[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 149 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8882-H8886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WESTERN OREGON INDIAN TRIBAL LANDS ACT

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 5701) to require that certain Federal lands be 
held in trust by the United States for the benefit of federally 
recognized tribes in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5701

       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 ``Western Oregon Indian Tribal 
     Lands Act''.

     SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.

    TITLE I--RESERVATION OF CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE GRAND RONDE 
                          COMMUNITY OF OREGON

Sec. 101. Additional lands for reservation.

                     TITLE II--OREGON COASTAL LANDS

Sec. 201. Short title.
Sec. 202. Definitions.
Sec. 203. Conveyance.
Sec. 204. Map and legal description.
Sec. 205. Administration.
Sec. 206. Land reclassification.

              TITLE III--COW CREEK UMPQUA LAND CONVEYANCE

Sec. 301. Short title.
Sec. 302. Definitions.
Sec. 303. Conveyance.
Sec. 304. Map and legal description.
Sec. 305. Administration.
Sec. 306. Land reclassification.

             TITLE IV--SILETZ TRIBE INDIAN RESTORATION ACT

Sec. 401. Purpose; clarification.

[[Page H8883]]

Sec. 402. Treatment of certain property of the Siletz tribe of the 
              State of Oregon.

            TITLE V--AMENDMENTS TO COQUILLE RESTORATION ACT

Sec. 501. Amendments to Coquille Restoration Act.
    TITLE I--RESERVATION OF CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE GRAND RONDE 
                          COMMUNITY OF OREGON

     SEC. 101. ADDITIONAL LANDS FOR RESERVATION.

       Section 1 of the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a 
     reservation for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde 
     Community of Oregon, and for other purposes,'' approved 
     September 9, 1988 (Public Law 100-425; 102 Stat. 1594; 102 
     Stat. 2939; 104 Stat. 207; 106 Stat. 3255; 108 Stat. 708; 108 
     Stat. 4566; 112 Stat. 1896), is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by striking ``Subject to valid'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(1) In general.--Subject to valid''; and
       (B) by adding after paragraph (1) (as designated by 
     subparagraph (A)) the following:
       ``(2) Additional trust acquisitions.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may accept title to any 
     additional number of acres of real property located within 
     the boundaries of the original 1857 reservation of the 
     Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon 
     established by Executive order dated June 30, 1857, comprised 
     of land within the political boundaries of Polk and Yamhill 
     Counties, Oregon, if that real property is conveyed or 
     otherwise transferred to the United States by or on behalf of 
     the Tribe.
       ``(B) Treatment of trust land.--
       ``(i) Applications to take land into trust within the 
     boundaries of the original 1857 reservation shall be treated 
     by the Secretary as an on-reservation trust acquisition.
       ``(ii) Any real property taken into trust under this 
     paragraph shall not be eligible, or used, for any Class II or 
     Class III gaming activity carried out under the Indian Gaming 
     Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), except for real 
     property within 2 miles of the gaming facility in existence 
     on the date of enactment of this paragraph that is located on 
     State Highway 18 in the Grand Ronde community of Oregon.
       ``(C) Reservation.--All real property taken into trust 
     within those boundaries at any time after September 9, 1988, 
     shall be part of the reservation of the Tribe.''; and
       (2) in subsection (c)--
       (A) in the matter preceding the table, by striking ``in 
     subsection (a) are approximately 10,311.60'' and inserting 
     ``in subsection (a)(1) are approximately 11,349.92''; and
       (B) in the table--
       (i) by striking the following:

``6                                            7                   8   Tax lot 800                       5.55'';
 

       and inserting the following:

``6                                            7        7, 8, 17, 18   Former tax lot 800,               5.55'';
                                                                        located within the SE \1/
                                                                        4\ SE \1/4\ of Section
                                                                        7; SW \1/4\ SW \1/4\ of
                                                                        Section 8; NW \1/4\ NW
                                                                        \1/4\ of Section 17; and
                                                                        NE \1/4\ NE \1/4\ of
                                                                        Section 18
 

