Rob Bishop

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is my pleasure to be here on this particular bill, H.R. 670. It conveys, as was mentioned in the title, 3 miles of submerged lands to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This authority will give the Pacific territory similar authority and benefits as are currently enjoyed by many coastal States and other U.S. territories, specifically Guam, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The last Congress passed similar legislation out of the House by a rollcall vote of 416-0, and I hope we can beat that record today. I am pleased to have been able to work on this, and I thank the gentleman from the Northern Marianas (Mr. Sablan) for actually presenting this particular bill to us. It is a good piece of legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 670) to convey certain submerged lands to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in order to give that territory the same benefits in its submerged lands as Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have in their submerged lands.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, this once again is a very good bill that is before us. The fact is that the Hoover Dam in Nevada produces more than 2,000 megawatts, which is enough to power 2 million households, of clean electricity and captures more than 28 million acre feet of water for the States of Arizona, Nevada, and California. In the more than 75 years since this engineering marvel was completed, Hoover Dam still plays a key role in fulfilling its economic, job-creation mission. This bill simply extends part of that mission, and it's all paid for by the electricity ratepayers. Their rates will cover all capital, all operating, all maintenance and other costs associated with the power component of the Hoover Dam. There is no taxpayer cost to this bill. I want to thank Congressman Heck for bringing this bill forward, I also want to thank Congresswoman Napolitano for her good work on this bill, and I would encourage my colleagues to support this no-cost, job- supporting legislation. I urge adoption of this measure, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I wish to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I wish to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck), who is the sponsor of this bill, to introduce this particular piece of legislation, which does so much for the West and recognizes the importance of hydroelectric power for those of us who live in the West.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 470) to further allocate and expand the availability of hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, to be honest, I had some doubts about this piece of legislation. But after the eloquence of the gentleman from Oklahoma, he has removed any doubts as to the viability of this piece of legislation. It's obviously a brilliant bill and will be a capstone to his career. I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I yield myself such time as I may consume. If I spend less time speaking about this particular bill, it's not my commitment to this particular bill, only the gentleman from Oklahoma seems to be here already. H.R. 473 was introduced by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren). It would authorize the Forest Service to sell 143 acres of the Ouachita National Forest to the Camp Hale Boy Scout camp, which is just under 500 acres adjacent to those Federal lands. The additional acreage will allow the Boy Scouts to accommodate more campers and allow for a larger array of activities at the camp. The legislation stipulates that the acres will be appraised and sold at market value. The Boy Scouts will pay for the appraisal as well as the survey and the administrative costs. This legislation is a commonsense solution to allow for an expansion of the camp and better accommodations for the Boy Scouts of America. I urge adoption of this brilliant piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 473) to provide for the conveyance of approximately 140 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Phelps Dodge, just to give you some background of this particular legislation, is a large mining company that built what is now the Cragin project in the 1960s to supply water to its mine complex. Phelps Dodge transferred ownership of the project to the Salt River Project, that's known as the SRP, after the former realized it was not necessary for mining operations. At the request of the SRP and with the support of Phelps Dodge and the Bureau of Reclamation, the Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act authorized transfer of the title of the project and the associated lands from SRP to Reclamation in 2005. Even though the Federal Government owns the project, SRP stills operates and maintains it pursuant to the 1917 contract between SRP and the United States. The project consists of a number of facilities, including a 147-foot- high dam, a 15,000-acre-foot reservoir, a diversion tunnel and pump shaft, pumping plant, priming reservoir, a 10-mile-long pipeline, electrical transmission line, and a small generating plant which supplies power to the project's pumping plant. The project helps SRP to supply water to the Phoenix metropolitan area and to the town of Payson and neighboring communities in northern Gila County. Implementation of the title transfer under Public Law 108-45 has been controversial due to misunderstandings between the U.S. Forest Service, Reclamation, and SRP. The operation of the project is like that of all other Salt River Project-managed Reclamation facilities located on U.S. Forest Service lands. And for those projects, Reclamation approves SRP's work plan, their environmental compliance, and other regulatory permitting requirements associated with the project. Mr. Speaker, that is some background to the issue and why this particular bill is there. With that, it is my pleasure to now yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 489 is sponsored by our colleague, Representative Gosar of Arizona, and it seeks to resolve bureaucratic dysfunction and streamline regulatory processes for the purposes of creating jobs in northern Arizona. This is a no-cost bill, and it eliminates duplicative permitting requirements--which we often, in this body, commonly refer to as ``red tape''--by putting just one Federal agency in charge of the C.C. Cragin project's pipeline, part