[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, in a few moments, I will put forward a 
request to the Senate to take up and approve the nomination of an 
Oregonian, my friend Chuck Sams, President Biden's choice to lead the 
National Park Service.
  I am just going to take a few minutes to talk about Chuck Sams and 
why he is the right person for this critical job.
  Colleagues, we all know that the Park Service is often called 
America's best idea, and together those parks form a network of 
treasures that no other country can match.
  The fact is, the National Park Service is not only about the views 
and the photo-ops. It is all about our country. It is what makes our 
country so special for so many.
  The Director of the National Park Service is in charge of an 
organization of over 22,000 employees and almost a quarter million 
volunteers. The National Park System generates tens of millions of 
dollars of economic activity. The people of my State know particularly 
how important those critical outdoor treasures are for rural economies 
and rural jobs.
  The fact also is that there are park units in every State in the 
country--urban parts, rural parts, historic American buildings, ancient 
archeological sites--and personnel at the Park Service do it all, from 
education to preservation, to maintenance, and even resilience against 
wildfire.
  Chuck Sams has been a longtime Umatilla Tribal leader, and there he 
has served in a variety of roles. He is a member of the Northwest Power 
and Conservation Council, working with officials from across the 
Pacific Northwest. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He is a role 
model--a role model--in so many respects, and particularly in the 
stewardship of America's lands, waters, wildlife, and history. And the 
Congress and the parkgoers are going to rely on him in the months and 
years ahead because we all know the Park Service faces big challenges.
  I am going to wrap up and make my unanimous consent request, but, 
first, I want to commend my colleague from Alaska. My colleague and I 
have been working pretty much through the day.
  I will be brief. I just want to thank the Senator from Alaska. We 
have been working throughout the day to resolve the whole issue of the 
Sams nomination.
  This is a wonderful person who is going to give public service a 
really good name when he is confirmed.
  My colleague from Alaska has raised a number of issues that he 
considers very important to his State. He and I have worked together on 
a variety of these issues, both from the standpoint of the Energy 
Committee and most recently as chairman of the Finance Committee, when 
we have worked on some tax issues. So I want to thank him for his 
cooperation that is going to make it possible for us to advance this 
nomination tonight.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 508, Charles F. 
Sams III, of Oregon, to be Director of the National Park Service, and 
that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, I just want to thank Senator Wyden for 
his cooperation working on this nominee. Mr. Sams, I do agree, is 
qualified.
  We had a long discussion this afternoon about some of the big issues 
that are impacting my State as it relates to the National Park Service.
  You know, a lot of people love the National Park Service. Two-thirds 
of all National Park Service land in America is in Alaska--tens of 
millions of acres. It is bigger than almost every other State 
represented here on the Senate floor. That is just the National Park 
Service.
  For decades, that Federal authority--the National Park Service 
authority in Alaska--has been abused. How do we know that it has been 
abused? Well, we recently had two--two--U.S. Supreme Court decisions 
that were 9-to-0 decisions, by the way, that essentially said the Park 
Service was not following the law in Alaska--two.
  So my discussions with Mr. Sams and the commitments he made to me, I 
think, are going to help Alaska. I think they are going to help the 
National Park Service, and it is related to the National Park Service 
authorities.
  After these two decisions--they were called the Sturgeon decisions--
two in a row, at the U.S. Supreme Court, 9 to 0, by the way, and the 
U.S. Supreme Court telling the National Park Service: You are not 
following the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. We call 
it ANILCA in Alaska. You are not following the Federal Government. You 
need to follow it.
  So the commitment I got from Mr. Sams was there was a recent 
regulation from the Federal Government in November of 2020 providing 
specifics of how the National Park Service was going to implement these 
two U.S. Supreme Court cases--the Sturgeon case. And he committed to me 
to be true to these regulations and to faithfully execute these 
regulations in the National Park Service on implementing Sturgeon. That 
is a very big deal in Alaska.
  He also committed to have all of his senior Alaska staff and senior 
staff here in Washington, DC, take ANILCA training. This is a giant 
statute. The Federal Government often screws it up, and it has a 
negative impact on my State. So he committed to me that he will have 
his top leadership at the National Park Service take training to 
understand this complicated law. That will also help my constituents 
and the country very much.
  So I want to, again, thank Senator Wyden for working with me on these 
issues. These are important commitments that Mr. Sams has made, and I 
have no further objection to this nominee's confirmation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the clerk will 
report the nomination.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Charles 
F. Sams III, of Oregon, to be Director of the National Park Service.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the Sams nomination?
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all without 
intervening action or debate; that no further motions be made in order 
to the nomination; that any statements related to the nomination be 
printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of 
the Senate's action, and the Senate resume legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________