[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S697-S699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CAPE FOX LAND ENTITLEMENT FINALIZATION ACT OF 2025
______
SLOAN CANYON CONSERVATION AND LATERAL PIPELINE ACT
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I come to the floor with my friend and
colleague from Nevada Senator Cortez Masto to seek unanimous consent to
pass two noncontroversial bills as a bipartisan pair. The first is H.R.
2815. This is sponsored by Congressman Begich from Alaska. It is the
identical companion to my Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act.
And the second is H.R. 972, sponsored by Representative Dina Titus of
Nevada. It is the identical companion to Senator Cortez Masto's Sloan
Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act.
These are important bills to those in Southeastern Alaska and in
Nevada. It probably won't make headlines out of those two areas, but
they are very significant and important bills. After more than five
decades, the Cape Fox bill will finally complete the land entitlement
for the Native Village of Saxman in Southeast Alaska. The Sloan Canyon
bill will facilitate construction of a water pipeline in the Las
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Vegas Valley. This is critical infrastructure for hundreds of thousands
of people.
These are House-passed bills, OK, so they can go directly to the
President's desk to be signed into law. I mentioned that they are both
noncontroversial. Their pairing is also noncontroversial. And there are
no objections on the merits, on the substance, to either one of them.
Both have had full process in the Senate over the course of multiple
Congresses. So if these look familiar, it is because we have seen them
before.
Both these bills passed the Senate by unanimous consent at the end of
2024, so over a year ago. Our cloakrooms on both sides of the aisle
hotlined them again 6 weeks ago, and so that is what brings us here
today as we are still trying to move them.
We have kind of gotten to a really difficult and frustrating--
frustrating, as much as anything--time in our process. People are
wondering, and they are asking me--those in the Ketchikan-Saxman area:
What is the holdup here? If everybody is supportive of this, why is it
taking so long and proving so hard for Congress to agree on things?
I don't have a good answer on that. I am not sure that there is one.
But, again, we are trying to move noncontroversial bills through a
process that requires support and consent on both ends of this
building. And this end of the building has said yes, and things are
getting stuck over on the other side. And rather than point fingers and
call names, I want to unstick things. I want to have us know that we
can move these bills that are important in our communities and in our
regions and they don't get taken hostage, if you will, by the other
body as they are trying to figure out how they gain leverage over
something else here. That is not fair to the constituents that we
represent. That is not fair to the lawmakers who are working very hard
to try to advance their bills. So I appreciate the discussion that I
have had with my colleagues here on the floor about a way, a process, a
dialogue that needs to be had with our colleagues on the other side of
the aisle.
So there are a few bills that we are looking at today specifically,
but I think it goes to a bigger concern that needs to be addressed in a
way that is going to work for other Members who are also trying to
advance their bills into full passage by law.
So my commitment to my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle
and on the Democrat side of the aisle is let's leave from here and
let's make the calls to set up the sitdowns with our colleagues on the
other side--in the other body--to talk about how we are going to move
these in a way that is fair and does not penalize the Members, the
communities. We need to do right by our own process, and I would just
suggest that we need to be doing more than we are so that we are not in
a situation where we are waiting months and months and months to be
able to see these matters resolved.
Before I make any motion on these bills, I want to yield to Senator
Cortez Masto.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today, along with my good
friend and colleague from Alaska Senator Murkowski, to ask for the
passage of both H.R. 2815 and H.R. 972. As the Presiding Officer has
heard, they have already passed the House. There have been sets of
hearings there, work to be done.
Let me talk a little bit about H.R. 972. This is the Sloan Canyon
Conservation and Lateral Water Pipeline Act. This is the same bill that
this Chamber already passed by unanimous consent last Congress. And,
right now, almost 40 percent of Las Vegas residents and businesses
depend on the South Valley Lateral pipeline. That is one single
pipeline for nearly 3 million people. And that pipeline is 25 years
old. Ten years from now, it will reach 95 percent capacity, and it
won't be able to safely and reliably serve Las Vegans long term.
This bill that we are, hopefully, passing today will allow the
Southern Nevada Water Authority to build a new pipeline that will
improve the reliability and capacity of our existing water system and
protect the water supply for nearly half of our Las Vegas residents and
businesses.
And if you are from the West, water is the issue. My colleague from
California knows this. This is why I appreciate the conversation we
have had today.