       (ii) in the acres column of the last item added by section 
     2(a)(1) of Public Law 103-445 (108 Stat. 4566), by striking 
     ``240'' and inserting ``241.06''; and
       (iii) by striking all text after

``6                                            7                  18   E \1/2\ NE \1/4\                 43.42'';
 

       and inserting the following:

``6                                            8                   1    W \1/2\ SE \1/4\ SE \1/             20.6
                                                                        4\
6                                              8                   1   N \1/2\ SW \1/4\ SE \1/4\           19.99
6                                              8                   1   SE \1/4\ NE \1/4\                    9.99
6                                              8                   1   NE \1/4\ SW \1/4\                   10.46
6                                              8                   1   NE \1/4\ SW \1/4\, NW \1/           12.99
                                                                        4\ SW \1/4\
6                                              7                   6   SW \1/4\ NW \1/4\                   37.39
6                                              7                   5   SE \1/4\ SW \1/4\                   24.87
6                                              7                5, 8   SW \1/4\ SE \1/4\ of                109.9
                                                                        Section 5; and NE \1/4\
                                                                        NE \1/4\, NW \1/4\ NE \1/
                                                                        4\, NE \1/4\ NW \1/4\ of
                                                                        Section 8
6                                              8                   1    NW \1/4\ SE \1/4\                  31.32
6                                              8                   1    NE \1/4\ SW \1/4\                   8.89
6                                              8                   1   SW \1/4\ NE \1/4\, NW \1/            78.4
                                                                        4\ NE \1/4\
6                                              7               8, 17   SW \1/4\ SW \1/4\ of                14.33
                                                                        Section 8; and NE \1/4\
                                                                        NW \1/4\, NW \1/4\ NW \1/
                                                                        4\ of Section 17
6                                              7                  17   NW\1/4\ NW \1/4\                     6.68
6                                              8                  12   SW \1/4\ NE\1/4\                     8.19
6                                              8                   1   SE \1/4\ SW \1/4\                     2.0
6                                              8                   1   SW \1/4\ SW \1/4\                    5.05
6                                              8                  12   SE \1/4\, SW \1/4\                  54.64
6                                              7              17, 18   SW \1/4\, NW \1/4\ of              136.83
                                                                        Section 17; and SE \1/
                                                                        4\, NE \1/4\ of Section
                                                                        18
6                                              8                   1   SW \1/4\ SE \1/4\                   20.08
6                                              7                   5   NE \1/4\ SE \1/4\, SE \1/           97.38
                                                                        4\ SE \1/4\, E \1/2\ SE
                                                                        \1/4\ SW \1/4\
4                                              7                  31   SE \1/4\                           159.60
6                                              7                  17   NW \1/4\ NW \1/4\                    3.14
6                                              8                  12   NW \1/4\ SE \1/4\                    1.10
6                                              7                   8   SW \1/4\ SW \1/4\                    0.92
6                                              8                  12   NE \1/4\ NW \1/4\                    1.99
6                                              7                   7   NW \1/4\ NW \1/4\ of
                                                                        Section 7; and
6                                              8                  12   S \1/2\ NE \1/4\, E \1/2\           86.48
                                                                        NE \1/4\ NE \1/4\ of
                                                                        Section 12
6                                              8                  12   NE \1/4\ NW \1/4\                    1.56
6                                              7                   6   W \1/2\ SW \1/4\ SW \1/4\
                                                                        of Section 6; and
6                                              8                   1   E \1/2\ SE \1/4\ SE \1/4\           35.82
                                                                        of Section 1
6                                              7                   5   E \1/2\ NW \1/4\ SE \1/4\           19.88
6                                              8                  12   NW \1/4\ NE \1/4\                    0.29
6                                              8                   1   SE \1/4\ SW \1/4\                     2.5
6                                              7                   8   NE \1/4\ NW \1/4\                    7.16
6                                              8                   1   SE \1/4\ SW \1/4\                     5.5
6                                              8                   1   SE \1/4\ NW \1/4\                    1.34
                                                                           Total                    11,349.92''.
 

