[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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