Carpinteria and Montecito Water Distribution Systems Conveyance Act of 2004

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 19, 2004. The purpose of this meeting will be to mark up legislation to reauthorize child nutrition programs.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 19, 2004, at 8:30 a.m., in open session, to continue to receive testimony on allegations of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. to conduct a hearing on ``Congressional Oversight of the IMF and World Bank.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at 9:30 a.m. on from public service to private sector: Spinning the Revolving Door for Personal Gain.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 19 at 11:30 a.m., to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda

Agenda Item 1: S. 155--A bill to convey to the town of Frannie, WY, certain land withdrawn by the Commissioner of Reclamation.

Agenda Item 2: S. 180--A bill to establish the National Aviation Heritage Area, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 3: S. 203--A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, WY, to locatable mineral development and bentonite mining.

Agenda Item 4: S. 211--A bill to establish the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 5: S. 323--A bill to establish the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, LA.

Agenda Item 9: S. 1241--A bill to establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site in the State of New York, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 13: S. 1467--A bill to establish the Rio Grande Outstanding Natural Area in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 14: S. 1521--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to the Edward H. McDaniel American Legion Post 22 in Phrump, NV, for the construction of a post building and memorial park for use by the American Legion, other veterans' groups, and the local community.

Agenda Item 16: S. 1727--A bill to authorize additional appropriations for the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978.

Agenda Item 17: S. 2046--A bill to authorize the exchange of certain land in Everglades National Park.

Agenda Item 18: S. 2052--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail.

Agenda Item 20: S. 2180--A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain lands in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado.

Agenda Item 21: S. 2319--A bill to authorize and facilitate hydroelectric power licensing of the Tapoco Project.

Agenda Item 23: H.R. 961--To promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 25: H.R. 1446--To support the efforts of the California Missions Foundation to restore and repair the Spanish colonial and mission-era missions in the State of California and to preserve the artworks and artifacts of these missions, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 26: H.R. 1658--To amend the Railroad Right-of-Way Conveyance Validation Act to validate additional conveyances of certain lands in the State of California that form part of the right-of-way granted by the United States to facilitate the construction of the transcontinental railway, and for other purposes.

In addition, the committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on Oversight and Nomination Hearing: The Treasury Department and Terrorism Financing; and, to consider the nominations of John O. Colvin, to be Judge of the U.S. Tax Court; Juan C. Zarate, to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorism Finance, U.S. Department of the Treasury; and, Stuart Levey to the Under Secretary for Enforcement, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on Iraq's Transition--The Way Ahead (Part II).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at 10 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a business meeting on S.J. Res. 37, resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived polices by the United States Government regarding Indian Tribes and offer an apology to all Native peoples on behalf of the United States, and S. 2277, a bill to amend the Act of November 2, 1966 (80 Stat. 1112) to allow binding arbitration clauses to be included in all contracts affecting the land within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation; to be followed immediately by a hearing on S. 1696, a bill to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide further self government by Indian tribes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special

Committee on Aging be authorized to meet Wednesday, May 19, 2004 from 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m. in Dirksen 628 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 19th, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 900, a bill to convey the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, the savage unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and the Intake Irrigation Project to the pertinent irrigation districts; S. 1876, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain lands and facilities of the Provo River Project; S. 1957, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers, and for other purposes; S. 2304 and H.R. 3209, bills to amend the Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972 to clarify the acreage for which the North Loup division is authorized to provide irrigation water under the Missouri River Basin Project; S. 2243, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Alaska; H.R. 1648, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution systems of the Cachuma Project, California, to the Carpinteria Valley water district and the Montecito water district; and H.R. 1732, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Williamson County, TX, Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on June 16, 2004, at 9:30 a.m. on The VOIP Regulatory Freedom Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Wednesday, June 16 at 11:30 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda

Agenda Item 1: Nomination of Suedeen G. Kelly to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Agenda Item 2: S. 155--A bill to convey to the town of Frannie, Wyoming, certain land withdrawn by the Commissioner of Reclamation.

Agenda Item 3: S. 180--A bill to establish the National Aviation Heritage Area, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 5: S. 211--A bill to establish the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 6: S. 323--A bill to establish the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, Louisiana.

Agenda Item 10: S. 1241--A bill to establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site in the State of New York, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 14: S. 1467--A bill to establish the Rio Grande Outstanding Natural Area in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 15: S. 1521--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to the Edward H. McDaniel American Legion Post No. 22 in Pahrump, Nevada, for the construction of a post building and memorial park for use by the American Legion, other veterans' groups, and the local community.

Agenda Item 17: S. 1727--A bill to authorize additional appropriations for the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978.

Agenda Item 18: S. 1957--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 19: S. 2046--A bill to authorize the exchange of certain land in Everglades National Park.

Agenda Item 22: S. 2180--A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain lands in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado.

Agenda Item 23: S. 2243--A bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Alaska.

Agenda Item 24: S. 2319--A bill to authorize and facilitate hydroelectric power licensing of the Tapoco Project.

Agenda Item 29: H.R. 1648--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution systems of the Cachuma Project, California, to the Carpinteria Valley Water District and the Montecito Water District.

