Don Sherwood

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1231) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest lands to Elko County, Nevada, for continued use as a cemetery, as amended.

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) to talk about the bill.

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 468) to establish the Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area, as amended.

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 468, the Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area, was introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), our esteemed colleague. This legislation would establish the area known as the Saint Helena Island in the State of Michigan as a National Scenic Area to be included in the Hiawatha National Forest. The owners of Saint Helena Island have put it up for sale, and legislation is necessary to preserve and protect its outstanding resources. The Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on H.R. 468, and the bill was ordered favorably reported, as amended, from the Committee on Resources by voice vote. I urge my colleagues to support passage of the Saint Helena Island National Scenic Area under suspension of the rules. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for his bipartisan efforts to work for the common good and thank him for all of his help on our committee.

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

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. 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. 1231, H.R. 2079, and H.R. 468.

Mr. SHERWOOD

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

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2079) to provide for the conveyance of certain National Forest System lands in the State of South Dakota.

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

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2079, the Terry Peak Land Transfer Act of 1999, was introduced by the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune), our esteemed colleague. H.R. 2079 is a non-simultaneous land transfer bill that would require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands in the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota to the Terry Peak Ski Area at fair market value. All monies for the transaction would later be used to purchase replacement land from willing sellers for the Black Hills National Forests. Not only does the Forest Service support the bill, but the bill shares tremendous local support among such groups as the Lawrence County Commissioners, the Deadwood Area Chamber of Commerce, the Terry Peak Lodge Homeowners Association, the Terry Valley Landowners Association, and the Black Hills Group of the Sierra Club. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Terry Peak Land Transfer Act under suspension of the rules. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune).

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this well- crafted rule which would allow us to consider legislation that is vital to dairy farmers throughout the vast majority of the country. Support for the bill, H.R. 1402, for which this rule is being considered, is overwhelming. Irregardless of what we have just heard in the last few minutes, let us look at the numbers. Two hundred twenty- nine Members of Congress representing 43 States have cosponsored H.R. 1402. One of those represented States is my home State of Pennsylvania. We are the fourth largest producer of fluid milk in the country, behind California, Wisconsin, and New York. Now, of those top four States, not to mention all the other 43 States, the only one that would benefit by Dan Glickman's mistake would be Wisconsin. And if we cannot in this House correct a mistake that the Secretary of Agriculture made, what are we here to do? All these scare tactics about the raise in the price of milk and people on WIC and so forth are just that. The biggest scare would be that we do not have farm fresh, locally produced milk in all areas of the country from our family farm system. If we do not pass this bill, we will sacrifice the family farm on the altar of agribusiness and a few large cooperatives in the upper Midwest. Madam Speaker, I will leave my colleagues with one final statistic. According to the dairy farmers of America, 25 percent of the dairy farms in the United States have ceased to exist in the last 6 years. We must stop this unacceptable trend by passing this rule and then passing the bill H.R. 1402 offered by my esteemed colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).

Mr. SHERWOOD

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

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

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 898) designating certain land in the San Isabel National Forest in the State of Colorado as the ``Spanish Peaks Wilderness.''

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis).

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1619) to amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to expand the boundaries of the Corridor, as amended.

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 940) to establish the Lackawanna Heritage Valley American Heritage Area, as amended.

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased that we are considering H.R. 940, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area Act, a similar version which was passed by the House in the last Congress. There are many excellent reasons to support the designation of this historic heritage area. The Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area Act would ensure the conservation of northeastern Pennsylvania's significant natural, historic and cultural resources. The Lackawanna Valley was the first heritage area designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is recognized as nationally significant through its documentation into the U.S. Department of Interior's Register of Historic Places. In the last decade, for every dollar contributed by the National Park Service to the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, the ``management entity'' cited in my bill, has leveraged $10 in other federal, State, local and private sector funds to finance preservation activities. The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority would continue to foster these important relationships with all levels of Government, the private sector, and local communities. The Lackawanna Valley encompasses the counties of Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna, and Luzerne in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Valley tells the story of the development of anthracite coal, one of North America's greatest natural resources. From early in the 19th century, Pennsylvania's coal provided an extraordinary source of energy which fueled America's economic growth for over 100 years. At the center of the world's most productive anthracite field, the Lackawanna Valley witnessed the inception, spectacular growth, and eventual deterioration of an industry which led our country to unparalleled prosperity. The landscape of the Valley conveys the story of the industrial revolution most clearly. Miles of track and hundreds of industrial sites and abandoned mines are daily reminders of the importance of the regent industry. Heritage sites like Pennsylvania's Anthracite Heritage Museum, the Scranton Iron Furnace Historic Site, the Lackawanna County Coal Mine, and the Steamtown National Historic Site help to commemorate the hardships of the industrial revolution which has led us to our current prosperity. These sites provide the framework for the historic preservation which will be cemented by my proposed legislation. A hearing was held on June 10 in the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands in which testimony was heard from the National Park Service, private citizens, and elected officials in strong support of the legislation. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 940 was subsequently amended in the full Committee on Resources to direct the Secretary of the Interior to designate the Schuylkill River Corridor as a national heritage area. This addition to the bill will allow the history and culture of the major anthracite coal regions in Pennsylvania to be preserved for future generations. The amended bill passed by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, and the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the chairman of the full Committee on Resources, for their support and leadership on this important legislation. H.R. 940 is a bipartisan bill which deserves our support. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. SHERWOOD

Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 658) to establish the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the State of New York as an affiliated area of the National Park System, as amended.