[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1520-H1521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MODIFYING THE BOUNDARY OF VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
Mr. CURTIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1350) to modify the boundary of Voyageurs National Park in
the State of Minnesota, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1350
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. MODIFICATION OF VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK.
(a) Boundaries.--
(1) In general.--Section 102(a) of Public Law 91-661 (16
U.S.C. 160a-1(a)) is amended--
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ``the drawing
entitled'' and all that follows through ``February 1969'' and
inserting ``the map entitled `Voyageurs National Park,
Proposed Land Transfer & Boundary Adjustment', numbered 172/
80,056, and dated June 2009 (22 sheets)''; and
(B) in the second and third sentences, by striking
``drawing'' each place it appears and inserting ``map''.
(2) Technical corrections.--Section 102(b)(2)(A) of Public
Law 91-661 (16 U.S.C. 160a-1(b)(2)(A)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``paragraph (1)(C) and (D)'' and inserting
``subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (1)''; and
(B) in the second proviso, by striking ``paragraph 1(E)''
and inserting ``paragraph (1)(E)''.
(b) Land Acquisitions.--Section 201 of Public Law 91-661
(16 U.S.C. 160b) is amended--
(1) by striking the section designation and heading and all
that follows through ``(a) The Secretary'' and inserting the
following:
``SEC. 201. LAND ACQUISITIONS.
``(a) Authorization.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary'';
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) in the second sentence, by striking ``When any tract of
land is only partly within such boundaries'' and inserting
the following:
``(2) Certain portions of tracts.--
``(A) In general.--In any case in which only a portion of a
tract of land is within the boundaries of the park'';
(B) in the third sentence, by striking ``Land so acquired''
and inserting the following:
``(B) Exchange.--
``(i) In general.--Any land acquired pursuant to
subparagraph (A)'';
(C) in the fourth sentence, by striking ``Any portion'' and
inserting the following:
``(ii) Portions not exchanged.--Any portion'';
(D) in the fifth sentence, by striking ``Any Federal
property'' and inserting the following:
``(C) Transfers of federal property.--Any Federal
property''; and
(E) by striking the last sentence and inserting the
following:
``(D) Administrative jurisdiction.--Effective beginning on
the date of enactment of this subparagraph, there is
transferred to the National Park Service administrative
jurisdiction over--
``(i) any land managed by the Bureau of Land Management
within the boundaries of the park, as depicted on the map
described in section 102(a); and
``(ii) any additional public land identified by the Bureau
of Land Management as appropriate for transfer within the
boundaries of the park.
``(E) Land owned by state.--
``(i) Donations and exchanges.--Any land located within or
adjacent to the boundaries of the park that is owned by the
State of Minnesota (or a political subdivision of the State)
may be acquired by the Secretary only through donation or
exchange.
``(ii) Revision.--On completion of an acquisition from the
State under clause (i), the Secretary shall revise the
boundaries of the park to reflect the acquisition.''; and
(3) in subsection (b), by striking ``(b) In exercising
his'' and inserting the following:
``(b) Offers by Individuals.--In exercising the''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Curtis) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.
General Leave
Mr. CURTIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days 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 Utah?
There was no objection.
Mr. CURTIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Voyageurs National Park, established in 1975, is a
218,200-acre national park located on the northern border of Minnesota.
The name ``Voyageurs'' commemorates the French-Canadian fur traders who
were the first European settlers to frequent the area. The park has
remarkable water resources and islands and is popular with canoeists,
kayakers, other boaters, and fishermen.
The Bureau of Land Management currently manages lands within the
boundaries of the park that were not transferred to the National Park
Service at the park's establishment. H.R. 1350 formally transfers these
Bureau of Land Management lands to the National Park Service. Enactment
of the legislation is expected to save taxpayer money and agency time
by eliminating duplicative land management.
In addition, this legislation resolves an outstanding land management
issue faced by the State of Minnesota and a county by authorizing a
land exchange between the State and the National Park Service. Certain
State tax-forfeited tracts within the boundaries of Voyageurs National
Park will be traded for a National Park Service-owned tract outside the
park boundary.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan), the bill's sponsor. I thank
him for his excellent work on this issue.
Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my dear friend and colleague
from California (Mr. Lowenthal) for his distinguished service. I thank
Mr. Curtis for his distinguished service as well. I also thank Mr.
Bishop, all the members of the committee, and the staff, of course, for
the wonderful work they have done on this.
Mr. Speaker, I rise here to join in support of H.R. 1350.
Basically, as was explained by Mr. Curtis, the bill authorizes a land
transfer between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park
Service, a move that would greatly improve the overall land management
and efficiency within the Voyageurs National Park in my district in
northern Minnesota. I might add, we are very proud of that
accomplishment.
Specifically, the bill permits the transfer of 49 acres of land
within the park from the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management
to the National Park Service, as was originally intended by the
original legislation for the park when it was signed into law; but, for
a variety of reasons, these 49 acres, including 61 separate tracts of
land, were not included in the original Federal legislation that
established the park in 1975.
[[Page H1521]]
It may interest some of my colleagues to know that I was here in 1975
and was able to, of course, register my support for the establishment
of that park.
Now, to be clear, the National Park Service administration already
manages the 49 acres; but without a change in the law that permanently
transfers the lands, a cumbersome and duplicative renewal process is
required every 20 years. The procedure involves a notice, a publication
in the Federal Register, and a review of comments, all of which are,
essentially, a waste of taxpayers' money and everybody's time within
the government who has to deal with it.
So make no mistake about it, as Mr. Curtis pointed out, this bill
saves the taxpayers' money and the bureaucracy time.
In addition, the bill would also authorize the National Park Service
to acquire and integrate new land into Voyageurs National Park through
land exchanges with the State and local governments that own land
within or adjacent to the park's boundaries.
In short, Mr. Speaker, this bill would eliminate any future concerns
related to the Department of the Interior's ownership and jurisdiction,
facilitating the ease of management for the National Park Service, the
State, and the county; and it would do so at no cost, in addition, of
course, to saving money for the Federal Government as determined by the
Congressional Budget Office.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to adopt the measure.
Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1350 is a commonsense, good governance measure, and
I want to congratulate Mr. Nolan for his hard work in getting this bill
through the legislative process.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. CURTIS. 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 Utah (Mr. Curtis) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1350.
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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