                     TITLE II--OREGON COASTAL LANDS

     SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Oregon Coastal Lands 
     Act''.

     SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS.

       In this title:
       (1) Confederated tribes.--The term ``Confederated Tribes'' 
     means the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and 
     Siuslaw Indians.
       (2) Oregon coastal land.--The term ``Oregon Coastal land'' 
     means the approximately 14,408 acres of land, as generally 
     depicted on the map entitled ``Oregon Coastal Land 
     Conveyance'' and dated March 27, 2013.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 203. CONVEYANCE.

       (a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights, 
     including rights-of-way, all right, title, and interest of 
     the United States in and to the Oregon Coastal land, 
     including

[[Page H8884]]

     any improvements located on the land, appurtenances to the 
     land, and minerals on or in the land, including oil and gas, 
     shall be--
       (1) held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 
     the Confederated Tribes; and
       (2) part of the reservation of the Confederated Tribes.
       (b) Survey.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete a survey 
     of the boundary lines to establish the boundaries of the land 
     taken into trust under subsection (a).

     SEC. 204. MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.

       (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and 
     legal description of the Oregon Coastal land with--
       (1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
     Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (b) Force and Effect.--The map and legal description filed 
     under subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as 
     if included in this title, except that the Secretary may 
     correct any clerical or typographical errors in the map or 
     legal description.
       (c) Public Availability.--The map and legal description 
     filed under subsection (a) shall be on file and available for 
     public inspection in the Office of the Secretary.

     SEC. 205. ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) In General.--Unless expressly provided in this title, 
     nothing in this title affects any right or claim of the 
     Confederated Tribes existing on the date of enactment of this 
     Act to any land or interest in land.
       (b) Prohibitions.--
       (1) Exports of unprocessed logs.--Federal law (including 
     regulations) relating to the export of unprocessed logs 
     harvested from Federal land shall apply to any unprocessed 
     logs that are harvested from the Oregon Coastal land taken 
     into trust under section 203.
       (2) Non-permissible use of land.--Any real property taken 
     into trust under section 203 shall not be eligible, or used, 
     for any gaming activity carried out under Public Law 100-497 
     (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).
       (c) Laws Applicable to Commercial Forestry Activity.--Any 
     commercial forestry activity that is carried out on the 
     Oregon Coastal land taken into trust under section 203 shall 
     be managed in accordance with all applicable Federal laws.
       (d) Agreements.--The Confederated Tribes shall consult with 
     the Secretary and other parties as necessary to develop 
     agreements to provide for access to the Oregon Coastal land 
     taken into trust under section 203 that provide for--
       (1) honoring existing reciprocal right-of-way agreements;
       (2) administrative access by the Bureau of Land Management; 
     and
       (3) management of the Oregon Coastal land that are acquired 
     or developed under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 
     of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 et seq.), consistent with section 
     8(f)(3) of that Act (162 U.S.C. 460l-8(f)(3)).
       (e) Land Use Planning Requirements.--Except as provided in 
     subsection (c), once the Oregon Coastal land is taken into 
     trust under section 203, the land shall not be subject to the 
     land use planning requirements of the Federal Land Policy and 
     Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or the Act of 
     August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181a et seq.).

     SEC. 206. LAND RECLASSIFICATION.

       (a) Identification of Oregon and California Railroad Grant 
     Land.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 
     shall identify any Oregon and California Railroad grant land 
     that is held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 
     the Confederated Tribes under section 203.
       (b) Identification of Public Domain Land.--Not later than 
     18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall identify public domain land in the State of 
     Oregon that--
       (1) is approximately equal in acreage and condition as the 
     Oregon and California Railroad grant land identified under 
     subsection (a); and
       (2) is located in the vicinity of the Oregon and California 
     Railroad grant land.
       (c) Maps.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
     and publish in the Federal Register one or more maps 
     depicting the land identified in subsections (a) and (b).
       (d) Reclassification.--
       (1) In general.--After providing an opportunity for public 
     comment, the Secretary shall reclassify the land identified 
     in subsection (b) as Oregon and California Railroad grant 
     land.
       (2) Applicability.--The Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 
     1181a et seq.), shall apply to land reclassified as Oregon 
     and California Railroad grant land under paragraph (1).
              TITLE III--COW CREEK UMPQUA LAND CONVEYANCE

     SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Cow Creek Umpqua Land 
     Conveyance Act''.

