Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3326) to provide for an exchange of land between the United States and the Trinity Public Utilities District of Trinity County, California, involving a parcel of National Forest System land in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time so the sponsor, the gentleman from California, Congressman Jared Huffman, may explain the bill.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support and congratulate Congressmen Jared Huffman and Doug LaMalfa. This is a good piece of legislation, and I have to go back through history a little bit. Being originally from California 63 years ago, I remember Trinity County as one of the richer counties when we had a timber industry, and Weaverville was one of the largest timber cities in the country, but it is no longer. It is really a very poor county because of the management of Federal lands and how they do not manage them. Again, I compliment the two Congressmen for working on this legislation, and I urge the passage of the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Arapaho National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act of 2014 would adjust the boundary of the Arapaho National Forest in the State of Colorado to incorporate 92 additional acres. This land, if it is acquired by the Secretary of Agriculture, will become part of the Bowen Gulch Protection Area that was established by Congress in 1993. At markup, the Natural Resources Committee amended the bill to require the written permission of the landowner before a parcel of private land could be included within the expanded boundary. The amendment also requires that any land acquisition in the added area would be achieved only by donation or exchange, and the motorized use provision was clarified to ensure that the bill does not open privately owned land to trespass. With these added property rights and fiscal responsibility provisions, the committee was able to report the bill by unanimous consent, and I support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4846) to adjust the boundary of the Arapaho National Forest, Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. 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. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, so I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5167) to direct the Administrator of General Services, on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, to convey certain Federal property located in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to the Olgoonik Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Wainwright Short Range radar site is an old Distant Early Warning station, commonly referred to as the Wainwright DEW Line site. Historically, the U.S. Air Force maintained a radar site on the property, but it is no longer operational. The Air Force is in the final stages of cleaning up the property, which is expected to be finished this summer, and the Olgoonik Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation, is collaborating on the effort. When it finishes the cleanup, the Air Force is set to relinquish its right to the property, which is owned by the Department of the Interior and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Native corporation has been working with the Bureau to acquire the site which sits in the middle of land already owned by the Native corporation. However, language in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Act of 1976 prevents the Bureau from conveying this land. H.R. 5167 directs the Secretary of the Interior to sell the site at fair market value to the Native corporation. This will allow the Alaska Natives to incorporate the land into their existing land use management plan and policies, thus turning a potential abandoned and unused parcel into a useful property. I urge my colleagues to support this bill as reported unanimously from the Natural Resources Committee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4867) to provide for certain land to be taken into trust for the benefit of Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. 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. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, enacted in 1950, Public Law 81-629 permitted the National Park Service to convey property, formerly part of Acadia National Park, to the town of Tremont, Maine, to build a new school. In 1951, the Secretary of the Interior completed the conveyance of approximately 8 acres with a clause that specified the land would revert back to the United States if it was not used exclusively for school purposes. Tremont is now consolidating schools with a nearby town, and the property will no longer be used for the original intended purpose. However, Tremont would like to retain ownership and continue to use the developed property in the best interest of the community. H.R. 4527 removes the requirement that the land be used exclusively and perpetually for school purposes, allowing Tremont to use the property to the maximum benefit of its residents. The Natural Resources Committee has consistently sought to assist local communities in gaining control of property within their boundaries by freeing them from Federal interference. Communities around the country would benefit significantly and immediately if the example of H.R. 4527 was replicated by Congress. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4527) to remove a use restriction on land formerly a part of Acadia National Park that was transferred to the town of Tremont, Maine, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, since 1918, the United States has signed four migratory bird treaties with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. In 1997, the Canada and Mexico treaties were revised to allow Alaska Natives to harvest for subsistence use protected migratory birds during the so- called closed season. Unfortunately, when implementing the treaty language, Congress failed to clarify that the nonedible parts of the harvested migratory bird could be sold in commercial products. As a result, what we have today is a bizarre policy that allows Alaska Natives to hunt, kill, consume, and to also use nonedible parts in handicraft items, but prohibits them from selling those handicrafts. However, the Fish and Wildlife Service has now decided to cite Alaska Native artists who use migratory bird feathers in a variety of items, including hats, fans, and hunting arrows. It is not illegal to simply throw away these nonedible migratory bird parts. According to Ms. Jacqueline Pata, the vice chair of the Sealaska Corporation, there are less than 500 traditional artists and a much fewer number that use nonedible parts of migratory birds. In her testimony, she noted that this legislation parallels the existing exemption in the Marine Mammal Protection Act and that ``all we are asking is to be able to begin helping ourselves in a very small way by providing a modest income to severely impoverished communities through a traditional means.'' Mr. Speaker, the Fish and Wildlife Service could have revised their regulations, they could have worked with the Alaska Migratory Bird Co- Management Council, and they could have continued to utilize their law enforcement discretion. In each case, they chose not to; instead, they decided to penalize a Native Alaskan artist who used raven and flicker feathers gathered from road-killed animals. This is a misguided and wrong policy. This is why I introduced this important legislation on behalf of my Native Alaskan constituents. I urge an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 3109, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, timely action on this bill will allow the Forest Service to implement an earlier congressional action intended to allow continued operation of certain commercial recreational services and facilities at Smith Gulch in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho. Although Congress amended the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2004 to direct the Forest Service to allow established uses and occupancy at Smith Gulch Lodge, the Forest Service believes it needs additional authority to allow the lodge to use power equipment, such as gas generators, mowers, and other equipment needed for routine maintenance and for improvements, such as an in-stream hydroelectric water wheel for renewable energy. H.R. 4283 would authorize limited use of such equipment for the general upkeep of the lodge. Congressman Simpson should be commended for his attention to this matter, and I urge adoption of this commonsense bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4283) to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho, and for other purposes, as amended.

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