[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 23848-23849]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  ASSISTING IN ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERPRETATIVE CENTER AND MUSEUM NEAR 
               DIAMOND VALLEY LAKE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 2977) to assist in the establishment of an interpretive 
center and museum in the vicinity of the Diamond Valley Lake in 
southern California to ensure the protection and interpretation of the 
paleontology discoveries made at the lake and to develop a trail system 
for the lake for use by pedestrians and nonmotorized vehicles.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 2977

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

     SECTION 1. INTERPRETIVE CENTER AND MUSEUM, DIAMOND VALLEY 
                   LAKE, HEMET, CALIFORNIA.

       (a) Assistant for Establishment of Center and Museum.--The 
     Secretary of the Interior shall enter into an agreement with 
     an appropriate entity for the purpose of sharing costs 
     incurred to design, construct, furnish, and operate an 
     interpretive center and museum, to be located on lands under 
     the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Water District of 
     Southern California, intended to preserve, display, and 
     interpret the paleontology discoveries made at and in the 
     vicinity of the Diamond Valley Lake, near Hemet, California, 
     and to promote other historical and cultural resources of the 
     area.
       (b) Assistance for Nonmotorized Trails.--The Secretary 
     shall enter into an agreement with the State of California, a 
     political subdivision of the State, or a combination of State 
     and local public agencies for the purpose of sharing costs 
     incurred to design, construct, and maintain a system of 
     trails around the perimeter of the Diamond Valley Lake for 
     use by pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles.
       (c) Matching Requirement.--The Secretary shall require the 
     other parties to an agreement under this section to secure an 
     amount of funds from non-Federal sources that is at least 
     equal to the amount provided by the Secretary.
       (d) Time for Agreement.--The Secretary shall enter into the 
     agreements required by this section not later than 180 days 
     after the date on which funds are first made available to 
     carry out this section.
       (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated not more than $14,000,000 to carry out 
     this section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George 
Miller) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the purpose of S. 2977 is to assist in the establishment 
of an interpretive center and museum in the vicinity of the Diamond 
Valley Lake in Southern California. Diamond Valley Lake is the result 
of a joint effort by State and local authorities to address possible 
water shortage problems in Southern California. This Senate bill has 
House companion legislation introduced by the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Calvert), who deserves credit for his hard work and leadership on 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 2977 provides recreational and educational 
opportunities to the region by assisting in the funding for the design, 
construction, furnishing, and operation of an interpretive center and 
museum.
  The center and museum will be known as the Western Center for 
Archeology, and will house an assortment of archeological remains which 
were excavated during the construction of the reservoir. The Western 
Center will also be available to provide storage and state-of-the-art 
curation services for other valuable artifacts that many Federal 
agencies have been unable to care for in recent years.
  This bill also provides funding to share in the cost of the design, 
construction, and maintenance of a trails system around Diamond Valley 
Lake

[[Page 23849]]

and the surrounding areas. The trails will provide nonmotorized 
recreation for visitors to the area.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not know if this is a very good bill or not, to 
tell you the truth. There is no Federal connection to this project at 
all. None of the facilities, the land, are federally owned or operated; 
and I do not quite know why the Federal Government is spending money 
here when we have a multibillion dollar backlog in maintenance and 
construction on our Federal lands and our national parks, and why we 
would now be spending money on a completely non-Federal project here to 
construct recreational facilities and design of a visitors center.
  I know that the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) and Senator 
Feinstein support this legislation. I do not know if it is the best 
idea, but we will let it go at that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GIBBONS. 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 Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 2977.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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