Let me just say this. As a member of leadership in the Democratic
caucus as well as a member of Energy and Natural Resources and the
ranking member on the Public Lands Subcommittee, I couldn't agree more
with not only the comments Senator Murkowski has made about our
challenges in the work we need to do to pass several pieces of
legislation, in both Houses, to the benefit of our constituents and my
commitment to do just that.
I also understand and respect my colleague from California. We work
so closely on so many issues, from water issues to land issues. I
understand his frustration. I understand his concern that there is a
lack of movement with some of these important bills that we all need to
work on together. So I make a commitment to him to use whatever
authority and power I have to get this unstuck, to make sure that we
are working together to address his concerns, which are completely
valid, and to move forward as quickly as we possibly can, whether that
is requiring meetings amongst the--bicameral--with the House Members of
jurisdiction, making sure that, as a Senate caucus, this is a priority,
working with our Republican colleagues as well.
I really appreciate the Senator bringing this to everyone's attention
in the way that he has, and I think it is important for us to continue
to move forward together now to follow through and unstick a lot of the
challenges that we are seeing with these lands bills and bills that we
need to get passed in both Chambers.
So I thank the Senator, and I will yield to Senator Murkowski.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, we speak about the frustrations. There
is always room for frustration around here. But I share the many
concerns of my friend from California. Three of my bills and ones that
he also cares about and more that I have cosponsored are also pending
over there. And so this is not just the three of us sharing that we
need to find a path forward, but I think it is also an effort and a
need to find a path forward, working with the House to move these bills
forward.
In the meantime, here in the Senate, we need to keep doing our work,
but we can't forget that we have the other body that we need to have a
working relationship with, and passage of the bills requires just that.
So I think, today, we want to get focused on outcomes, pushing to
pass the bills where we can, however we can, whether they start with an
``H.R.'' or an ``S,'' not caring about who gets the credit but just
making sure we are advancing some laws here.
Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule
XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate
consideration of the following bills en bloc; further, that the bills
be considered read a third time and passed en bloc and that the motions
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc:
H.R. 2815, Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025 and H.R.
972, Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The Senator from California.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, reserving the right to object,
colleagues, I have been down here many, many times and have spoken up
in committee many, many times as we try to create a better way of
ensuring that we, indeed, have a fair and bipartisan and bicameral
approach to consideration and passage of public lands bills.
I certainly understand my colleagues' frustration with how the public
lands process is currently playing out. I am glad that they are
acknowledging I, too, share that frustration. But I also can't believe
we can't create a scenario where the Senate completely cedes to the
House the ability to pick and choose which public lands bills are
allowed to be sent to the White House.
Regardless of who is in the majority, the process has historically
been both bicameral and bipartisan, and we need to get back to that.
So as I said publicly, and as I have reminded in private, my
objection to
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these bills is not on the substance, and my objection is not an
objection forever. So I appreciate when my colleagues have offered to
join me in this effort to push leadership of both parties of the
committees in both Houses to convene and create that process that isn't
just going to be a fair consideration of my proposals or their
proposals but all the proposals that come from the Senate through the
Natural Resources Committee; give them a shot for consideration on the
House side and proper consideration for signature by the President of
the United States.
My colleague from Alaska, not just as a member of the Energy and
Natural Resources Committee but her leadership on the Committee of
Indian Affairs--not all public lands bills involve Indian Country, but
many, indeed, do, including some of mine that have been in the
pipeline--I appreciate her willingness to bring her authority and role
in her caucus to bear in this effort and conversation.
My colleague from the State of Nevada, not just a member of the
Energy and Natural Resources Committee but a member of the leadership
team on the Democratic side here in the Senate, I appreciate her
willingness to bring her authority and power to bear in advancing this
conversation.
So, for today, I shall not object on these two bills but reiterate my
frustration and am glad to be joined by two additional colleagues in
trying to push, again, leadership on both sides of the aisle, not just
the Senate committees but the House committees, to establish a fair way
forward for all Members and all of our proposals.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 2815) was ordered to a third reading, was read the
third time, and passed.
The bill (H.R. 972) was ordered to a third reading, was read the
third time, and passed.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I want to thank not only the Senator
from California but my colleague Senator Cortez Masto from Nevada as we
have worked through this.
Know that the Senator from California does have my commitment to try
to address not only the matters that are on your specific docket today
but, again, to try and find a better path forward for all the
legislation that means so much to so many of us in our communities. And
I thank you for the courtesy today.
____________________