[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17834-17835]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                LAKE MATTAMUSKEET LODGE PRESERVATION ACT

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 5094) to require the conveyance of Mattamuskeet 
Lodge and surrounding property, including the Mattamuskeet National 
Wildlife Refuge headquarters, to the State of North Carolina to permit 
the State to use the property as a public facility dedicated to the 
conservation of the natural and cultural resources of North Carolina.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5094

       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 ``Lake Mattamuskeet Lodge 
     Preservation Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE OF MATTAMUSKEET LODGE, MATTAMUSKEET 
                   NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, NORTH CAROLINA.

       (a) Conveyance Required.--Within six months after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, 
     acting through the Director of the United States Fish and 
     Wildlife Service, shall convey to the State of North 
     Carolina, without consideration, all right, title, and 
     interest of the United States, except for certain utility and 
     road easements, in and to a parcel of real property 
     consisting of approximately 6.25 acres and containing 
     Mattamuskeet Lodge and surrounding property, including the 
     Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, as 
     depicted on the map entitled ``Lake Mattamuskeet Lodge/Pump 
     Station'' and dated January 10, 2006, for the purpose of 
     permitting the State to use the property as a public facility 
     dedicated to the conservation of the natural and cultural 
     resources of North Carolina.
       (b) Restoration and Maintenance of Lodge.--The Mattamuskeet 
     Lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 
     and, as a condition of the conveyance of the lodge under 
     subsection (a), the State shall agree to restore and maintain 
     the lodge in accordance with--

[[Page 17835]]

       (1) the Standard for the Treatment of Historic Properties 
     with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, 
     and Reconstructing Historic Buildings, as prescribed pursuant 
     to section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 
     U.S.C. 470f), Part 800 of title 36, Code of Federal 
     Regulations; and
       (2) the General Statutes of North Carolina, Chapter 121, 
     Article 1.
       (c) As Is Conveyance.--The conveyance under subsection (a) 
     shall be subject to the condition that the State accept the 
     real property described in such subsection in its condition 
     at the time of the conveyance, commonly known as conveyance 
     ``as is''.
       (d) Administrative Expenses.--The State shall cover the 
     costs of any survey and the cost of recordation of deeds in 
     connection with the conveyance under this section. Except as 
     provided in subsection (e), all other costs associated with 
     the conveyance shall be paid by the Secretary.
       (e) Liability.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     the Secretary shall not retain liability for any 
     environmental remediation that may be required with regard to 
     the real property conveyed under this section under any 
     applicable environmental authorities for--
       (1) costs or performance of response actions required under 
     the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
     Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601, et seq.) at or related 
     to the property; or
       (2) costs, penalties, fines, or performance of actions 
     related to noncompliance with applicable environmental 
     authorities at or related to the property or related to the 
     presence, release, or threat of release of any hazardous 
     substance, pollutant, or contaminant, hazardous waste, 
     hazardous material, or petroleum product or derivative of a 
     petroleum product of any kind at or related to the property, 
     including contamination resulting from migration.
       (f) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at 
     any time that the real property conveyed under this section 
     is not being used in accordance with the purpose of the 
     conveyance specified in subsection (a) or the State is not 
     complying with the condition of the conveyance under 
     subsection (b), all right, title, and interest in and to the 
     property shall revert, at the option of the Secretary, to the 
     United States, and the United States shall have the right of 
     immediate entry onto the property. Any determination of the 
     Secretary under this subsection shall be made on the record 
     after an opportunity for a hearing.
       (g) Memorandum of Agreement.--The Secretary shall cooperate 
     with the State to develop a memorandum of agreement 
     encompassing mutually beneficial opportunities to use the 
     property to be conveyed under this section to provide visitor 
     services, to construct and utilize facilities and utilities, 
     and to implement wildlife conservation projects.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Grijalva) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members 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 North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5094 will transfer title to Mattamuskeet Lodge from 
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to the State of North 
Carolina.
  This historic facility, built by the WPA in 1937, is on the National 
Registry of Historic Places and is located on the Mattamuskeet National 
Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County, North Carolina. For years, the lodge 
served as a cultural focal point in eastern North Carolina, as local 
residents gathered at the facility for high school proms, weddings, and 
other community events. Duke University, East Carolina University, and 
Notre Dame and other universities also used the lodge as a research 
center to study the area's pristine coastal ecology wildlife. Sadly, 5 
years ago the lodge was closed to the public because of dangerous 
structural problems.
  In response, Senator Jesse Helms and I repeatedly urged the Fish and 
Wildlife Service to budget money for restoration of the lodge. When 
that effort failed, we obtained $4.1 million in Federal funds to fix 
the problem. Regrettably, the Interior Department took most of the 
money to fight wildfires out west, and then refused to replace it.
  As a result, North Carolina State Senate President Marc Basnight and 
I began to work on the idea of transferring the lodge to the State of 
North Carolina so it could be restored and reopened. We worked with the 
State administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and H.R. 
5094 represents an agreement between all parties. In fact, in the 
Resources Committee hearing on the bill, the Fish and Wildlife Service 
testified in support of the bill, saying: ``This legislation removes a 
significant obligation for the Service.''
  It is unfortunate that the lodge was allowed to deteriorate. H.R. 
5094 is essential because, until the title is conveyed to the State of 
North Carolina, the process of restoring this landmark facility cannot 
begin.
  I urge an ``aye'' vote on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the aisle have no objection to this 
legislation which has been adequately explained by the majority. I 
would add that this conveyance comes at no cost to the Federal 
taxpayer. Furthermore, this legislation will remove a costly 
maintenance burden from the budget of this particular national wildlife 
refuge, and will ensure that this historic structure remains a public 
landmark benefiting the people of the region.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional 
speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5094.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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