Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1218, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue to the Landusky School District in the State of Montana a patent for the surface and mineral estates of certain lots, totaling 2.06 acres. Landusky is a small agricultural community in north central Montana. An oversight in the original transfer of land from the Bureau of Land Management did not convey the surface and mineral estates on the two lots that the Landusky Elementary School has now occupied for a lengthy period of time. This legislation corrects that oversight. Mr. Speaker, S. 1218 was introduced on June 14, 1999, by Senator Burns. A legislative hearing was held where the assistant director of the Bureau of Land Management testified on behalf of the administration in support of the bill with certain amendments. Today, we take up a bill fully supported by the administration and the other body. The estimated fair market value of the parcels is only $30,300. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1218) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue to the Landusky School District, without consideration, a patent for the surface and mineral estates of certain lots, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1778 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate land exchanges among willing sellers and willing buyers at Cascade Reservoir in Idaho. Several agricultural easements were reserved within 300 feet of the reservoir at the time the Bureau of Reclamation acquired lands for the reservoir. Now the easement holders and reclamation would like to exchange these easements for other Federal lands in the area. The exchanges would help the parties improve and maintain water quality in the reservoir. All parties have agreed to the exchange. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1778) to provide for equal exchanges of land around the Cascade Reservoir.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 710, introduced by Senator Trent Lott from Mississippi, authorizes a feasibility study of the Vicksburg Campaign during the Civil War. The Vicksburg Campaign was one of the most important, decisive events of the Civil War. Vicksburg was the Confederacy's most vital defensive citadel, located on the Mississippi River. Its capture was considered essential to the Union plans to gain control of the Mississippi in 1863. The fall of Vicksburg effectively split the South in two and gave the North complete control of the Mississippi River. Clearly, many of the battlefields along the Vicksburg Campaign Trail are of important historical significance and their preservation would contribute to the understanding of the heritage of the United States. Mr. Speaker, S. 710 would authorize a feasibility study on the preservation of many of the Civil War battlefields along the Vicksburg Campaign Trail to determine what measures should be taken to preserve these historical battlefields. In addition, this bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a management entity for Civil War battlefields and to acquire funds and lands for use in managing these battlefields. Mr. Speaker, I urge members of the House to support S. 710. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 710) to authorize a feasibility study on the preservation of certain Civil War battlefields along the Vicksburg Campaign Trail.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In response to the gentleman, I would agree to some extent with what he said. The one thing I do and have always felt very strongly is not to be dictated to by the other body. The other body said ``take it or leave it'' on issues very frankly that are very, very important to me, but we decided what we had to do was get what was best out of what we were able to do, and without any objection on our side or the gentleman's side, to achieve those goals. I am a little frustrated with the other body, in fact, greatly frustrated, because they waited. These bills had been passed for many, many months, and then they sent us something and said, ``Take it or leave it.'' This is the House of the people, the United States House of Representatives. It is not the House of Lords. I am going to suggest respectfully that until they recognize that we also have an important role to play in this business of legislation, I am going to do what I think is appropriate for not only the Nation as a whole but the constituents that we all represent. To have them dictate to us is very offensive to me. I have told them that vocally, and I will tell them that in writing, and I will say it in public. This is the House of the people, not the House of Lords on the other side. So the one way we did what we could do to try to achieve our goals, including the fishermen's protection act, was that the gentleman's and my bill is in this package. That is one of the things in this bill. I cannot get it all because I cannot get it passed from this side of the aisle, either. So this is the art of trying to achieve the realities. I really worked very hard on this piece of legislation, and hopefully we will see the wisdom of passing this legislation.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5086. This bill includes a 5- year reauthorization of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and miscellaneous fishery reauthorizations. The sanctuary provisions make minor changes to the designation, monitoring and enforcement sections of the Act. It reinforces the importance of protecting the cultural resources found in sanctuaries, and it establishes a program to honor Dr. Nancy Foster. Dr. Foster was a long-time NOAA employee and former director of the Sanctuary program who recently passed away from a long illness. This bill also includes three provisions that twice have previously passed the House as part of other legislation. The first allows fishermen to be reimbursed if their vessel is illegally detained or seized by foreign countries. The second establishes the Yukon River Salmon Panel and authorizes projects to restore salmon stocks originating from the Yukon River. The third authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to acquire two fishery survey vessels. These vessels are one of the most important fishery management tools available to the Federal science. They allow for the collection of much needed scientific data to manage our Nation's resources. Mr. Speaker, may I say, one of the biggest weaknesses we have in the whole programs of our oceans is the lack of research. H.R. 5086 provides authorization for environmental clean-up in current and formerly owned Federal property on the Pribilof Islands in Alaska, and assistance to help island communities successfully complete the transition from governmental to private ownership. It also establishes the terms under which NOAA can end its non-marine mammal responsibilities on the Pribilofs. Other titles within this bill reauthorize marine fisheries stock assessments; aid to States in managing interjurisdictional and anadromous fisheries; and the extremely successful Atlantic striped bass and Atlantic coastal cooperative fisheries management programs. Finally, the bill will authorize assistance to West Coast States for salmon habitat restoration projects; give statutory approval to several provisions of the international agreement on joint U.S. and Canadian salmon stocks; and establish a program to assist in marine mammal stranding rescues. This bill contains key provisions to protect U.S. fish stocks and sensitive areas of the marine environment. These measures are noncontroversial and should be adopted this year. I urge an aye vote on this important conservation legislation. Mr. Speaker, 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. 