Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Boundary Revision Act

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to conduct a business meeting during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 21, 2003. The purpose of this meeting will be to consider the nominations of Glen Klippenstein, Julia Bartling, and Lowell Junkins to be members of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and Tom Dorr to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation and to be under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.

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 May 21, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. to conduct an oversight hearing on ``national export strategy.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. on SPAM, in SR-253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003, 2:30 p.m. on TEA-21 Reauthorization, in SR- 253.

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 21 at 10:00 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda Item No. 2--S. 520--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain facilities to the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District in the State of Idaho for sure.

Agenda Item No. 3--S. 625--A bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct certain feasibility studies in the Tualatin River Basin in Oregon, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 5--S. 500--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era.

Agenda Item No. 6--S. 635--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four national historic trails, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 7--S. 651--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to clarify Federal authority relating to land acquisition from willing sellers for the majority of the trails in the System, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 8--H.R. 519--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the San Gabriel River Watershed, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 9--H.R. 733--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the McLoughlin House National Historic Site in Oregon City, Oregon, and to administer the site as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 10--H.R. 788--To revise the boundary of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in the States of Utah and Arizona.

Agenda Item No. 11--S. 203--A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, to locatable mineral development for bentonite mining.

Agenda Item No. 12--S. 246--A bill to provide that certain Bureau of Land Management land shall be held in trust for the Pueblo of Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San Ildefonso in the State of New Mexico.

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 Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. to hold a Business Meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet in Executive Session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 21, 2003.

The following agenda will be considered: S. 1053, Genetics Non- Discrimination Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 10 a.m. in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on Reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Executive Nominations'' on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 10 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 226.

Panel I: Senators.

Panel II: R. Hewitt Pate to be Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, United States Department of Justice.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee be authorized to conduct a hearing in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, Wednesday, May 21, 2003, from 9:30 a.m. at 1 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003, at 9 a.m., for a hearing entitled ``SARS: How Effective Is The State And Local Response?''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, be authorized to meeting during the session of the Senate on May 13, 2003, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing the nominations of Mr. Nicholas Gregory Mankiw, of Massachusetts, to be a member of the Council of Economic Advisors, Executive Office of the President; Mr. Steven B. Nesmith, of Pennsylvania, to be Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Mr. Jose Teran, of Florida, Mr. James Broaddus, of Texas, Mr. Lane Carson, of Louisiana, and Mr. Paul Pate, of Iowa, to be members of the Board of Directors, National Institute of Building Sciences.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., on Media Ownership in SR- 253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 2 p.m., to hear testimony on Status of the Free Miami Ministerial.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 7 p.m., to mark up an original bill, the

text of which was reported by the Committee on Finance on May 8, 2003, for the purpose of meeting Finance Committee reconciliation instructions.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Project Safe Neighborhoods: America's Network Against Gun Violence'' on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226.

Panel I: The Honorable Paul M. Warner, United States Attorney for the District of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; The Honorable Paul J. McNulty, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria, VA; The Honorable Todd P. Graves, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Kansas City, MO; The Honorable Patrick L. Meehan, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Panel II: Mr. Russell Edward Spann, Captain, West Valley Police Department, Utah, West Valley, UT; Mr. Dennis A. Mook, Chief of Police, Newport News Police Department, Newport News, VA; The Honorable Donald R. Totaro, District Attorney, Lancaster County, Lancaster, PA; Mr. Charles L. Curtis, President, Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission, Kansas City, MO; Professor Jens Ludwig, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Professor Alfred Blumstein, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on National Parks of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m., to receive testimony regarding S. 452, to require that the Secretary of the Interior conduct a study to identify sites and resources, to recommend alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the Cold War, and for other purposes; S. 500, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the Historic District of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era; S. 601, to authorize the Secretary to acquire the McLoughlin House National Historic Site in Oregon City, Oregon, for inclusion in the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and for other purposes; S. 612, and H.R. 788, to revise the boundary of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in the States of Utah and Arizona; and S. 630, and H.R. 519, to authorize the Secretary to conduct a study of the San Gabriel River Watershed and for other purposes.

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 Tuesday, May 13, at 2:30 p.m., to receive testimony regarding S. 520, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain facilities to the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District in the State of Idaho; S. 625, a bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct certain feasibility studies in the Tualatin River Basin in Oregon, and for other purposes; S. 960, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wasterwater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize certain projects in the State of Hawaii and to amend the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2000 to modify the Water Resources Study; S. 649, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in projects within the San Diego Creek Watershed, California, and for other purposes; and S. 993, a bill to amend the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 788) to revise the boundary of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in the States of Utah and Arizona.

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

Madam Speaker, H.R. 788, as introduced by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon), would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a land exchange that would help protect an important viewshed located in southern Utah at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and revise the boundaries of the park to reflect the change. The exchange would facilitate the acquisition of 152 acres, including an important scenic viewshed by the National Park Service, while the private developer would acquire 370 acres of land on the other side of Highway 89 that is more appropriate for development. The parcel acquired by the Park Service will also help facilitate a more manageable boundary at the park's most visited entrance. While the Park Service will be acquiring land of considerably greater value than the developer, the private developer has expressed his willingness to donate the approximately $350,000 difference in value to the National Park Service. Both parties consider the exchange to be mutually beneficial.

The House passed legislation containing this same exchange during the 107th Congress. The bill is supported, as it was during the last Congress, by both the majority and the minority as well as the administration, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon).

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

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

(Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, we also support the passage of H.R. 788, a bill which is similar to legislation which passed the House in June of last year. It must be said, however, that there continues to be great concern regarding most cases where public land owned by the American taxpayer is exchanged for private land. In many instances it is not at all clear that the taxpayers are receiving full value for the lands being traded away in their names. In fact, in many cases it is clear that they are not.

We have been working with our friends on the other side of the aisle and the Federal Land Management agencies to develop a more comprehensive approach to exchanges that might address the failures in the current process, and we look forward to continuing those efforts. In the meantime,

it is our hope that we would only approve specific exchanges that truly serve the best interests of the American taxpayer.

Fortunately, it appears we have such an exchange in this instance. The basic concept of the exchange contained in H.R. 788 appears to serve both the interests of the private landowner as well as the park. In addition, once authorized, this exchange will go through a full NEPA process, including appraisals, which should identify and address any remaining issues.

We commend the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) on his legislation and support passage of H.R. 788 and encourage our colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 788. This bill has two purposes: first, it will revise the boundary of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah by exchanging 152 acres of land owned by Page One LLC for approximately 370 acres of land within the National Recreation Area. This exchange will enable both entities to consolidate the properties and make it possible for the Park Service to better protect the area around Lake Powell and Highway 89.

The second purpose of the bill is to increase the acreage ceiling for the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The park's enabling legislation incorrectly identified the total acreage within the park boundary. H.R. 788 will correct that error.

The bill is the result of years of discussion and negotiation between Page One and the National Park Service. The Park Service has been involved from day one. The local communities have also voiced their support for this bill. In addition, the Kane County Planning and Zoning Commission, the Southern Utah Planning Advisory Council, and the National Parks Conservation Association all endorse this land exchange.

H.R. 788 is a noncontroversial piece of legislation that is beneficial to the park, to the private developer, and to the public at large. I urge its support.