to live in them and to 
write about them. Some of his most famous books were written on those 
journeys.
  This land, what we know locally as the Plummer Ranch, is contiguous 
to the John Muir National Historic Site. It was once part of a ranch 
owned by John Swett. John Swett was a very close friend of John Muir. 
There are many historic pictures of them together. John Swett was, in 
fact, the father of the California public school system. They spent a 
great deal of time in this area, both farming, farming fruit and grapes 
and other agricultural products, and were very close friends. So this 
donation by the Muir Heritage Land Trust to the Federal Government, if 
we accept it, will bring these two pillars of California's history 
together, linking the physical connectedness of their ranches. It will 
connect this area to Mount Wanda, which was named after John Muir's 
daughter. He used to have orchards at the top and side of Mount Wanda.
  So this is really a win-win for the historic community, and it is a 
win-win for this historic site which is visited by so many people. It 
is a win for the taxpayers since the money was raised locally to 
purchase this land from the original owner and to provide it in 
donation to the National Park Service. With the passage of this bill, 
that transaction will be completed. It will expand this park. The 
Nation will have the benefit of this additional historic asset to the 
site for people to visit and to understand.
  Again, I want to thank Chairman Hastings for making time for this 
legislation in his committee's jurisdiction and deliberations, and my 
good friend Peter DeFazio for allowing me to present this on the floor. 
Thank you so much to both of you.
  I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``aye'' on this matter.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of 
legislation. I urge its adoption.
  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. 5699, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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