Ojito Wilderness Act

I rise today to encourage my colleagues to vote for passage of H.R. 4593. Title II of this legislation is the Ojito Wilderness Act. The Ojito Wilderness Study Area consists of about 11,000 acres of BLM land characterized by pristine and dramatic landforms and rock structures, and by several rare plant populations that are indigenous to the area. Title II of H.R. 4593 designates this area as permanent wilderness and enables the Pueblo of Zia to buy land to unite the disparate pieces of their tribal lands. I sincerely appreciate the effort of Representative Heather Wilson, my New Mexico colleague and the cosponsor of H.R. 3176, The Ojito Wilderness Act, which was introduced last year and is being voted on today as part of Mr. Gibbons' wilderness bill.

I am honored on many levels to have helped get this bill to the floor of the House of Representatives. Forty years ago last month, while my father Stewart Udall was Secretary of the Interior, President Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act, written to assure that some lands of the United States were left in the natural state in which humans found them. I am proud to follow in my father's footsteps by doing my part to help create the first new wilderness designation in New Mexico in over 25 years. But even more so, I am humbled by the hard work of so many New Mexico residents who have come together and fought for years to make this a reality. The cooperation exhibited among the Pueblo of Zia, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, private landholders adjacent to the lands, corporations operating in this area, and government, state and local officials has been phenomenal, and all of New Mexico should be proud.

This proposal has been under consideration for many years, and I am pleased we have the opportunity today to take an important step toward making it law. In 1991, Manuel Lujan, the Secretary of the Interior in the former President Bush's cabinet, recommended the Ojito area to Congress for wilderness designation. The BLM has evaluated this area and found it qualifies for full wilderness status and protection.

The legislation has the explicit support of the Governor of New Mexico, the counties of Sandoval and Bernalillo, individual members of State government including our State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons, the Pueblo of Zia and its members, the adjacent private land owners and individuals who graze their cattle on the land, numerous environmental groups, mineral extraction companies in the region, and business owners and private citizens living and working nearby.

Beyond its scenic and natural beauty, the Ojito Wilderness Study Area and the surrounding lands are also recognized for their high density of cultural and archeological sites, including sites that have religious significance to Pueblo Indians.

This legislation is extremely important to the Pueblo of Zia. The Pueblo's reservation lands currently lie in two noncontiguous sections. Zia has made a concerted effort over many years to adjoin its reservation lands. This legislation will help make this long-standing goal a reality. The Pueblo has consistently and openly worked in cooperation with other interested parties to reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement for the protection of these important lands as undeveloped open space with continued public access.

The Wilderness Act is one of the most poetic laws ever written, defining wilderness as ``an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain'. The ability to experience our country's ``untrammeled'' natural beauty and to learn and teach our children about nature on publicly owned lands is one of the most important reasons for wilderness designations. I thank my cosponsor in the House Heather Wilson, Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall of the Resources Committee, their staff and all of the people who worked on this legislation for helping us move one step closer to giving our children and grandchildren the legacy of nature's gifts.

I urge my fellow Members to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 4593, the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004. I appreciate the opportunity to speak in favor of this valuable legislation, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor.

I would also like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons), for introducing this legislation in the House, as well as Senator Ensign and Senator Reid for introducing companion legislation in the Senate. H.R. 4593 represents an important compromise and enjoys strong bipartisan support from the entire Nevada congressional delegation.

The area I represent in Congress is one of the fastest growing areas in the Nation. The growth of Clark County has been significant, and it is a tribute to the leadership of our elected and administrative officials, the hard work and dedication of local developers and the economic success of the Las Vegas region.

We have worked hard in the State of Nevada to ensure the organized, strategic and orchestrated growth of our community while still maintaining and preserving many of Nevada's environmental treasures and our resources. This growth, while impressive, has created and placed new and increased pressures on our existing precious resources, such as infrastructure, education and water. In my 20 years in public office, I have seized opportunities to better manage this growth and the responsibilities and liabilities it brings.

I see the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act as legislation that can benefit southern Nevada, Lincoln County and the full State of Nevada as our economy and population continue to grow, specifically with the development of additional water resources.

At a time when Clark County continues to lead the Nation in growth with thousands of new residents each month, Nevada has access to the smallest water allocation of the seven States using the Colorado River. By 2002, our population had increased to 1.6 million people, most of whom reside in the Las Vegas Valley, and water use had far surpassed our 300,000-acre-foot allocation from the Colorado River. As a result, we must remain committed to maximizing the use of available Colorado River water while at the same time making use of existing in-State resources.

As drought continues in the West and our State continues to grow, the development of the in-State water resources grows increasingly important. This legislation will help with the proposed development of our in-State resources intended to diversify our water supply and supplement Nevada's water entitlement from the Colorado River. The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act will help to expedite a solution to southern Nevada's current water situation without

compromising public involvement and environmental compliance.

Mr. Speaker, for the past decade, Colorado River water and conservation have been the most cost-effective options to meet demands in southern Nevada. However, as we plan for the future, the continued development of additional water resources has become necessary.

Development of in-State water resources will provide southern Nevada with a long-term, reliable water supply to meet the increased demands of a growing population and ensure supply during times of drought. Accessing these resources requires significant investment, and H.R. 4593 is an important step forward in achieving these goals.

I would like to urge my colleagues in the House to support this important bipartisan legislation and join me in voting for H.R. 4593.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4593) to establish wilderness areas, promote conservation, improve public land, and provide for the high quality development in Lincoln County, Nevada, and for other purposes, as amended.

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. 4593, the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4593 was introduced by myself and would designate over 700,000 acres of wilderness and release over 200,000 acres of land currently being managed as wilderness study areas. It would create a 260-mile off-highway vehicle trail; establish roughly 450 miles of utility corridors within Lincoln County for the purposes of designating rights of way for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Lincoln County Water District. It would privatize not more than 90,000 acres of public land deemed disposable by the Bureau of Land Management within the county, while conveying not more than 15,000 acres of public land to the State and county for use as parks and open space.

It is important to note that this proposal enjoys the support of the entire Nevada congressional delegation and is the product of exhaustive public participation, which is vital in a comprehensive bill such as this.

This bill was subsequently amended by the Committee on Resources, where one additional title was added. As amended, title II would designate the 11,000 Ojito Wilderness Study Area in Sandoval County, New Mexico, as wilderness and take certain Federal land into trust for the Pueblo of Zia for the purposes of consolidating its land holdings and to protect religious and cultural sites in the area.

Mr. Speaker, it is supported by the majority and minority of the committee. I urge adoption of the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he shall consume to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), my good friend and colleague from district three.

Mr. Speaker, I also have no additional requests for time, would urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4593, as it is being brought to the floor today, is a diverse bill affecting land and resources in Nevada and New Mexico.

First and foremost, I want to take this opportunity to commend my colleague the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) for his work on title II of this legislation, which designates the Ojito Wilderness in New Mexico. Title II is the text of H.R. 3176, introduced by the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) and favorably reported from the Committee on Resources.

The language of title II is a model of the legislative process. The gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) has developed a bipartisan proposal that has significant local, State and national support, and we strongly support this aspect of H.R. 4593.

Title I of H.R. 4593 is the Lincoln County, Nevada, lands bill. This is a complex and far-reaching piece of legislation that includes utility corridors and rights of way, land sales and conveyances, also wilderness, ORV trails, land exchanges and water. There are still a number of issues and concerns with this title, but we are pleased that at least the two wilderness areas that were previously dropped have been added back in.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4593, as amended, is a compromise, and as such, we have no objection to its consideration by the House today.

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

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