To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, during the week of February 25-29, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 69-87.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 69, H. Res. 978, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 70, H. Res. 930, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 71, H. Res. 944, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 74, H. Res. 974, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 75, H.R. 3521 the Sires of New Jersey Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 76, H.R. 3521 the Meek of Florida Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 81, H. Res. 1001, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 83, H.R. 5351 on Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 84, H.R. 5351, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 85, S. 2272, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 86, H.R. 4454, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 87, H.R. 4454.

Madam Speaker, during the week of March 3-7, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 88-106.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 88, H.R. 1143, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 89, H.R. 1311, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 90, H.R. 816, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 91, H.R. 4191, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 92, H. Con. Res. 278, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 93, H. Res. 951, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 96, H. Res. 1014, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 97, H.R. 4774, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 98, H. Con. Res. 286, ``nay'' on rolicall vote 100, H.R. 1424 the Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 101, H.R. 1424, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 102, H.R. 5400, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 104, H. Res. 1015, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 105, H.R. 2857 the Flake of Arizona Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 106, H.R. 2857 the Inslee of Washington Amendment.

Madam Speaker, during the week of March 10-14, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 108-145.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 108, H. Res. 537, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 109, H.R. 3196, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 110, H.R. 4166, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 115, H. Res. 924, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 116, Motion, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 117, H.R. 2082, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 118, H. Res. 948, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 119, H. Res. 493, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 122, H. Res. 1031, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 130, H. Res. 1036, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 131, H.R. 5563, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 132, H. Con. Res. 316, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 133, H. Res. 936, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 134, S. 2733, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 137, H. Con. Res. 312 Kilpatrick of Michigan Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 138, H. Con. Res. 312 Lee of California Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 140, H. Con. Res. 312 Ryan of Wisconsin Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 141, H. Con. Res. 312, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 142, H. Res. 991, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 143, H. Res. 1041 On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 144, H. Res. 1041 On Agreeing to the Resolution, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 145, H.R. 3773.

Madam Speaker, during the week of March 31-April 4, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rolicall votes 147-160.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 147, H.R. 3352, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 148, H.R. 2675, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 149, H. Con. Res. 302, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 150, H. Con. Res. 310, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 151, H. Res. 1005, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 152, H. Res. 1021, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 154, H. Res. 1065 On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 155, H. Res. 1065 On Agreeing to the Resolution, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 156, H.R. 5501 Carson of Indiana Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 157, H.R. 5501 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 158, H.R. 5501 On Passage, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 159, H.R. 4847 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 160, H.R. 4847 On Passage.

Madam Speaker, during the week of April 7-11, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 161-182.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 161, H.J. Res. 70, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 162, H.R. 2464, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 163, S. 793, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 164, H. Res. 1084 On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 165, H. Res.

1084 On Agreeing to the Resolution, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 166, H. Res. 1077, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 167, H.R. 2016 the Grijalva of Arizona Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 168, H.R. 2016 the Bishop of Utah Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 169, H.R. 2016 the Bishop of Utah Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 170, H.R. 2016 the Bishop of Utah Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 171, H.R. 2016 the Altmire of Pennsylvania Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 172, H.R. 2016 the Pearce of New Mexico Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 173, H.R. 2016 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 174, H.R. 2016 On Passage, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 175, H.R. 2419, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 176, H.R. 5489, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 177, H.R. 5472, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 179, H. Res. 1083, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 180, H. Res. 1038, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 181, H. Res. 1092, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 182, H.R. 2537 the Flake of Arizona Amendment.

I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in, of course, strong support of H.R. 1143, legislation I introduced to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a new arrangement, a lease with the owners of Caneel Bay Resort in my congressional district.

I want to also thank Chairman Rahall as well as Chairman Grijalva for not only supporting the passage of this bill, but for traveling to my district to see for themselves the importance of Caneel Bay to the island and to the people of St. John.