of a Federal water project. Prior to this bill, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service could not reconcile their responsibilities over who would actually manage the pipeline. These dueling regulatory requirements ultimately increased the costs that were passed on to the water consumers. They also created enough confusion to keep one community from going forward with a locally financed project that would have been connected to the Federal pipeline. This bill clarifies these Federal management responsibilities, and it mirrors other permitting and approval precedents on similar Federal projects. It also creates a regulatory environment for that local water project--and the jobs that will go with it--to proceed. I thank Congressman Gosar for sponsoring this jobs bill, and I urge the adoption of this particular measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 489) to clarify the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior with respect to the C.C. Cragin Dam and Reservoir, and for other purposes.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and also to include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, as has been mentioned by the gentleman, this is a bipartisan bill. I urge its adoption. It's a very good bill. I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 765 amends the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to permit seasonal and year- round natural resource-based recreational activities that are associated with those facilities on the National Forest ski areas. Current law does not address any activities other than winter-related Nordic and alpine skiing, snow sports, and their ancillary facilities at ski areas on Forest Service land. Congress needs to pass this act to allow new activities such as climbing walls, mountain biking, alpine slides, and zip-lines to be able to be used. The additional seasonal and year-round recreation authorized by this bill would allow the private sector to create year-round jobs, expand their wholesome outdoor recreational opportunities for American families and for visitors from overseas. Facilities authorized by this bill will have to be in harmony with the natural environment. Furthermore, the legislation does not waive such laws as the Endangered Species Act or the National Environmental Policy Act to allow for these activities to take place. So the ski areas on the Forest Service lands are already themselves classified as developed sites. So these new activities will be in keeping with the intended use of these areas. Finally, I would also like to thank Chairman Lucas of the Committee on Agriculture for assisting us in bringing this bill to the floor today. His cooperation on this and other issues shared with the Committee on Natural Resources is very much appreciated. To support this understanding, I am including in the Record an exchange of letters between Chairman Lucas and Chairman Doc Hastings regarding this particular bill. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, July 21, 2011. Hon. Doc Hastings, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Hastings: I am writing to you regarding H.R. 765, the Ski Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011 which amends the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to allow Forest Service permits to include year-round recreational use of ski areas. The bill also amends the Act to allow for snowboarding and other snow sports on Forest Service lands, in addition to ski activities already permitted. H.R. 765 has been referred to the Committee on Agriculture, in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources. On June 15, 2011, H.R. 765 was reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent. It is my understanding that the Committee on Natural Resources wishes to consider this important piece of legislation expeditiously. Therefore, I will agree to discharge H.R. 765 from further consideration by the Committee on Agriculture. I do so with the understanding that this action in no way waives the Committee on Agriculture's jurisdictional interests in the subject matter of the legislation nor serves as a precedent for future referrals. Furthermore, in the event a House-Senate conference is requested on this matter, the Committee on Agriculture reserves the right to seek the appointment of conferees. I ask that you insert a copy of our exchange of letters into the Congressional Record during consideration of this measure on the House floor. Thank you for your courtesy in this matter and I look forward to continued cooperation between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture as we deal with forestry issues in the future. Sincerely, Frank D. Lucas, Chairman.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 686 is a bill I sponsored. It is a bipartisan bill, and it has the sponsorship of all of the members of the Utah delegation, Republican and Democrat, and directs the Secretary of the Interior through the BLM to convey to the State of Utah lands that have been withdrawn for military use by the Utah National Guard and known as Camp Williams in Utah. The National Guard has had this facility and trained at Camp Williams since 1912. The 420 acres proposed for conveyance is located within the boundaries of Camp Williams and has already been withdrawn for military use by the National Guard. The transfer will simply open up property that is along one of the major corridors there to help support the military use of this camp. For obvious reasons, placing the land in the ownership of the State will allow the State to bond for other facilities that need to be built there. The State of Utah will not bond for building facilities on land it does not own. So the transfer of title to those lands also expedites the building and expansion of Camp Williams and the training facilities to improve the readiness of the Utah National Guard. This conveyance without consideration is consistent with other bills in which you are doing government to government conveyances. The bill includes a provision directing the land revert to Federal ownership if this property is not used for National Guard or national defense purposes. So the bill was passed by the House by a voice vote last Congress. The administration supports this bill. It was requested by the Utah National Guard. As I said, it is cosponsored by the entire Utah delegation. I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.