Cory Gardner

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, this is signed by David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited; Suzanne O'Neill, executive director of Colorado Wildlife Federation; and Colorado Mountain Club, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, on and on, talking about the LWCF being built on a simple idea and the fact that we can help restore our national parks and our greatest treasures with the combined efforts of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Great American Outdoors Act in this legislation. As Members prepare for this vote tomorrow, I hope they will consider the impact this will have on generations to come. Yesterday, we talked about a letter written by the great-grandson of President Teddy Roosevelt. The fact that we are continuing today that legacy to build on the conservation and the environmental successes that started well over 100 years ago in this country and our public lands is an incredible treasure that this country has and that we can build on for generations to come. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, yesterday, we had a series of successful votes to move forward on the Great American Outdoors Act. I am excited with the votes we have taken last week and the votes last night and that we will finally move to passage of the legislation, the Great American Outdoors Act, tomorrow. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. We had the opportunity over the last several weeks--last week, in particular--to talk about what it means for every State in the country, what it means for every county in the country, and the significant opportunity for conservation, which is the crown jewel of conservation programs and, of course, our national parks. It is not just national parks, of course. It is our forests, and it is our BLM grounds and the efforts we have with the Bureau of Indian Education. I thought I would talk specifically about some Colorado projects today and what the Land and Water Conservation Fund has meant for Colorado. This is a photo of Wilson Peak in Colorado. It rises over Telluride in southwest Colorado. Wilson Peak is one of the 54 mountains in Colorado that top 14,000 feet. Climbers and hikers eager to summit the 14,500-foot peak, located in the Lizard Head Wilderness, have been frustrated for years by key land access routes being blocked, which made it impossible to get to. In addition, Wilson Peak long remained the last ``fourteener'' in Colorado without public access. Through 9 years, very complex land exchange negotiations, and work to assemble suitable exchange properties and funding, the Trust for Public Land purchased 25 patented mining claims, including the summit and key portions of the main summit trail from multiple private owners. In 2011, the Trust for Public Land formally transferred ownership of land to the U.S. Forest Service, ensuring in perpetuity the public access to Wilson Peak summit. If you go to the next one, this is a photograph of the Big Thompson River. In 1976, rains began to pour near Estes Park, CO, and caused one of the biggest natural disasters in Colorado's history. A remarkable 12 inches of rain fell in about 4 hours. As a reminder, there are areas of Colorado that only get about 14 inches of moisture a year. A remarkable 12 inches of rain fell in about 4 hours, bringing the Big Thompson River to 19 feet above its normal level, and sending 31,000 cubic feet per second of water racing downstream, down the canyon, carrying with it everything and anything in its path. The flood claimed 145 lives, 418 homes, 52 businesses, and caused millions and millions of dollars of damage in 1976. In the aftermath of the disaster, Larimer County recognized that simply rebuilding new homes in harm's way within the floodway didn't make sense. The county turned to the Land and Water Conservation Fund as an important part of the solution. With just over $1 million from Land and Water Conservation Fund and some other matching resources, the county acquired a number of properties along the Big Thompson River, which provided new outdoor recreation opportunities to residents and visitors on 156 acres of land along the river, highlighted by four new county parks. This has been an incredible recreation opportunity, but it has certainly led to greater safety for Coloradans. The Blanca Wetlands Area of Critical Environmental Concern is another incredible area of Colorado. The Bureau of Land Management has benefited. After decades of water overappropriation caused the lowering of the valley's water table, the rapid disappearance of wetlands and plummeting bird population, State and Federal agencies initiated the Wetland Restoration Effort in the 1960s, including this wetlands area. You can see the work we have done with the Land and Water Conservation Fund on this. Red Mountain Pass is another example. It is a multiphased project completed by the Trust for Public Lands and Colorado Partners with funding from the LWCF. It is a scenic property lying above the town of Ouray that forms portions of the panoramic backdrop used by motorists from Highway 550's Red Mountain Pass and on Ouray and San Juan Counties' rugged alpine loops. It is an incredible experience. You can see the work we have done with it here. If you go to the Uncompahgre National Forest, over the years, LWCF has invested nearly $27 million into the Uncompahgre[-]San Juan National Forest of Colorado to protect this valley, which is a 10-year- long process that ultimately resulted in the conservation of thousands of acres surrounding the town. It is incredible for recreation and preservation--this critical habitat and environmental treasure and conservation accomplishment for all of the country. I also want to point out some of the great news about this bill back in Colorado. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record this article from the Durango Herald, which was written on June 13, and an article from the Denver Post, dated June 9, 2020

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 465, S. Res. 392.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the committee- reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I have 4 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on the Judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 469, S. Res. 511.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to.

Mr. GARDNER. I know of no further debate on the resolution, as amended.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 468, S. Res. 502.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 471, S. Res. 525.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 472, S. Res. 533.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I know of no further debate on the resolution, as amended.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 473, S. Res. 542.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the committee- reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 17; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 75, H.R. 1957. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the postcloture time with respect to H.R. 1957, as amended, expire at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. 3731 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.