     SEC. 302. DEFINITIONS.

       In this title:
       (1) Council creek land.--The term ``Council Creek land'' 
     means the approximately 17,519 acres of land, as generally 
     depicted on the map entitled ``Canyon Mountain Land 
     Conveyance'' and dated June 27, 2013.
       (2) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Cow Creek Band of 
     Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 303. CONVEYANCE.

       (a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights, 
     including rights-of-way, all right, title, and interest of 
     the United States in and to the Council Creek land, including 
     any improvements located on the land, appurtenances to the 
     land, and minerals on or in the land, including oil and gas, 
     shall be--
       (1) held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 
     the Tribe; and
       (2) part of the reservation of the Tribe.
       (b) Survey.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete a survey 
     of the boundary lines to establish the boundaries of the land 
     taken into trust under subsection (a).

     SEC. 304. MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.

       (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and 
     legal description of the Council Creek land with--
       (1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
     Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (b) Force and Effect.--The map and legal description filed 
     under subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as 
     if included in this title, except that the Secretary may 
     correct any clerical or typographical errors in the map or 
     legal description.
       (c) Public Availability.--The map and legal description 
     filed under subsection (a) shall be on file and available for 
     public inspection in the Office of the Secretary.

     SEC. 305. ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) In General.--Unless expressly provided in this title, 
     nothing in this title affects any right or claim of the Tribe 
     existing on the date of enactment of this Act to any land or 
     interest in land.
       (b) Prohibitions.--
       (1) Exports of unprocessed logs.--Federal law (including 
     regulations) relating to the export of unprocessed logs 
     harvested from Federal land shall apply to any unprocessed 
     logs that are harvested from the Council Creek land.
       (2) Non-permissible use of land.--Any real property taken 
     into trust under section 303 shall not be eligible, or used, 
     for any gaming activity carried out under Public Law 100-497 
     (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).
       (c) Forest Management.--Any forest management activity that 
     is carried out on the Council Creek land shall be managed in 
     accordance with all applicable Federal laws.

     SEC. 306. LAND RECLASSIFICATION.

       (a) Identification of Oregon and California Railroad Grant 
     Land.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 
     shall identify any Oregon and California Railroad grant land 
     that is held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 
     the Tribe under section 303.
       (b) Identification of Public Domain Land.--Not later than 
     18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall identify public domain land in the State of 
     Oregon that--
       (1) is approximately equal in acreage and condition as the 
     Oregon and California Railroad grant land identified under 
     subsection (a); and
       (2) is located in the vicinity of the Oregon and California 
     Railroad grant land.
       (c) Maps.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
     and publish in the Federal Register one or more maps 
     depicting the land identified in subsections (a) and (b).
       (d) Reclassification.--
       (1) In general.--After providing an opportunity for public 
     comment, the Secretary shall reclassify the land identified 
     in subsection (b) as Oregon and California Railroad grant 
     land.
       (2) Applicability.--The Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 
     1181a et seq.), shall apply to land reclassified as Oregon 
     and California Railroad grant land under paragraph (1).
             TITLE IV--SILETZ TRIBE INDIAN RESTORATION ACT

     SEC. 401. PURPOSE; CLARIFICATION.

       (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this title is to facilitate 
     fee-to-trust applications for the Siletz Tribe within the 
     geographic area specified in the amendment made by this 
     title.
       (b) Clarification.--Except as specifically provided 
     otherwise by this title or the amendment made by this title, 
     nothing in this title or the amendment made by this title, 
     shall prioritize for any purpose the claims of any federally 
     recognized Indian tribe over the claims of any other 
     federally recognized Indian tribe.

