Jimmy Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 482 would authorize a land exchange involving Federal lands in the Lincoln National Forest in the State of New Mexico. This legislation would exchange 80 acres between the Lincoln National Forest and Lubbock Christian University for a much-needed expansion of the University's Pine Springs Camp. The camp is used in the summer for week-long camp sessions and utilized in the winter by college groups, youth groups, and churches for retreats. In recent years, the camp has seen an increase in visitors and will soon run out of room, forcing the camp to turn visitors away. Both the camp and Lubbock Christian University are nonprofit. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 482) to provide for a land exchange involving Federal lands in the Lincoln National Forest in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, let me just close by saying that although this bill is not controversial and has not received a lot of publicity, that should not denigrate its significance. Because of our aging clean water infrastructure, because of water supply problems in many parts of this Nation, and for all of the other reasons that our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), just mentioned, this is a very important bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker, I submit the following exchange of letters on H.R. 135 for the Record. House of Representatives, Committee on Resources, Washington, DC, April 5, 2005. Hon. Don Young, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I request your assistance in scheduling H.R. 135, the Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2005, for consideration by the House of Representatives. This bill was referred primarily to the Committee on resources and additionally to your committee. As the text of this bill is identical to what passed the House of Representatives under suspension of the rules last Congress, I ask that you allow your committee to be discharged from further consideration of the bill to allow us to pass it again. Perhaps with more time, the Senate will be able to give it due consideration. By allowing the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to be discharged, you are not waiving any jurisdiction you may have over the bill. I also agree that in the unlikely event that this bill becomes the focus of a conference committee that I will support your request to be represented on that conference. Finally, I agree that this discharge will not serve as precedent for future referrals. Thank you for your consideration of my request. I look forward to another Congress of extraordinary cooperation between our committees on matters of mutual interest. Sincerely, Richard W. Pombo, Chairman.

Mr. DUNCAN. I yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), probably the Member of this body who was the first to recognize the grave importance of water issues in this Nation, the distinguished primary sponsor of this bill. I commend the gentleman for his steadfast and yeoman's work on this legislation, and it should be noted that one of our leading national newspapers just a few years ago wrote a series of articles saying that water would be the oil of the 21st century.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 135, introduced be my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), and cosponsored by a wide range of Members from both parties, creates the 21st Century Water Commission to find ways to increase and conserve water supplies. The gentleman from Georgia and his colleagues have properly recognized that water shortages are a common problem throughout the United States. The goal of this legislation is for a broad-based commission to recommend a comprehensive water strategy that recognizes and upholds the primary role of the States in administering our water laws. The commissioners, appointed by the President and the Congress, would look at ways to improve interagency coordination, eliminate government duplication, create new financing opportunities and improve our Nation's water infrastructure, among other things, all very important goals. The commission is directed to hold no less than 10 public hearings around the Nation and submit a final report no later than 3 years after its first meeting so that this commission will not drag on forever. The legislation sunsets the commission within 30 days of the final report's submission. Madam Speaker, there is, and should be, a limited Federal role in these matters since States and localities primarily administer water rights and know the most about them. This bill does not add Federal regulation to the books. It simply creates a mechanism for further dialogue and potential solutions for all levels of government. This idea has come a long way since it was originally introduced over two Congresses ago. It has been subject to hearings and comprehensively vetted through both the Committee on Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, both of which I have the privilege to serve on. In fact, last Congress I held a series of hearings on water supply issues, including a hearing on this legislation. The witnesses who testified before my Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment strongly supported greater planning to meet future water needs, involving all levels of government, and supported the 21st Century Water Commission Act as a means to help start that process. It, like the identical bill passed by the House in the 108th Congress, is the right solution for the right time. It respects the primary role that States play in addressing water resources issues. I urge my colleagues to adopt this bipartisan bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 135, the bill under consideration.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 135) to establish the ``Twenty-First Century Water Commission'' to study and develop recommendations for a comprehensive water strategy to address future water needs.

