[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17658-17659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I indicated, we are going to move to the 
defense bill, but we are going to also, as part of that bill, do 
something that is at least 10 years overdue. For the last 10 years, we 
have been struggling to get bills out of the energy committee. We are 
fortunate enough to get them out once in a while, but they are stymied 
here on the floor. That has been going on for 10 years. There has been 
a permanent wrecking crew, led by one person, to do this.
  Before Nevada was settled by pioneers, its mountains were home to 
thousands of bighorn sheep--we still have lots of them--and pronghorn 
antelope--we have the largest antelope herd in the entire world in 
northern Nevada--and Nevada's streams and lakes at one time were full 
of Lahontan and cutthroat trout. That is not the case anymore.
  Because of the growth in the State of Nevada there has been a 
tremendous impact on the environment. We had in Nevada salmon in our 
rivers, but not anymore. We are trying to replenish fish so that we 
will have more of what we did have before, including salmon. Like every 
State across the Nation, Nevada's natural and cultural heritage has 
come under immense pressure as our cities and populations have swelled.
  About 80 percent of the people now live in one of our 17 counties. 
Clark County is where Las Vegas is. The other 16 counties make up about 
20 percent of the population. So the pressure, especially because of 
what has happened in southern Nevada, has been very difficult on the 
environment.
  The other thing people have to understand is that 87 percent of the 
State of Nevada is owned by the Federal Government. That creates a lot 
of issues--some positive, some negative. But with the population having 
swelled, some of the issues we are now experiencing are certainly to be 
expected. As our society continues to expand, the stresses on our land, 
our wildlife, and water resources will continue.
  That is why the package of land bills in this National Defense 
Authorization Act is vitally important to our country. The package is a 
compromise that protects our Nation's wild and scenic places, our 
Nation's unique history, and opens up other lands for development.
  Are there provisions in this bill that I don't care a great deal 
about in a positive fashion? Yes. There are things in this bill I don't 
like. But there are things in here I do like. Are there things in this 
bill the majority of Republicans probably don't like? The answer is 
yes. So this is what legislation is all about. It is about compromise. 
It is about working together to have an end product, and that is what 
we have here.
  This compromise is a chance for the Senate to get something done. 
Compromise has been wanting in this body, especially regarding matters 
of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Hundreds of bills for 
the last 10 years have been stopped.
  I am only offering my opinion, but one of the finest public servants 
I have ever served with is Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico. Jeff is an 
absolutely brilliant man, a hard worker. I would bet--and I don't bet 
very often, and I am sure no one will take me up on this--but I think 
one reason Jeff Bingaman left the Senate was because of the work he was 
unable to get done in his committee. What a good chairman he was, but 
he was stymied time and time again from getting anything out of that 
committee. So for the last 10 years that committee has worked really 
hard, very hard, but they haven't had much to show for that work.
  This package protects more than 1 million acres of landscapes. I was 
waiting in my office and Senator Bennet from Colorado came to my 
office. He had a great big poster with him. I asked: What is that? It 
was upside down. You could see immediately what it was when it was 
right side up. He was looking for time on the floor to show America 
what was in this bill for the State of Colorado. This beautiful vista 
he was showing me--and he showed the whole world last night--is 
something that is in this bill. It will be protected--a stunningly 
beautiful forest area in Colorado.
  One million acres of landscape will be protected. Watersheds will be 
protected. Historic treasures will be protected. This protects over 140 
miles of wild and scenic rivers throughout our country. These bills 
will create nearly 250,000 acres of wilderness in five States: 
Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington.
  Additionally, the packages convey more than 100,000 acres to local 
communities for economic development. My friend the Presiding Officer 
understands how important that is, being able to convey to the private 
sector the ability to develop Federal lands. It has to be done 
carefully. It can't be done on a massive scale. If we did that, the 
rich people would wind up owning all the nice places. These are places 
I think should be shared by the American people. But 100,000 acres go 
to local communities for economic development.
  The legislation continues our country's rich history, establishing 
national parks. It designates a number of new areas--for example, the 
Harriet Tubman Historic Park.
  I read in a period of a month two books on Harriet Tubman. They both 
came out at about the same time. I can't imagine why a movie hasn't 
been made about this dynamic little 5-foot woman who did such 
remarkable things. What a story of this woman--this slave. She was a 
slave--bringing people out of the South into freedom in the North. She 
took them as far as Canada. She did it alone. So I hope some day 
someone will make a movie of this stunningly powerful woman. We are 
recognizing an area that will be named on her behalf.
  The bundle of lands bills is good for America. It stretches literally 
from the shores of Alaska to the coast of Maine. It is especially 
important to Nevada, my State. It protects over 75,000 acres of 
wilderness in Humboldt and Lyon Counties in northern Nevada, the first 
new wilderness protections in the State since 2006.
  One of those areas is named after a famous Indian, Wovoka. There was 
a man who was a famous Indian. He established a dance that really 
brought Native Americans together. Even though it started in Nevada, it 
swept the country. This is going to be in Lyon County, it contains 
sage-grouse, bighorn sheep habitats, and some of the best fly fishing 
opportunities in Nevada and the Nation.
  Now there is a pine forest wilderness in Humboldt County which has 
been championed by the local community. They have been working on this 
for years. We couldn't get it out of the House of Representatives. Over 
here, of course, it was a lost cause, and don't even think about 
getting it out of the energy committee.
  Environmentalists, ranchers, hunters, anglers, and off-road vehicle 
enthusiasts came together to protect 20,000 acres of scenic lakes, 
amazing rock formations, and prime sage habitat.
  But it also allows a mine there to have some more land from the 
Federal Government which they need from enlarging that land. It is a 
copper mine.

[[Page 17659]]

It is extremely important that we develop copper and don't have to 
import it from South America and Russia.
  Southern Nevada established the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National 
Monument on the edge of North Las Vegas. This area is the largest 
deposit of ice age mammals in the United States. Imagine that basically 
in the middle of thousands of homes. People couldn't understand what 
they were digging up out there, ice age mammals that are so 
unbelievably large and preserved over these thousands of years. When 
the resources are developed, catalogued, and better understood, it will 
likely be the largest deposit in the entire country.
  The package sells 10,000 acres of land to the city of Yerington. Lyon 
County was a county that probably suffered more from the economic 
shutdown. They had huge problems of unemployment, and now we have that 
mine there that will help. This will allow them to make even more jobs 
there.
  The agreement also provides lands to the cities of Las Vegas, North 
Las Vegas, Fernley, Carlin, allocates tracts for three universities and 
college campuses, and expands Nellis Air Force Base and the Fallon 
Naval Air Station.
  This is good for Nevada. It is good for the country. This legislation 
promotes jobs, protects the environment, helps our Armed Forces, and 
gives Americans the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful landscapes this 
country has to offer.
  It is not perfect legislation. No legislation is. But this is really 
good legislation. So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
these critical lands bills which are part of the defense authorization 
bill.

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