[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 20040-20041]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  SNOQUALMIE PASS LAND CONVEYANCE ACT

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1285) to provide for the conveyance of a parcel of National 
Forest System land in Kittitas County, Washington, to facilitate the 
construction of a new fire and rescue station, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1285

       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 ``Snoqualmie Pass Land 
     Conveyance Act''.

     SEC. 2. LAND CONVEYANCE, NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND, 
                   KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON.

       (a) Conveyance Required.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
     shall convey, without consideration, to the King and Kittitas 
     Counties Fire District #51 of King and Kittitas Counties, 
     Washington (in this section referred to as the ``District''), 
     all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to 
     a parcel of National Forest System land in Kittitas County, 
     Washington, consisting of approximately 1.5 acres within the 
     SW\1/4\ of the SE\1/4\ of section 4, township 22 north, range 
     11 east, Willamette meridian, for the purpose of permitting 
     the District to use the parcel as a site for a new Snoqualmie 
     Pass fire and rescue station.
       (b) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at 
     any time that the real property conveyed under subsection (a) 
     is not being used in accordance with the purpose of the 
     conveyance specified in such subsection, 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.
       (c) Survey.--If necessary, the exact acreage and legal 
     description of the lands to be conveyed under subsection (a) 
     shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the 
     Secretary. The cost of a survey shall be borne by the 
     District.
       (d) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may 
     require such additional terms and conditions in connection 
     with the conveyance under subsection (a) as the Secretary 
     considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United 
     States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. 
McMorris Rodgers) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend and include extraneous 
material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1285, introduced by Representative 
Doc Hastings of Washington, conveys 1.5 acres of land in the Mt. Baker-
Snoqualmie National Forest to facilitate the construction of a new fire 
and rescue station.
  Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue is in need of a new fire station as 
the current station has numerous deficiencies. The fire station is 
important to the community and often responds to fires on Federal 
lands.
  Mr. Speaker, it is our understanding that there are ongoing 
discussions in Washington State to address some lingering issues 
related to this conveyance, and we support those efforts.
  With that understanding, we have no objection to H.R. 1285, and 
support its adoption by the House today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The majority has adequately explained the bill. I would like to 
commend Congressman Doc Hastings and his staff for their work on this 
legislation.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, the Snoqualmie Pass Land 
Conveyance Act would transfer an acre and a half of Forest Service land 
to the King and Kittitas Counties Fire District No. 51--also known as 
Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue. This land would be conveyed at no 
cost, but would have to be used by the Fire District specifically for 
the constructon of a new fire station or it would revert back to the 
federal government.
  Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue serves a portion of two counties on 
both sides of the Cascade Mountains along Interstate 90. This is a very 
rural area, with a small number of full-time residents, but it is also 
the major transportation corridor for goods and services between 
Eastern and Western Washington, as well as a destination for winter 
recreation. In recent years, this area has been the scene of major 
winter snowstorms, multi-vehicle accidents, and even avalanches. The 
Fire District

[[Page 20041]]

is often the first responder to incidents in the area.
  For decades, the Fire District has been leasing its current site from 
the Forest Service. They operate out of an aging building that was 
never designed to be a fire station. Through their hard work and 
dedication, they have served their community ably despite this 
building's many shortcomings. However, with traffic on the rise and the 
need for emergency services in the area growing, the Fire District 
needs to move to a true fire station.
  They have identified a nearby site that would better serve the public 
safety needs of interstate travelers. This location would provide easy 
access to the interstate in either direction, reducing response times 
in emergencies. The parcel is on Forest Service property, immediately 
adjacent to a freeway interchange, between a frontage road and the 
interstate itself. The parcel was formerly a disposal site during 
construction of the freeway and is now a gravel lot.
  I acknowledge that the Forest Service does not normally support 
conveyances of land free of charge. However, I believe an exception 
should be made in this particular circumstance because of the important 
public service provided by the Fire District, the heavy traffic and 
emergency calls created by non-residents in the area, the distance of 
Snoqualmie Pass from other communities with emergency services, and 
because of the high amount of federal land ownership in the area, which 
severely limits the local tax base. In fact, the Forest Service has 
acquired 20,000 acres in King and Kittitas counties at a cost of more 
than $52 million over just the last ten years. I would also note again 
that under this bill, this land would revert back to the Forest Service 
if for whatever reason a new fire station is not built on the property.
  Passage of this legislation would not guarantee that a new station 
would be built--the Fire District would have to work hard to gather the 
financing that would be required from state and local sources, as well 
as any applicable federal grants or loans. However, the conveyance of 
this site at no cost would help this Fire District hold down the 
overall cost of this project.
  I first introduced this legislation last year, with my colleague from 
Washington, Mr. Reichert. Unfortunately, the bill was not considered 
before the end of the last Congress. We reintroduced the bill in early 
March and were pleased the Natural Resources Committee held a 
subcommittee hearing on the bill in April to take testimony on the 
issues involved. At a subsequent markup of the bill last month, the 
acreage involved was reduced to acre and a half to address concerns 
that a fire station would not require three acres. With this change, 
the bill was approved by voice vote in committee.
  Last week, at a meeting in the region, several environmental interest 
groups expressed reservations about the conveyance. Over the next 
several weeks, it is understood these groups will meet with the Fire 
District to discuss their concerns. I am committed to working with my 
colleagues from Washington state in the Senate, as well as the Natural 
Resources Committee, to facilitate these discussions to ensure we have 
the public safety infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of this 
unique area. I am confident this can be done with little or no impact 
to the environment. It is my hope that the parties can reach agreement 
on this issue by September when the Congress will reconvene and can 
resume work on the legislation.
  I appreciate the efforts of my colleagues on the Natural Resources 
Committee to review this issue and bring this bill forward. I look 
forward to continuing to work with the community at the Pass and my 
Washington colleagues to improve public safety in the area.
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. 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 Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1285, 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.

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