[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 61 (Monday, April 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3321-H3322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WEST FORK FIRE STATION ACT OF 2017

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4609) to provide for the conveyance of a Forest Service site 
in Dolores County, Colorado, to be used for a fire station.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4609

       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 ``West Fork Fire Station Act 
     of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) County.--The term ``County'' means Dolores County, 
     Colorado.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Agriculture.
       (3) West fork fire station conveyance parcel.--The term 
     ``West Fork Fire Station Conveyance Parcel'' means the parcel 
     of approximately 3.61 acres of National Forest System land in 
     the County, as depicted on the map entitled ``Map for West 
     Fork Fire Station Conveyance Parcel'' and dated November 21, 
     2017.

     SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF WEST FORK FIRE STATION CONVEYANCE 
                   PARCEL, DOLORES COUNTY, COLORADO.

       (a) In General.--On receipt of a request from the County 
     and subject to such terms and conditions as are mutually 
     satisfactory to the Secretary and the County, including such 
     additional terms as the Secretary determines to be necessary, 
     the Secretary shall convey to the County without 
     consideration all right, title, and interest of the United 
     States in and to the West Fork Fire Station Conveyance 
     Parcel.
       (b) Costs.--Any costs relating to the conveyance under 
     subsection (a), including processing and transaction costs, 
     shall be paid by the County.
       (c) Use of Land.--The land conveyed to the County under 
     subsection (a) shall be used by the County only for a fire 
     station, related infrastructure, and roads to facilitate 
     access to and through the West Fork Fire Station Conveyance 
     Parcel.
       (d) Reversion.--If any portion of the land conveyed under 
     subsection (a) is used in a manner that is inconsistent with 
     the use described in subsection (c), the land shall, at the 
     discretion of the Secretary, revert to the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. 
Hanabusa) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. 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 California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4609 would authorize the U.S. Forest Service to 
convey 3.61 acres of land to Dolores County, Colorado, for the purpose 
of building a fire station for the community of West Fork. Currently, 
area residents must rely on a fire protection district located 26 miles 
away to provide critical firefighting and emergency services to the 
community.
  Frequent and devastating wildfires have ravaged the Western States, 
making it more vital than ever that every community is prepared to 
protect itself

[[Page H3322]]

against fire and other catastrophic events. H.R. 4609 will improve 
local fire and emergency services to the community of West Fork and 
will ensure that residents of the West Fork area will be prepared for 
catastrophic events without expending any new Federal dollars.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to note the hard work that Representative Tipton 
has put into this bill, and I salute his efforts and leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4609 authorizes the conveyance of 3.61 acres of 
National Forest System land to Dolores County, Colorado, for the 
purpose of building a fire station. The language of this bill also 
allows the United States to regain ownership of the land if the county 
no longer uses it for its intended purpose.
  During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing in 
February of this year, representatives from the Forest Service not only 
expressed their support for this conveyance, but went on to note the 
lack of non-Federal options for land suitable for building a fire 
station in the area.
  We can all agree on the importance of public safety. It is our duty 
as Members of Congress to ensure that the brave men and women who serve 
as firefighters in their communities have access to the infrastructure 
they need to do their work.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the adoption of the bill, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton), the author of this measure 
and one of the leaders in the House on important issues facing the 
Western States.
  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McClintock and also 
Representative Hanabusa for their support on this important piece of 
legislation, which ultimately creates a win not only for the local 
community property rights, but also for our forest system, as well, in 
the event of a catastrophic wildfire breaking out.
  West Fork is in a remote part of Dolores County, Colorado, surrounded 
by the San Juan National Forest. Emergency and fire response is a 
challenge in this part of the county because the closest fire station 
is currently 26 miles away. The West Fork Fire Station Act conveys 
approximately 3.6 acres of National Forest System land to Dolores 
County for the strict purpose of building and operating a fire station 
in the West Fork area.
  In addition to creating emergency and fire response challenges, the 
lack of a dedicated fire station has created insurance challenges for 
homeowners in West Fork. In an area surrounded by national forest land, 
it is critical to have fire insurance for your home and other 
structures on your property. With no fire station in reasonable 
proximity to the area, it is near impossible for homeowners to obtain 
fire insurance in West Fork. My bill would help change that.
  The West Fork fire station will be operated by a volunteer fire 
department, men and women who dedicate their time, talent, and often 
put the safety of their community and neighbors ahead of their own. I 
greatly appreciate their service to the county.
  I also commend Dolores County for working along with local property 
owners and the surrounding fire districts to obtain necessary 
firefighting equipment for the volunteers who would serve the West Fork 
fire station.
  Dolores County, Colorado, U.S. Senators Cory Gardner and Michael 
Bennet, along with the U.S. Forest Service all support the West Fork 
Fire Station Act.
  The bill passed out of the Natural Resources Committee with a 
unanimous vote. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues in the House to 
support this bill and the community of West Fork today.
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the 
adoption of this bill. It is a great bill. It protects our first 
responders and is something that we need to provide for them. As stated 
earlier, the Forest Service has no other use for this land.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage adoption of the bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4609.
  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.

                          ____________________