Mr. Speaker, Caneel Bay traces its roots to Laurence Rockefeller's coming to the island of St. John in 1952. He purchased the then- existing resort facilities and also acquired more than 5,000 surrounding acres to protect the area. In 1956, he donated the additional land to create the Virgin Islands National Park. At the same time, he created Caneel Bay Resort, comprising 170 acres, which continues to complement and to be environmentally consistent with the natural beauty of the park's setting.

Mr. Rockefeller subsequently decided to transfer the land underlying Caneel Bay to the National Park Service, while retaining the improvements and continuing the Caneel Bay operations. He accomplished this through the execution of a series of unique agreements generally known as a retained use estate, or RUE.

H.R. 1143 became necessary because the RUE is slated to expire in 2023, and its current owners require more than the remaining 15 years to provide the capital and long-term financing necessary to reverse the decline of the facilities over the years and to return it to the grandeur and stature that it deserves.

Mr. Speaker, other than the Virgin Islands National Park, Caneel Bay Resort is perhaps the single most important entity to the tourism-based economy of St. John, and it's also important to the economy of the Virgin Islands in general. It is not an exaggeration to say that Caneel Bay helped to establish the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Island of St. John in particular, as a major tourist destination point, playing a prominent role in the island's economic renaissance of the mid-1900s.

Since its founding in October of 1956, it has been and remains a paradise of choice for generations of families, many of whom return every year.

It's also the largest employer on St. John, employing approximately 475 workers, many of whom spend their entire career spanning two or three decades, and some even more than that as employees of Caneel.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Natural Resources staff director, Jim Zoia, and the staff of the National Parks, Forest and Public Lands Subcommittee, in particular former staff director Rick Healy and current staff director Dave Watkins, for their hard work in making it possible for H.R. 1143 to be on the floor today. I also want to thank the full committee ranking member, Don Young, and subcommittee ranking member, Rob Bishop, and their staffs for their support as well.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill, which is very important to the economy of the Virgin Islands.

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

The hearing will be held on June 17, 2008, at 2:30 p.m, in room SD- 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 1774, to designate the John Krebs Wilderness in the State of California, to add certain land to the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness, and for other purposes; S. 2255, to amend the National Trails System Act to provide for studies of the Chisholm Trail and Great Western Trail to determine whether to add the trails to the

National Trails System, and for other purposes; S. 2359, to establish the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission, and for other purposes; S. 2943, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail; S. 3010, to reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program; S. 3017, to designate the Beaver Basin Wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the State of Michigan; S. 3045, to establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Forest Heritage Area in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes; and H.R. 1143, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park, 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 it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by e-mail to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Rachel Pasternack at (202) 224-0883.

Madam Speaker, I was voting in the Texas Democratic Primary and missed the votes on:

H.R. 1143, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park (Rollcall 88). Although H.R. 1143 passed by a vote of 378-0, I respectfully request the opportunity to record my position. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on Rollcall 88.

H.R. 1311, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Alta-Hualapai Site to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, for the development of a cancer treatment facility (Rollcall 89). Although H.R. 1311 passed by a vote of 377-0, I respectfully request the opportunity to record my position. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on Rollcall 89.

H.R. 816, To provide for the release of certain land from the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area in the State of Nevada and to grant a right-of-way across the released land for the construction and maintenance of a flood control project (Rollcall 90). Although H.R. 816 passed by a vote of 375-0, I respectfully request the opportunity to record my position. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on Rollcall 90.

Again, I express my full support for these important pieces of legislation.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately last night, March 4, 2008, my plane was delayed due to weather and I was unable to cast my vote on Suspending the Rules and passing H.R. 1143, H.R. 1311, and H.R. 816 and wish the record to reflect my intentions had I been able to vote.

Had I been present for rollcall No. 88 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 1143, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands in Virgin Islands National Park, I would have voted ``yea.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 89 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 1311, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey the Alta-Hualapai Site to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, for the development of a cancer treatment facility, I would have voted ``yea.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 90 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 816, to provide for the release of certain land from the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area in the State of Nevada and to grant a right-of-way across the released land for the construction and maintenance of a flood control project, I would have voted ``yea.''