[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12500]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL LANDS AND MONUMENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. O'Rourke) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss our national lands 
and monuments and explore both our accomplishments and some of our 
future opportunities.
  As you know, the Antiquities Act was passed 110 years ago. Ten years 
later, in 1916, the National Park System was created. And since then, 
there have been 151 national monuments created, 84 of them by 
Republican Presidents--the majority of those by Republican Presidents--
showing that this act and its impact is truly bipartisan and American 
in every sense.
  I would also like to call your attention to the accomplishments of 
our current President, Barack Obama, whom historian Douglas Brinkley 
calls a Theodore Roosevelt for the 21st century, owing to his 
commitment to preserving our national heritage, protecting our public 
places, and ensuring that, whether it is of importance because of its 
value for wilderness, cultural, or historical impact, we are ensuring 
all Americans have a chance to enjoy and appreciate our heritage.
  I also rise today, Mr. Speaker, to suggest a way that the President 
can continue this legacy and set the stage for the next 100 years.
  Castner Range, pictured behind me, in El Paso, Texas, is 7,000 acres 
in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert rising into Rocky Mountain peaks 
that start at the southern end of that national mountain chain and has 
rare plant and animal species that distinguish it as a place worthy of 
preservation.
  Ending in 1966, Castner Range was used as a bombing range, but in the 
50 years since then, it has been preserved in its natural state. This 
is an incredible opportunity to ensure that we pass on Castner Range 
and all that it means to us as a country to not just this generation, 
but the generations that follow.
  Castner Range, beyond the rare plant and animal species, has 10,000 
years of recorded human history. There are petroglyphs dating back to 
8,000 years ago, literally showing the impressions that this land made 
on the first Americans who were neither U.S. citizens, Mexican 
citizens, or really had any citizenship at all. That is particularly 
poignant, given the fact that Castner Range is part of the world's 
largest binational community.
  El Paso, with its sister city, Ciudad Juarez in southern New Mexico, 
join 3 million people of two countries, two cultures, two traditions, 
two languages and become one at this point. Furthermore, El Paso, 
Texas, is 85 percent Mexican American and happens to be one of the 
poorest communities in our country.
  This is a chance for this President to open up public lands to ensure 
that we have access and participation by everyone in this country and 
to ensure that our national monument visitors reflect the communities 
and the growing, changing demographics in this country.
  I also think that it is important to know that this community is 
unified in ensuring that we protect, preserve, and pass on Castner 
Range to future generations. Twenty-seven thousand El Pasoans have 
signed letters to the President. Despite its relative poverty, $1.5 
million has been raised by individual donors to complement whatever 
Federal investment is necessary. The largest school district has made a 
commitment to ensure that every fourth grader has access to Castner 
Range, should it be preserved, that it is part of their curriculum, and 
that they travel to Castner Range to explore and appreciate its wonder.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, here are some larger themes that the 
preservation of Castner Range could tie into. It is a cold war relic. 
It is also a former artillery site. Following the President's recent 
travel to Laos, which saw more armaments rain down on it than any other 
part of the world, we have a chance to develop the model of how to turn 
former conflict sites into places of public use, into examples of 
peace, and into standards for preservation. That could happen in the 
United States, where we can set the world standard, and it can happen 
here at Castner Range.
  There are a few national monument ideas that I think make a lot of 
sense. There is the expansion of the Grand Canyon, Bears Ears, and Gold 
Butte. And then there is Castner Range. I think the President's 
attention to these areas and the ability to offer access to more 
Americans to ensure everyone has a chance to access our national parks 
and national monuments and to set the standard for preservation and the 
future of American cities is too good of an opportunity for this 
President to pass up.

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