[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1210-H1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              YUCCA HOUSE NATIONAL MONUMENT EXPANSION ACT

  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1492) to update the map of, and modify the maximum acreage 
available for inclusion in, the Yucca House National Monument, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1492

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Yucca House National 
     Monument Expansion Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) National monument.--The term ``National Monument'' 
     means the Yucca House National Monument in Cortez, Colorado, 
     established by Presidential Proclamation 1549.
       (2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Yucca 
     House National Monument Proposed Boundary Addition'', 
     numbered 318/105,085A, and dated February 27, 2019.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 3. YUCCA HOUSE NATIONAL MONUMENT LAND ACQUISITION.

       (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary may acquire by donation the 
     approximately 160 acres of land and any interests in the land 
     that is identified on the map.
       (b) Boundary.--On the acquisition of the land authorized 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary shall adjust the 
     boundaries of the National Monument to include the acquired 
     land.
       (c) Administration.--The land and any interests in land 
     acquired under subsection (a) shall be administered as part 
     of the National Monument.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1492, sponsored by my 
friend and fellow Coloradan, Representative Tipton. This bill would 
support access to one of the most significant cultural and 
archaeological sites in southwest Colorado, the Yucca House National 
Monument.
  Yucca House was an important community center for the ancestral 
Puebloan people and serves as an enduring example of the history of 
these lands. H.R. 1492 would add 160 acres of donated land to the 
monument, quintupling the size of the site and guaranteeing permanent 
public access.
  The addition would also allow the National Park Service to build a 
new public entrance to the monument, including parking, visitor 
services, and interpretive facilities. This new access will allow more 
Americans to utilize and learn about the exceptional ancestral Puebloan 
sites protected at the monument.
  I congratulate my colleague on his efforts to support access with 
respect to this monument and to help enhance our appreciation for the 
Native American history enshrined in the kivas, towers, and plazas of 
the Yucca House National Monument.
  As a fellow lover of Colorado's public lands and public land 
heritage, I again thank the gentleman for his leadership on this bill 
and certainly urge my colleagues to support it.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, the Yucca House National Monument is a 
classic example of how the Antiquities Act is supposed to work.
  President Woodrow Wilson designated 9.6 acres as a national 
monument--I didn't say 9.6 million acres; I said 9.6 acres--in order to 
protect an ancient American Indian archaeological site, the ruins of a 
sprawling 600-room pueblo.
  That is the real purpose of the Antiquities Act. That is the way it 
is supposed to be used. It is there to protect small archaeological 
sites for study and preservation. It is not there to set aside hundreds 
of square miles of land just because we can.
  The site was donated to the United States Government by the landowner 
and subsequent owners who made available a small amount of additional 
acreage as artifacts have been discovered.
  H.R. 1492, by Congressman Tipton of Colorado, would make a further 
boundary adjustment of about 160 acres of donated land adjacent to the 
monument that encompasses additional sites and provides for better 
public access.
  Unlike many recent national monument designations, this one has the 
strong support of the local communities affected and is focused on 
preserving actual archaeological sites from antiquity.
  This bill should serve as an example for how monument designations or 
adjustments should be made, always with local collaboration and 
support. I applaud my friend for his diligent work on this legislation. 
I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton), the author of this measure.
  Mr. TIPTON. Madam Speaker, I thank both my colleagues for their kind 
words on this legislation.
  Madam Chair, the Yucca House National Monument is in Montezuma 
County, Colorado, very near to my hometown of Cortez. It is one of the 
largest archaeological sites in southwest Colorado, preserving a 
Montezuma Valley ancestral Puebloan site that is unexcavated.
  If you were to look at it quickly, you might see just several mounds 
of rocks, but it contains some valuable information that answers 
questions that we have about large, active farming communities that 
existed in the area centuries ago.
  In 2019, Yucca House National Monument celebrated its 100th birthday. 
Yucca House National Monument is surrounded by private land, and access 
is granted through an easement on private property. The owner of that 
property has experienced trouble with traffic and parking, and the 
arrangement

[[Page H1211]]

is interfering with his ability to be able to manage the farm.
  A private landowner adjacent to the national monument is now seeking 
to be able to donate 160 acres to the monument to further protect 
archaeological sites and cultural resources and to alleviate access 
issues.
  The land has been studied and determined to be appropriate for 
inclusion in the national monument. The donation would facilitate a new 
access road to the monument and parking for visitors.
  It is important to note that the Montezuma County Commission has 
approved the road and parking plan and waived a ``no net loss'' of 
private land policy to officially support the 160-acre donation. In 
doing this, the county has asked that my office work to be able to 
release five wilderness study areas within Montezuma and Dolores 
Counties, areas that pose problems for the counties when it comes to 
protecting nearby communities from wildfire threats, balancing 
recreation needs, and managing noxious weeds. I have already started 
working to release these WSAs, and I am committed to being able to see 
the process through.
  Currently, the National Park Service has minor boundary revision 
authority, as long as the sum total of the acreage added to the unit is 
less than 200 acres and the lands are adjacent to other Federal lands 
administered by the National Park Service.

  Although this proposed donation is less than 200 acres, the donation 
would increase the acreage within the monument about six times over. 
Therefore, Congress must authorize a boundary revision before the 
donation can be accepted.
  The Yucca House National Monument is one of the most significant 
archaeological sites in the country and stands as a reminder of how the 
ancient Puebloans used to live hundreds of years ago.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that future generations 
can continue to be able to experience the cultural and archaeological 
significance of the monument.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, again, I thank my colleague, friend, and 
neighbor, Mr. Tipton, for his leadership on this bill. I certainly urge 
my colleagues to support it.
  I also want to make sure we take a moment to take stock and reflect 
on the benefits of the Antiquities Act of 1906, that bedrock law signed 
into law by President Teddy Roosevelt so long ago that has enabled us 
to move forward with protecting monuments like the one included in the 
bill that is before the House today.
  Madam 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. Neguse) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1492, 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.

                          ____________________