Mr. DUNCAN

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

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this bill. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 794, which is sponsored by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), corrects an historic injustice to the Colorado River Indian Tribes. It is substantially identical to H.R. 2941, legislation that was passed in the House last year but was not considered in the Senate. Passage of this measure is long overdue. It restores 16,000 acres of public lands in Arizona to the Colorado River Indian Reservation wrongfully excluded from the reservation over 90 years ago. Created by an Act of Congress in 1865, the reservation was expanded by President Grant in order to prevent encroachment by non-Indians. The expansion included a 16,000-acre area called the La Paz lands. The La Paz expansion did not hold up for very long. The original surveys to affix the boundary of the La Paz addition were rescinded by President Wilson. A survey of dubious merit, apparently at the behest of people who coveted the Tribes' lands, was substituted for the valid surveys. As a result, the La Paz lands were excluded from the reservation. All credible evidence indicates that the La Paz lands were wrongly deleted from the Tribes' reservation. Subsequent attempts to restore them a few times during the 1900s did not meet with success. H.R. 794 finally restores the La Paz lands to its rightful owner, subject to valid, existing rights and interests and excluding certain parcels owned by the State of Arizona. The bill requires the boundary line of the reservation to reflect the addition of these lands. As I explained, with one minor exception, this bill is exactly the same as H.R. 2941 that was passed by the House last year but went no further. The only difference is the title of the map has been changed to correct a typographical error. Because this measure is unchanged from what the House approved last year, I urge my colleagues today to pass H.R. 794. With Congress' help, the Colorado River Indian Tribes can finally put this justice behind them. I urge adoption of the bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the Scripps-Howard News Service recently ran a story about what it describes as ``Capitol Hill's extravagant new visitors center.'' The story said: ``Another year and another $37 million in unforeseen cost increases'' in what is becoming an annual sad joke. There have been so many examples of ridiculous, wasteful spending at the Federal level over the last 30 or 40 years that it seems the Federal Government cannot do anything in an economical, efficient manner. The Scripps-Howard story said: ``Originally estimated to cost $40 million, the project has grown into a 5-story Taj Mahal that so far has cost taxpayers $454 million.'' The current final cost is estimated to be $559 million, and Citizens Against Government Waste describes it as ``monumental waste.'' Apparently, if we want something to cost about 10 times more than it should, just let the Federal Government do it. Those who are in charge of managing this project should be ashamed and embarrassed, but all they will probably do is laugh at these comments, since the money is not coming out of their pockets.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 541 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land to Lander County, Nevada, and the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to Eureka County, Nevada, for continued use as public cemeteries. Specifically, the town of Kingston, Nevada, requires an additional 8.75 acres of Forest Service land to supplement the 1.25 acres of Forest Service land conveyed to it in 2000 for the town's cemetery. The additional acreage would ensure that areas of unmarked graves are included in the town's cemetery and that space is available for future graves in Kingston Cemetery. In addition, H.R. 541 would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to convey 10 acres of disposable land to Eureka County, Nevada, for continued use at Maiden's Grave Cemetery. H.R. 541 is supported by the majority and the minority of the Committee on Resources and is identical to legislation that passed the House of Representatives by voice vote during the 108th Congress. I urge adoption of the bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The land involved here is approximately 20 acres. Many of us believe that the Federal Government owns far too much land in the State of Nevada already. Frankly, as our colleague from Nevada pointed out, this makes two one-thousandths of 1 percent, which is a minuscule part of the State of Nevada, and so I think this is very worthwhile legislation. I commend the gentleman from Nevada for bringing this to the attention of the House, and I urge the passage of this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the very distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 541) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land to Lander County, Nevada, and the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to Eureka County, Nevada, for continued use as cemeteries.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam 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. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 18, authored by the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the funding and implementation of a balanced, long-term groundwater remediation program. This bill establishes a limited Federal fund to resolve groundwater problems in the Santa Ana, California, watershed. This area has approximately 30 major water wells that are currently shut down or are out of production due to groundwater contamination from man-made and naturally-occurring chemicals. For example, a local perchlorate plume has impacted 250,000 residents in Rialto, California. This bill is just one small, but very important, part of a comprehensive solution to resolve a water emergency. The House passed identical legislation in the 108th Congress. I urge my colleagues to once again adopt this measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 18) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation and in coordination with other Federal, State, and local government agencies, to participate in the funding and implementation of a balanced, long-term groundwater remediation program in California, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this bill. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.