     SEC. 402. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN PROPERTY OF THE SILETZ TRIBE 
                   OF THE STATE OF OREGON.

       Section 7 of the Siletz Tribe Indian Restoration Act (25 
     U.S.C. 711e) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Treatment of Certain Property.--
       ``(1) In general.--
       ``(A) Title.--The Secretary may accept title to any 
     additional number of acres of real property located within 
     the boundaries of the original 1855 Siletz Coast Reservation 
     established by Executive order dated November 9, 1855, 
     comprised of land within the political boundaries of Benton, 
     Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Tillamook, and Yamhill Counties in 
     the State of Oregon, if that real property is conveyed or 
     otherwise transferred to the United States by or on behalf of 
     the tribe.
       ``(B) Trust.--Land to which title is accepted by the 
     Secretary under this paragraph shall be held in trust by the 
     United States for the benefit of the tribe.

[[Page H8885]]

       ``(2) Treatment as part of reservation.--All real property 
     that is taken into trust under paragraph (1) shall--
       ``(A) be considered and evaluated as an on-reservation 
     acquisition under part 151.10 of title 25, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (or successor regulations); and
       ``(B) become part of the reservation of the tribe.
       ``(3) Prohibition on gaming.--Any real property taken into 
     trust under paragraph (1) shall not be eligible, or used, for 
     any gaming activity carried out under the Indian Gaming 
     Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).''.
            TITLE V--AMENDMENTS TO COQUILLE RESTORATION ACT

     SEC. 501. AMENDMENTS TO COQUILLE RESTORATION ACT.

       Section 5(d) of the Coquille Restoration Act (25 U.S.C. 
     715c(d)) is amended--
       (1) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:
       ``(5) Management.--
       ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
     Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Indian 
     Affairs, shall manage the Coquille Forest in accordance with 
     the laws pertaining to the management of Indian trust land.
       ``(B) Administration.--
       ``(i) Unprocessed logs.--Unprocessed logs harvested from 
     the Coquille Forest shall be subject to the same Federal 
     statutory restrictions on export to foreign nations that 
     apply to unprocessed logs harvested from Federal land.
       ``(ii) Sales of timber.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, all sales of timber from land subject to 
     this subsection shall be advertised, offered, and awarded 
     according to competitive bidding practices, with sales being 
     awarded to the highest responsible bidder.'';
       (2) by striking paragraph (9); and
       (3) by redesignating paragraphs (10) through (12) as 
     paragraphs (9) through (11), respectively.