5086) to amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to honor Dr. Nancy Foster, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1211) to amend the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act to authorize additional measures to carry out the control of salinity upstream of Imperial Dam in a cost-effective manner.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 610) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management in Washakie County and Big Horn County, Wyoming, to the Westside Irrigation District, Wyoming, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1030) to provide that the conveyance by the Bureau of Land Management of the surface estate to certain land in the State of Wyoming in exchange for certain private land will not result in the removal of the land from operation of the mining laws.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3657) to provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of public domain land in the San Bernardino National Forest in the State of California, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 748 directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete and submit a report within 6 months after enactment of this act on the progress the Department has made in implementing section 1307 and 1308 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, called ANILCA. Since ANILCA was enacted, the Department has failed to implement these two sections of the bill. This bill further requires the Secretary to include a detailed action plan for the implication of ANILCA section 1307 and 1308 to consult with Alaska Native Corporations formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, nonprofit organizations, and tribal entities in the immediate vicinity of the park units. It further requires the Secretary, to the extent possible, to involve such groups in developing materials and pilot programs. I urge an aye vote on this important legislation for the Alaska Natives. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 748) to improve Native hiring and contracting by the Federal Government within the State of Alaska, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 503, the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Act of 1999, was introduced by Senator Wayne Allard and will simply add the Spanish Peaks area to a list of areas designated as wilderness by the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993. I would like to take a moment to commend my esteemed colleague, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis), for all his diligent work on the House version of this legislation, H.R. 898. H.R. 898 passed through the subcommittee and full committee by a voice vote. However, in the interest of time we are considering the Senate version today. Therefore, I urge all Members to support passage of S. 503, the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Act of 2000, under suspension of the rules. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 503) designating certain land in the San Isabel National Forest in the State of Colorado as the ``Spanish Peaks Wilderness''.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of S. 2872, the Indian Arts and Crafts Enforcement Act of 2000. This bill will facilitate the initiation of suits by Indian tribes pursuant to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this, and why we did not roll all these bills into one, I will never know, but that is not my pay grade. I urge the passage of this legislation. 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 yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of S. 3022. For the last 6 years, the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Resources has pursued legislation to shrink the size and scope of the Federal Government through the defederalization of the Bureau of Reclamation assets. S. 3022 continues this defederalization process by directing the Secretary of the Interior to convey, as soon as practical after the date of enactment, certain facilities to the Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District, pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement between the Secretary of the Interior and the district. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``aye'' on this bill. 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 submit for the benefit of the Members, copies of letters between the Committee on Resources, and Tom Bliley, Chairman, Committee on Commerce, regarding the jurisdiction of S. 964. House of Representatives, Committee on Commerce, Washington, DC, October 17, 2000. Hon. Don Young, Chairman, Committee on Resources, Washington, DC. Dear Don: I am writing with regard to S. 964, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Act. I understand that this legislation, as considered by the House, includes the text of S. 2439, a bill to authorize the appropriation of funds for the construction of the Southeastern Alaska Intertie system, and for other purposes. As you know, S. 2439 falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Committee on Commerce pursuant to Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives. Because of the importance of this legislation, I recognize your desire to bring it before the House in an expeditious manner. By agreeing to waive its consideration of the bill, however, the Committee on Commerce does not waive its jurisdiction over S. 964. In addition, the Commerce Committee reserves its authority to seek conferees on any provisions of the bill that are within its jurisdiction during any House- Senate conference that may be convened on this legislation. I ask for your commitment to support any request by the Commerce Committee for conferees on S. 964 or similar legislation. I request that you include this letter and your response as part of the Record during consideration of the legislation on the House floor. Thank you for your attention to these matters. Sincerely, Tom Bliley, Chairman.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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