Agenda Item 30: H.R. 1658--To amend the Railroad Right-of-Way Conveyance Validation Act to validate additional conveyances of certain lands in the State of California that form part of the right-of-way granted by the United States to facilitate the construction of the transcontinental railway, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 31: H.R. 1732--To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Williamson County, Texas, Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 32: H.R. 3209--To amend the Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972 to clarify the acreage for which the North Loup division is authorized to provide irrigation water under the Missouri River Basin project.

In addition, the Committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, June 16, 2004, at 11 a.m., to hear testimony on Strengthening Regulations and Oversight to Better Ensure Agriculture Financing Integrity.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 at 2 p.m. to hold a Nominations Hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 16, 2004, at 10 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a Business Meeting on pending committee matters, to be followed immediately by an oversight hearing on the implementation in Native American communities of the ``No Child Left Behind Act.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs also be authorized to meet again on Wednesday, June 16, 2004, at 2 p.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 1996, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Angostura Irrigation Project Rehabilitation and Development Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 at 10 a.m., on ``Judicial Nominations'' in the Dirksen Office Building, Room 226.

Witness List:

Panel I: Senators.

Panel II: Richard A. Griffin, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; and David W. McKeague, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.

Panel III: Virginia Maria Hernandez Covington, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1648, the Carpinteria and Montecito Water Distribution Systems Conveyance Act of 2003--a bill I introduced that would authorize the title transfer of federally owned water distribution systems in my congressional district.

I want to commend my colleagues from California, the chairman of the Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo, the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, Mr. Calvert and Mrs. Napolitano, as well as the ranking member of the full Committee, Mr. Rahall for expediting the consideration of this legislation in their respective committees and for bringing H.R. 1648 before us today.

This legislation will authorize the title transfer of two federally owned water distribution systems from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Carpinteria Valley Water District and Montecito Water District, as requested by the two Santa Barbara area Districts.

The purpose of the legislation is to simplify the operation and maintenance of the Districts' water distribution systems and eliminate unnecessary paperwork and consultation between the Districts and the Bureau of Reclamation.

The Carpinteria Valley Water District and Montecito Water District, which have operated and maintained the facilities proposed for transfer since 1956 and 1995, respectively. The Districts have worked through all requirements of the Bureau of Reclamation's title transfer process including public meetings, fulfillment of their repayment obligations, completion of an environmental assessment, which resulted in a finding of no significant impact (FONSI), and compliance with all other applicable laws. The only step remaining to complete the process is an act of Congress enabling the Secretary of the Interior to transfer title.

The proposed transfer would apply only to lands and facilities associated with these facilities and would not affect the Districts' existing water service contract with the Santa Barbara County Water Agency nor the Federal government receipts from water deliveries under the contract. In addition, the proposed transfer does not envision any new physical modification or expansion of the service infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, the proposed transfer of ownership would include the following facilities:

Carpinteria: The distribution system consisting of 36 miles

of pipeline and laterals; Gobernador Reservoir; Shephard Mesa

Tank; Lateral 10L, Carpinteria and Shephard Mesa pumping

plants; several pressure regulating vaults located throughout

the system; fences and structures; and rights-of-way,

easements, leases and other property permitting access to the

Federal system.

Montecito: 9.5 miles of pipelines and laterals; the Asegra

Pumping Plant (a deactivated pumping plant connected to a

portion of lateral 3 located on Asegra Road); Ortega Ridge

Pumping plant located on Ortega Ridge Road; pressure

regulating vaults, fences and structures appurtenant to the

distribution system; and rights-of-way, easements, leases,

and other property permitting access to the Federal system.

Again, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources for supporting this bill, and urge its immediate passage.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the following hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 19, at 2:30 p.m. in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 900, a bill to convey the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, the Savage Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and the Intake Irrigation Project to the pertinent irrigation districts; S. 1876, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain lands and facilities of the Provo River Project; S. 1957, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers, and for other purposes; S. 2304 and H.R. 3209, bills to amend the Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972 to clarify the acreage for which the North Loup division is authorized to provide irrigation water under the Missouri River Basin project; S. 2243, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Alaska; H.R. 1648, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution systems of the Cachuma Project, California, to the Carpinteria Valley Water District and the Montecito Water District; and H.R. 1732, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Williamson County, Texas, Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, SD-364 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510-6150.

For further information, please contact Kellie Donnelly at 202-224- 9360, Nate Gentry at 202-224-2179, Erik Webb at 202-224-4756, or Shane Perkins at 202-224-7555.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1648) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution systems of the Cachuma Project, California, to the Carpinteria Valley Water District and the Montecito Water District.

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. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to transfer specific water distribution systems of the Cachuma Project of the Carpinteria Valley Water District and the Montecito Water District in Santa Barbara County, California.

While this transfer would only apply to land and facilities and would not affect the repayment obligations of the Federal Government, it will help simplify the operation and maintenance of the districts' water delivery systems and eliminate unnecessary paperwork. Both districts have worked through all Federal requirements and need only to complete the process with an act of Congress.

Transfers such as those included in this bill help shrink the size and budget of Federal Government and help our communities manage our water resources in a more efficient manner. I urge my colleagues to support this consensus bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from California for her assistance through this process.

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