  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 to revise and extend their 
remarks and to 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, I would first like to acknowledge the gentlemen from 
Oregon, Mr. DeFazio and Mr. Walden, for their hard work on this piece 
of legislation, which will benefit several Indian tribes in the State 
of Oregon.
  H.R. 5701 is a compilation of several stand-alone bills, most of 
which have been reported out of the Natural Resources Committee and 
passed by the full House.
  Title I of H.R. 5701 would ease the process for the Grand Ronde Tribe 
to apply for trust land within the original boundaries of its 1857 
reservation, which encompassed 60,000-plus-acre acres in Polk and 
Yamhill Counties in Oregon.
  Further, the bill deems property placed in trust for the tribe after 
1988 to be part of the tribe's reservation.
  Finally, specific tracts of land totaling 288 acres would be placed 
in trust for the tribe in its former reservation.
  Mr. Speaker, title I is identical to H.R. 841, which previously 
passed the House.
  Title II and title III are similar to provisions found in H.R. 1526, 
the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, which passed 
the House in September of 2014.
  Title IV would make it easier for the Siletz Indian Tribe to apply 
for trust land within the original boundaries of the 1855 Siletz Coast 
Reservation, which encompassed a large part of the coast of Oregon. 
Gaming on this land to be held in trust would be prohibited. This is 
identical to the Natural Resources Committee-reported version of H.R. 
931.
  Finally, title V would correct a situation with respect to the 
management of the Coquille Tribal Forest in Oregon. This forest has 
been regulated as part of the Northwest Forest Plan, which is 
inconsistent with the management of other tribally-managed forests in 
the United States. Under this title, the Coquille Tribe would be able 
to manage its forest under the National Indian Forest Resources 
Management Act. This will provide the tribe with the ability to better 
manage their timber resources.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of legislation, as I mentioned, 
encompassing three other pieces of legislation that the House and/or 
the committee has already acted on.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the last in the series of bills from the 
Resources Committee and, perhaps, the last time that I will be on the 
floor as ranking member and Chairman Hastings will be on the floor as 
chairman.
  I just want to thank my colleague from Washington State for all of 
the work we have done together. We obviously don't always agree on 
issues, but I think the Resources Committee has reported out more bills 
and passed more bills in the House than any other committee in this 
Congress. We have been very active. We are hoping that the Senate will 
go along with a few that we have pending, and we will get some of those 
bills enacted into law.
  In particular, I want to thank the chairman for his partnership on an 
issue absolutely critical to the Pacific Northwest, which is the 
management of the Columbia River system and the Bonneville Power 
Administration, in the phenomenal gift of that clean and inexpensive 
power to our region and to the Western U.S. generally.
  We have some major issues looming, in particular, the negotiation or 
renegotiation or termination of the treaty with Canada regarding the 
Columbia River Treaty. A session that the chairman held in his district 
in Washington State on a cold day in February was, I think, very 
critical in helping move that discussion and debate in a productive 
direction for all the stakeholders and was particularly critical for a 
position of our region in this negotiation.
  I am only hopeful that we will soon get the attention of the State 
Department and whomever else they have seen fit to involve in this 
process and have a recommendation from the State Department regarding 
modification or termination of that treaty so we can enter into 
meaningful negotiations with the Canadians. The gentleman played a 
particularly key role in that, and I want to thank him for that and, 
obviously, a lot of other work on forestry and other issues.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield to the gentleman.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman 
for yielding.
  Since you opened up commending Doc Hastings for his career in the 
Congress, I want to join you in that. We were both discussing yesterday 
that we started our careers battling over California water when he came 
to the Congress and when I came to the Congress, and on the last days 
of our legislative action we will, once again, be discussing California 
water. Those are the twists and the turns that this place takes with 
legislation.
  But I want to thank him for his service and leadership of the 
Resources Committee. He knows how dear those issues are to me in many 
years of service on that committee. Thank you for your fairness in 
dealing with a lot of the issues. As Mr. DeFazio pointed out, it wasn't 
about whether we always agreed, but it was about whether or not you 
could work with one another with some respect and figure out where you 
could get together on particular issues.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, for too long, Federal 
policies have unfairly disadvantaged Indian tribes in western Oregon 
and, obviously, elsewhere around the country. After signing many 
treaties with the western Oregon tribes, the United States removed them 
from their original homelands throughout the western part of the State 
and put them on only two reservations, which were established at the 
time to house potentially people from more than 60 tribal governments.
  Many of the tribes confederated on these reservations far from their 
ancestral homes. Other tribes refused to leave their ancestral homes 
and were basically forgotten by the United States, despite its promises 
that it had made in treaty agreements with them.
  Later, in 1954, one of the darkest chapters was when all but one of 
the

[[Page H8886]]

Oregon tribes west of the Cascade Mountains lost their Federal 
recognition in the Western Oregon Termination Act.

