[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 20 (Monday, February 6, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H987-H988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FORT FREDERICA NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY EXPANSION ACT
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 494) to expand the boundary of Fort Frederica National
Monument in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 494
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''.
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
Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).
General Leave
Mr. LAMBORN. 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 Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 494, introduced by my colleague Congressman Buddy Carter of
Georgia, expands the boundary of Fort Frederica National Monument by
authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 21
acres of land. The St. Simons Land Trust currently owns the additional
acreage and will steward the land until the National Park Service can
acquire the property.
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.
This bipartisan legislation is fully supported by the Georgia
delegation, and an identical version of this legislation passed the
House by voice vote in the 114th Congress. I urge the passage of the
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This bill expands the Fort Frederica National Monument to include a
20-acre property, known as the North Marsh, 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, which is located on St. Simons Island, Georgia, was
built by James Oglethorpe in 1736 to protect the Colony of Georgia from
Spanish Florida. The National Park Service has managed the fort since
1936 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the Antiquities Act to
designate the site as a national monument. This bill is an important
reminder of how a decision to protect and elevate our shared national
heritage resonates generation after generation.
Here we are today, 80 years after President Roosevelt made the
decision to establish a national monument, and we are looking at a
terrific opportunity to expand it and increase the resources it
protects. By using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund--a
Federal program that wasn't yet around in President FDR's time and of
which I fought hard to reauthorize in this body--we can continue this
important legacy. It is good to highlight the work of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund as we pass this bill with regard to a national
monument that has been with us for 80 years.
[[Page H988]]
I thank the majority for advancing this bill, and I look forward to
working with them to advance similar legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, the First Congressional District of Georgia includes all
100 miles of Georgia's coastline and barrier islands. It was on one of
these islands that the founder of Georgia, General James Oglethorpe,
built a fort in 1736 to protect the new British Colony from the
Spaniards. He named the fort and nearby town ``Frederica'' in honor of
the Prince of Wales. In 1742, Fort Frederica's strategic location
helped the British win a decisive victory against the Spanish in the
Battle of Bloody Marsh. After this battle, the Spanish abandoned their
attempts to take over the territory, and Georgia was fully secured as a
British Colony. Today, Fort Frederica National Monument is a popular
destination in Glynn County, featuring portions of the original fort, a
museum, and extensive hiking trails.
H.R. 494 would allow for a small addition of adjacent land that
contains artifacts from prehistoric human settlements. With this
addition, visitors will be able to see a more complete story of the
history of Georgia--from its earliest human residents, to colonial
times, to modern day.
I thank the chairman for his consideration of this bill, and I thank
the Natural Resources Committee's staff for its efforts. I also thank
the entire Georgia delegation for supporting and cosponsoring this
legislation.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for advancing this
bill. I look forward to working with them to advance similar
legislation that expands, protects, and enhances our public lands. It
is particularly a privilege for me to work on a bill that uses
resources and that highlights for the American people the value of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund.
I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LAMBORN. 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 Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 494.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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