Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado, Representative Jared Polis, the sponsor of the legislation. I thank him for his hard work on this boundary adjustment, which reflects current management and authorizes the acquisition and protection of this pristine land.

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

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), my friend and cosponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4119 will authorize the National Park Service to study the feasibility of including the West Hunter Street Baptist Church as a unit of the National Park Service. The West Hunter Street Baptist Church served as an important gathering center and site, an organizing, training, and strategy place where leaders met, and a leadership development area, all during the civil rights movement, and it became a place where many of the most important initiatives during the fight for equality, such as the Voter Education Project and the Freedom Summer of 1964, were born. I want to applaud my colleague from Georgia, Congressman Johnson, for his efforts to preserve this iconic building and hope the feasibility study is the first step in permanently preserving a landmark for future generations of Americans. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, let me at this point yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), the sponsor and author of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Let me associate myself with Chairman Hastings' comments and introduction and support for H.R. 3222. This legislation would acknowledge and begin the process of studying and protecting a valuable resource and a historic resource for this country, and I appreciate his comments. I reserve the balance my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), the author of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2569 would designate segments of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers as recreational rivers under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. These river segments provide local Vermonters with opportunities to swim, fish, kayak, and hike and are dotted with scenic and historic sites like waterfalls and covered bridges. They would be first designated Wild and Scenic rivers. They would be the first designated Wild and Scenic rivers in Vermont. The designation is widely popular with landowners and local stakeholders. H.R. 2569 authorizes the establishment of cooperative agreements, including financial assistance with the State of Vermont and other entities to further the long-term protection and preservation of the identified river segments. Since much of the land along the river is private property, the designation will allow landowners to emphasize the ecological and recreational value of the river while upholding long-established property rights. Any land acquisition associated with the Wild and Scenic designation must be done by donation and accompanied by a written consent from the landowner. The bill also establishes that the river segments will not be managed as part of the National Park system. I would like to thank and congratulate my colleague from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for his work on this bill and on behalf of his constituents. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. At this point, Mr. Speaker, let me yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), one of the supporters of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5205 is a comprehensive package of bills that deals with several public lands issues in Nevada. We are pleased this package establishes nearly 40,000 acres of new wilderness and are happy to see that the majority worked across the aisle to eliminate language which concerned us. Several of the management activities described in H.R. 5205 are limited to the existing purview of the managing agencies and as authorized by the Wilderness Act; however, this legislation contains ambiguous language that could be construed as an exception to authorize thinning in wilderness for other activities beyond wildfire mitigation. As the West continues to dry up and the threat of wildfire increases, we recognize the importance of fire mitigation measures; nevertheless, it is the intent of Congress that any thinning activities conducted for the purpose of mitigating wildfires be carried out within the framework of the Wilderness Act in the Pine Forest Range and the Wovoka Wilderness. It is encouraging to see the majority is willing to advance important conservation bills. I hope we can continue to work towards bipartisan conservation legislation which is of critical importance for all Americans. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield myself, Mr. Speaker, as much time as I may consume. (Mr. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, since the Supreme Court's decision in 2009, the Carcieri decision, the status of Indian lands across the country have been undermined, and there has been an uptick in frivolous suits against tribal lands. One such lawsuit, the Patchak case, has put a Michigan tribe's trust land, upon which its casino supports approximately 1,000 much-needed jobs was constructed, very much in jeopardy. S. 1603, the Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act, simply affirms that the land taken into trust for the Gun Lake Tribe in Michigan is Indian land and is rightfully held in trust by the United States for the tribe's benefit. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and it passed House committee markup without event. Mr. Speaker, I fully support this legislation, as does the tribe, the entire Michigan delegation, and the administration, and I look forward to its passing the House and being signed into law. I am glad this bill has passed through the legislative process so quickly. That said, I think unless and until we have a Carcieri-fix legislation enacted, these types of piecemeal bills will become routinely needed to protect tribal lands that are rightfully held in trust. I call upon all of my colleagues in this body and in the Senate to work together to obtain that fix. With that, Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. (Mr. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. With that, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland, Representative Van Hollen, the sponsor of the legislation,

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, S. 476 will amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission. Extension of the authorization date will allow the continued involvement of the park advisory commission in the decisions that affect this National Historical Park. The advisory commission is now more than 40 years old and serves as an important link between the adjacent communities and the National Park Service. S. 476 is the companion bill to H.R. 2255 introduced by Representative Van Hollen and is supported by a bipartisan group of Members. Representative Van Hollen is to be commended for his leadership and dedication in seeing this bill through. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3006 is commonsense legislation that directs a land exchange between the Federal Government and a private citizen. The land to be conveyed is 80 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California, that has limited conservation value and is only suitable for farming. In return, the exchange will add two parcels of land contiguous to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge that will improve the management efficiency of that refuge. The refuge lies in the flood plain of the lower Colorado River and is surrounded by desert ridges and washes that serve as the lifeline for thousands of species of animals including the iconic bald eagle that call the refuge its home. I am pleased to see this bill come to the floor under suspension. This is a bill I have worked on for many years when the refuge was in my district, and I applaud the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) for taking the lead and seeing it through. Although the refuge is no longer in my district, the area is still important to the people of Arizona and my constituents. H.R. 3006 is supported by a bipartisan congressional coalition that does not always see eye to eye on many issues, but I am glad to see that we can all agree on this. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.