To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to contract with the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the storage of the city's water in the Kendrick Project, Wyoming.

Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate passed S. 161, the Northern Arizona Land Exchange and Verde River Basin Partnership Act of 2005. It is my hope that this bill will be considered quickly by the House of Representatives and sent to the President for his signature in the near future.

I want to thank Senator Kyl and his staff for their work in helping to develop this compromise legislation. I also want to thank Senators Domenici and Bingaman, and their staffs on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, for their efforts in reaching an agreement on this legislation during the last Congress and helping to move it through the legislative process. In addition, I want to recognize the work of Congressmen Renzi and Hayworth who have championed this legislation in the House of Representatives.

Late last year, after several years of negotiation and compromise, the Senate passed by unanimous consent a nearly identical measure. This bill provides a sound framework for a fair and equal value exchange of 50,000 acres of private and public land in Northern Arizona. It also addresses water issues associated with the exchange of lands located within the Verde River Basin watershed by limiting water usage on certain exchanged lands and by supporting the development of a collaborative science-based water resource planning and management entity for the Verde River Basin watershed.

The Arizona delegation and a broad array of local area officials are strongly supportive of the legislation because it will offer significant benefits for all parties. Benefits will accrue to the U.S. Forest Service and the public with the consolidation of checkerboard lands and the protection and enhanced management of extensive forest and grasslands. The communities of Flagstaff, Williams, and Camp Verde also will benefit in terms of economic development opportunities, water supply, and other important purposes.

While facilitating the exchange of public and private lands is a very important objective of this legislation, and indeed, was the original purpose when we began working on it several years ago, the provisions concerning water management are perhaps even more important. Since introducing the original legislation over 2 years ago, I have heard from hundreds of Arizonans and learned first-hand of the significant water issues raised by the transfer of Federal land into private ownership. We have modified the bill to take into account many of the concerns raised during meetings held throughout northern Arizona, including removing certain lands entirely from the exchange.

There is growing recognition of the need to develop and promote the wise management of Arizona's limited water supplies, particularly with the extended drought coupled with rapid population growth. As such, the bill passed by the Senate would not only limit water usage on the exchanged lands, but also provide an opportunity to encourage sound water management in northern Arizona through the creation of a collaborative, science-based decision-making body to advance essential planning and management at the State and local level in Northern Arizona.

To be successful, this effort will require the involvement of all the stakeholders with water supply responsibilities and interests. It will also require a solid foundation of knowledge about available resources and existing demands. We are fortunate to have an existing model of collaborative science-based water resource planning and management with the Upper San Pedro Partnership in the Sierra Vista subwatershed of Arizona. In my view, the establishment of a similar, cooperative body in the Verde Basin will be a vital step in assuring the wise use of our limited water resources.

Again, I want to thank all of the parties involved with this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1046) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to contract with the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the storage of the city's water in the Kendrick Project, Wyoming.

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

H.R. 1046 provides long-term water supplies to the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming. This important bill authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a long-term water contract with Cheyenne. Due to uncertainty in the law, the Federal Government cannot enter into long-term, non- project water contracts with municipal entities without the express consent of Congress. This bill simply provides that authority.

I urge my colleagues to support this non-controversial bill that seeks to provide much needed long-term water use certainty.

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

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

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

(Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Resources and the 108th Congress approved legislation identical to H.R. 1046. We have no objection to this legislation.

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

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. 1046.