                              {time}  1300

  The termination era, as scholars call it, was terrible Federal Indian 
policy. It was so bad that it was only 30 years later that it was 
formally rebuked by Congress.
  Starting in the seventies, Congress began the process of restoring 
the western Oregon tribes to Federal recognition and of cleaning up the 
mess that the United States Government made in western Oregon. In fact, 
I began my congressional career as an original sponsor of the Coquille 
Restoration Act, legislation to restore one of Oregon's terminated 
tribes. I partnered with then-Senator Mark Hatfield on that 
legislation, which was later enacted into law.
  While six Oregon tribes are now federally recognized, it remains 
difficult for these tribes to function as the sovereign nations they 
are and to govern themselves as effectively as they could.
  Shifts in Federal Indian policy have made it time-consuming and 
expensive for western Oregon tribes--and other tribes around the 
country--and the Department of the Interior to work together on land-
into-trust issues. These policy shifts have also deprived two of the 
tribes of sufficient land bases, and it has created a legal anomaly 
with regard to the Coquille Indian Tribe's forest.
  H.R. 5701, the Western Oregon Indian Tribal Lands Act, is a long 
overdue, no-cost, commonsense bill that will go a long way to helping 
resolve some of the problems the Federal Government and its policy 
shifts over more than a century have created for the western Oregon 
tribes.
  This legislation clarifies on-reservation land-into-trust procedures 
for the Grand Ronde and Siletz tribes, so the tribes don't have to face 
outrageous delays in dealing with the Department of the Interior. The 
bill also makes good on decades-old promises to restore land bases for 
the Coos and Cow Creek tribes, and it puts the Coquille Indian Tribe's 
forest on an equal footing with those of other Indian tribes 
nationwide.
  H.R. 5701 deals only with Oregon issues, Oregon tribes, and Oregon 
constituents. All of the provisions in this Oregon tribal bill have 
received some form of consideration by both the House and the Senate. 
This package also enjoys bipartisan, bicameral support, the rarest of 
rare things, I would say, in Washington, D.C., these days.
  I strongly encourage my colleagues here in the House to join with me 
in passing this legislation swiftly, so we can get it over to the 
Senate and hopefully get the Senate to act before the hopefully soon-
looming adjournment of the 113th Congress.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I commended two of my colleagues from Oregon for their 
work on this, Mr. Walden and Mr. DeFazio. I failed to mention Mr. 
Schrader, who was the author of H.R. 931, which is title IV of this 
bill. I want to correct that oversight that I made.
  I want to thank my two colleagues for their very kind words. This 
will, I think, be the last time that I have the opportunity to manage a 
bill on the floor. I will just say that both gentlemen made the 
observation that while we don't always agree on things, at least we can 
understand when somebody comes from a particular position, you can deal 
with that.
  I want to take this time then to correct an assertion that my friend 
from Oregon made when I had my portrait unveiled. I say that because I 
think most of my colleagues know my position on wilderness areas is 
probably contrary to what their vision is.
  I want to correct the record because Mr. DeFazio asserted that my 
position on wilderness areas was because, as a child, I was lost in the 
wilderness when we were camping. I thought that was very clever, but it 
is not the truth, and so while what he said is not on the record, I get 
the last word here and will say on the record that I was not lost in 
the wilderness and that is not how I derived my position on wilderness 
areas.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to yield back if the gentleman 
from Oregon is prepared to yield back, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  You forgot I reserved, Doc, so I do get to respond.
  I have to say we were looking for a logical reason for what I would 
say is your recalcitrance to further create wilderness so that areas 
may remain undisturbed for future generations. I thought that was 
potentially a plausible reason.
  In fact, it was so plausible that the next day in the gym a 
Republican Member who was there that didn't know either me or you that 
well asked if that indeed was a true story. I played him along for just 
a brief period of time and said, ``No.'' I appreciate that you have 
corrected the record.
  In the NDAA bill, we also did do a wilderness package as it relates 
to your State and some other wilderness bills that I think were very 
bipartisan and reasonable. I appreciate the fact you supported that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance 
of my time.
  I will just simply say it has been a pleasure for me to have worked 
with you in your position as ranking member, and I wish you the best as 
you move over to be the ranking member of T&I in the next Congress.
  This is a good piece of legislation. As the gentleman from Oregon 
mentioned several times, tribal issues, particularly in Oregon, are 
somewhat contentious. I am somewhat familiar with that because I do go 
to the Oregon coast at least every other year.
  I congratulate my colleagues from Oregon for this legislation, urge 
its passage, and 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. 5701, 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.

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