Holloman Air Force Base Land Exchange Act

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 2:30 p.m., in closed session to mark up the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at 10 a.m., on Spyware.

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 11, 2005 at 10 a.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 895 a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a rural water supply program in the reclamation States to provide a clean, safe, affordable, and reliable water supply to rural residents.

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 11, 2005 at 2:30 p.m., to hold a hearing on U.S.-E.U. Regulatory Cooperation on Emerging Technologies.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. in room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on Federal Recognition of Indian Tribes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at 9:30 a.m., in SD226.

Agenda

I. Bills

S. 852, A bill to Create a Fair and Efficient System to Resolve Claims of Victims for Bodily Injury Caused by Asbestos Exposure, and for Other Purposes. [Specter, Leahy, Hatch, Feinstein, Grassley, DeWine.]

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 11, 2005, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Bioterrorism Preparedness and Public Health, be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at 2 p.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Personnel be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 10 a.m. in closed session to markup the personnel programs and provisions contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 2 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 100, to authorize the exchange of certain land in the state of Colorado; S. 235 and H.R. 816, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain parcels of federal land in Carson City and Douglas County, NV; S. 404, to make a technical correction relating to the land conveyance authorized by Public Law 108-67; S. 741, to provide for the disposal of certain forest service administrative sites in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes; S. 761, to rename the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in the State of Idaho as the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in honor of the late Morley Nelson, an international authority on birds of prey, who was instrumental in the establishment of this National Conservation Area, and for other purposes; and H.R. 486, to provide for a land exchange involving private land and Bureau of Land Management land in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base, NM, for the purpose of removing private land from the required safety zone surrounding munitions storage bunkers at Holloman Air Force Base.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 11:30 a.m. in closed session to mark up the readiness and management support programs and provisions contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 9 a.m. in closed session to mark up the strategic forces programs and provisions contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 486 and would like to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Ranking Member Rahall) for working with me on this important legislation. I appreciate the bipartisan support from the Committee on Resources members and the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), in reaching a compromise that is reflected in this legislation.

The need for Congress to pass H.R. 486 arose when a munitions storage bunker was built at Holloman Air Force Base in 1997 and 1998. Holloman Air Force Base serves both the United States' and German Air Force's training and readiness functions. The Holloman air to ground training ranges consist of 1,385,262 acres, almost exclusively Federal land, and air to air training ranges providing 8,352,878 acres of air space for national security and training. The total military training routes at Holloman Air Force Base is 8,657,964. That is DOD, DOI, USDA and private lands.

Without an explosive clear zone, Holloman Air Force Base is unable to fully utilize the designed capacity of the bunker, and it adversely impacts the storage capacity of munitions required for training and operations. This directly impacts the ability of Holloman Air Force Base to fully meet its mission of training, readiness and national security as well as training our NATO partner, Germany. The cost to replace the munitions storage area is estimated by the Air Force to be a minimum of $40 million today, and more if this bill is delayed.

The proposed explosive clear zone encroaches on private property. The Federal Government originally sought to

take the private property through condemnation, leaving little choice but for the property owners to vigorously defend their property rights. This bill resolves the issue and protects both private property and the investment made by the Air Force and would simply exchange Federal lands in close proximity to ranch boundaries. This bill protects our national security, saves the taxpayers a minimum of $40 million and protects private property and is fair to all parties concerned.

I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 486.

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

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 11, 2005, at 2 p.m., in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 100, to authorize the exchange of certain land in the State of Colorado; S. 235 and H.R. 816, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain parcels of Federal land in Carson City and Douglas County, NV; S. 404, to make a technical correction relating to the land conveyance authorized by Public Law 108-67; S. 741, to provide for the disposal of certain Forest Service administrative sites in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes; S. 761, to rename the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in the State of Idaho as the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in honor of the late Morely Nelson, an international authority on birds of prey, who was instrumental in the establishment of this National Conservation Area, and for other purposes; and H.R. 486, to provide for a land exchange involving private land and Bureau of Land Management land in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base, NM, for the purpose of removing private land from the required safety zone surrounding munitions storage bunkers at Holloman Air Force Base.

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, Washington, DC, 20510-6150.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 486) to provide for a land exchange involving private land and Bureau of Land Management land in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, for the purpose of removing private land from the required safety zone surrounding munitions storage bunkers at Holloman Air Force Base.

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. 486, the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 486, introduced by the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce), would provide for a land exchange involving private land and land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico for the purpose of removing that land from a required safety zone surrounding munitions storage bunkers at the Air Force base.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce), the author of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill. I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the private landowners in this case were unable to reach an agreement with the Air Force to resolve this ongoing dispute. However, because ensuring that Holloman Air Force Base operates effectively and safely is critical to both the Air Force and the residents who live and work near the base, we have worked closely with the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) to craft a legislative solution.

Compared to the version of this legislation introduced in the previous Congress, H.R. 486 contains a number of changes made at the request of the minority, and we appreciate the inclusion of those changes, and at this time we would not oppose the adoption of H.R. 486.

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