A bill to provide for the release of any reversionary interest of the United States in and to certain lands in Reno, Nevada.

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 Public Lands and Forests.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 9, 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. 2443 and H.R. 2246, to provide for the release of any reversionary interest of the United States in and to certain lands in Reno, Nevada; S. 2779, to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to clarify that uncertified States and Indian tribes have the authority to use certain payments for certain noncoal reclamation projects; S. 2875, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants to designated States and tribes to carry out programs to reduce the risk of livestock loss due to predation by gray wolves and other predator species or to compensate landowners for livestock loss due to predation; S. 2898 and H.R. 816, to provide for the release of certain land from the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area in the State of Nevada; S. 3088, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as wilderness, and for other purposes; S. 3089, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as wilderness, and for other purposes; S. 3089, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as wilderness, to provide for the exchange of certain Federal land and non-Federal land, and for other purposes; and S. 3157, to provide for the exchange and conveyance of certain National Forest System land and other land in southeast Arizona, 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 email to [email protected] .gov.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2246) to validate certain conveyances made by the Union Pacific Railroad Company of lands located in Reno, Nevada, that were originally conveyed by the United States to facilitate construction of transcontinental railroads, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, the Union Pacific Railroad operates a rail line through downtown Reno, Nevada. Like similar corridors across the West, the rail line was created on Federal land in the 19th century to facilitate development of a transcontinental rail system. The grant to the railroad includes a requirement that the land revert back to Federal ownership should it ever be abandoned by the railroad.

The City of Reno has undertaken a massive project to move approximately two miles of the rail line into a concrete trench constructed alongside the existing track to improve safety and traffic flow through downtown. As part of the project, the railroad apparently conveyed portions of the right-of-way to the city for construction of the trench. It is not clear whether Union Pacific had authority to make such a conveyance given the Federal reversionary interest. H.R. 2246, as amended, would simply release any Federal reversionary interest in the specific parcels involved in the project. So given the City's enormous investment in this project and that the parcels in question will continue to be used for purposes related to the operation of the rail line, clearing title to these parcels is appropriate. So I urge all of our colleagues to support H.R. 2246.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I want to thank the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers) for co-managing our bills today from the Resources Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2246, which will resolve outdated Federal reversionary interests in land important to the City of Reno, Nevada, which I represent.

The reversionary interest concerns a rail line that goes through downtown Reno. The City of Reno and the Union Pacific/Southern Pacific join together to submerge a portion of the track below street level as a result of merger between the two railroads.

As part of the project, known as RETRAC, the railroad agreed to grant the City of Reno title to the land immediately surrounding the right- of-way for the project within the city. This bill assists in the revitalization and economic development in this community.

Title for these lands was originally granted to the railroad in 1866 to facilitate construction of a transcontinental rail system. However, when the United States granted the right-of-way to the railroad, it retained a reversionary interest in the land to ensure that it was, in fact, used to facilitate the building of the railroad. This purpose obviously was satisfied many years ago.

This reversionary interest is an obsolete restriction on the title of the land granted to the City of Reno, and H.R. 2246 instructs the Secretary of the Interior to release the reversionary interest originally created in 1866.

I appreciate the chairman of the committee, and also Chairman Grijalva and his staff, for the work they have done on this legislation. I also want to thank Reno Mayor Cashell, who came out to Washington to testify on this piece of legislation, and the City of Reno for their continued support and the efforts by their citizens. I would encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. President, I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet on Thursday, June 26, at 9:30 a.m. room 562 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on Access to Contract Health Services in Indian Country.

Those wishing additional information may contact the Indian Affairs Committee at 224-2251.

Mr. President, I would like to inform Members that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will hold a hearing entitled ``Examining Solutions to Cope with the Rise in Home Heating Oil Prices,'' on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at 10 a.m., in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.