[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5064-H5065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FORT FREDERICA NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY EXPANSION ACT
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3480) to expand the boundary of Fort
Frederica National Monument in the State of Georgia, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3480
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 ``Fort Frederica National
Monument Boundary Expansion Act''.
[[Page H5065]]
SEC. 2. FORT FREDERICA NATIONAL MONUMENT, GEORGIA.
(a) Maximum Acreage.--The first section of the Act of May
26, 1936 (16 U.S.C. 433g), is amended by striking ``two
hundred and fifty acres'' and inserting ``305 acres''.
(b) Boundary Expansion.--
(1) In general.--The boundary of the Fort Frederica
National Monument in the State of Georgia is modified to
include the land generally depicted as ``Proposed Acquisition
Areas'' on the map entitled ``Fort Frederica National
Monument Proposed Boundary Expansion'', numbered 369/132,469,
and dated April 2016.
(2) Availability of map.--The map described in paragraph
(1) shall be on file and available for public inspection in
the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
(3) Acquisition of land.--The Secretary of the Interior may
acquire the land and interests in land described in paragraph
(1) by donation or purchase with donated or appropriated
funds from willing sellers only.
(4) Written consent of owner.--No non-Federal property may
be included in the Fort Frederica National Monument without
the written consent of the owner.
(5) No use of condemnation or eminent domain.--The
Secretary of the Interior may not acquire by condemnation or
eminent domain any land or interests in land under this Act
or for the purposes of this Act.
(6) No buffer zone created.--Nothing in this Act, the
establishment of the Fort Frederica National Monument, or the
management plan for the Fort Frederica National Monument
shall be construed to create buffer zones outside of the
Monument. That activities or uses can be seen, heard, or
detected from areas within the Fort Frederica National
Monument shall not preclude, limit, control, regulate, or
determine the conduct or management of activities or uses
outside of the Monument.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
The Fort Frederica National Monument, located on St. Simons Island,
Georgia, preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort established in
1736 by James Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe constructed the fort to protect
the colony of Georgia from attack from the Spanish. The fort
successfully fended off a Spanish attack in 1742 and confirmed Georgia
as a British territory.
H.R. 3480, introduced by Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia, expands
Fort Frederica by 21 acres. The St. Simons Land Trust currently owns
the additional acreage and will steward the land until the National
Park Service can acquire the property. This bipartisan bill is
cosponsored by the entire Georgia delegation, and Congressman Carter
worked closely with Chairman Bishop to modify the bill before markup.
I urge the adoption of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
As the chairman has said, this bill expands the Fort Frederica
National Monument to include a 20-acre property, known as the North
Marsh, which is currently owned by the St. Simons Land Trust. The
National Park Service evaluated the property in a 2014 study and
determined that its acquisition would provide additional opportunities
to protect and interpret resources that are associated with the site.
Fort Frederica, located on St. Simons Island, Georgia, was built by
James Oglethorpe in 1736 to protect the colony of Georgia from Spanish
Florida. The fort has been managed by the National Park Service since
1936, when President Franklin Roosevelt used the Antiquities Act to
designate the site as a national monument.
As a quick aside, I climbed Mount Katahdin last week, which is
Maine's highest mountain, and I was in Maine when Secretary Jewell
arrived to celebrate President Obama's use of the Antiquities Act to
accept a gift of 87,000 acres in order to create the new Katahdin Woods
and Waters National Monument--some of the most beautiful country I have
ever seen.
This bill is an important reminder of how a decision to protect and
elevate our shared heritage resonates for generations. Eighty years
after President Roosevelt made the decision to establish a national
monument, we are looking at opportunities to expand it and increase the
resources it protects. By using money from the Land and Water
Conservation Fund--a Federal program that was not around in FDR's time
but that is one, I am sure, he would have supported--we can continue
this important legacy.
I thank the majority and my friend from Georgia (Mr. Carter) for
advancing this bill. I look forward to working with them to advance
similar legislation that is designed to expand and enhance our public
lands.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), the author of bill.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, the First Congressional District of Georgia is home to
many natural and historic treasures, including the Fort Frederica
National Monument. Fort Frederica was built on St. Simons Island in
1736 by James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, to protect the new
British colony from the Spanish. The fort's strategic location ensured
a decisive victory for Oglethorpe in 1742 at the Battle of Bloody
Marsh, which ended further Spanish attempts to claim Georgia as their
own.
Today, the Fort Frederica National Monument is a popular destination
in Glynn County that features portions of the original fort, a museum,
and extensive hiking trails. H.R. 3480 would authorize the National
Park Service to obtain adjacent land that likely contains artifacts
from prehistoric human settlements, adding more to the rich history of
this site.
I thank the chairman for his consideration of this bill as well as to
thank the entire Georgia delegation for supporting and cosponsoring
this legislation. I also thank the Natural Resources Committee staff
for their work and dedication to this bill.
Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3480, 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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