Oregon Surplus Federal Land Act of 2008

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6370, the ``Oregon Surplus Federal Land Act of 2008'', introduced by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

H.R. 6370 transfers 24 acres of federally owned land, which includes the Cape Arago Light Station, in Coos County, Oregon, from the Coast Guard to the Secretary of the Interior to be held in trust for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians. The Commandant shall transfer the Light Station within 5 years of the date of enactment of this Act.

The Cape Arago Light Station no longer functions as an aid to navigation since the light has been extinguished. Over the past decade, the Coast Guard has been disposing of its lighthouses and has determined it no longer needs the property at Cape Arago. This is beneficial to the Confederated Tribes and they are eager to manage the land since it once served as a burial site and is sacred to them.

Under the bill, the Confederated Tribes are prohibited from selling, conveying, assigning, exchanging or encumbering the property in the future without the approval of the Secretary. The Tribes are also prohibited from conducting any commercial activities on the property without the approval of the Secretary. The property with the Light Station is to be made available to the general public for educational, park, recreational, cultural, or historic preservation purposes.

The Committee attempted to obtain maps of the actual property that is being transferred from the Coast Guard to the Secretary of the Interior. However, the Coast Guard has been unable to develop formal maps of the area yet. Therefore, the Coast Guard and the Secretary will have to develop maps depicting the property being transferred. This has been done numerous times before--such as in the conveyance of Sentinel Light Station in Alaska in the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-293) and the conveyance of the Naval Reserve Pier in Portland, Oregon, Slip Point Light Station in Callam County, Washington, and Point Pinos Light in Monterey County, California, in the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-295).

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 6370.

Finally, I insert in the Record an exchange of letters between Chairman Nick J. Rahall, II, Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, and me.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, September 22, 2008.

Hon. James Oberstar,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC.

Dear Jim: Thank you for the opportunity to work with you on

H.R. 6370, the Oregon Surplus Federal Land Act of 2008,

concerning provisions regarding a Native American tribe and

the Secretary of the Interior which are within the

jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Because of the continued cooperation and consideration that

you have afforded me and my staff in developing these

provisions, I will not seek a sequential referral of H.R.

6370. Of course, this waiver is not intended to prejudice any

future jurisdictional claims over these provisions or similar

language. I also reserve the right to seek to have conferees

named from the Committee on Natural Resources on these

provisions, and request your support if such a request is

made.

Please place this letter into the committee report on H.R.

6370 and into the Congressional Record during consideration

of the measure on the House floor.

With warm regards, I am

Sincerely,

Nick J. Rahall, II,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6370) to transfer excess Federal property administered by the Coast Guard to the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians.

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. 6370.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Oregon Surplus Federal Land Act requires the Commandant of the Coast Guard to transfer the Cape Arago Light Station and the surrounding area in Coos County, Oregon, in my congressional district, to the Secretary of the Interior to hold in trust for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.

Under this bill, the Confederated Tribes will assume responsibility for maintenance of the light station and must provide reasonable public access.

I would also like to point out that H.R. 6370 leaves it to the Secretary of the Interior and the Commandant of the Coast Guard to determine the exact amount of land that will be transferred and to develop the appropriate maps. This body has passed similar bills in the past.

H.R. 6370 clearly leaves all authority of the transfer and trust with the relevant agencies. The Coast Guard and the Coos County Commissioners support the transfer. And this bill will put an historic piece of land to good use while protecting and preserving its cultural significance.

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

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

I thought that we could have this issue resolved before we came to the floor. Unfortunately, the Coast Guard has to actually contract for a survey, which, through the Federal procurement process, takes a while. But I can assure the gentleman that there are a number of other bills I'm familiar with, mostly under the jurisdiction of the Resources Committee, that have had similar problems, and these issues were resolved before the interagency transfer was finalized and took place. That just is sort of logical; they need to know what they're transferring, and they need to have a legal description and map. So I assure the gentleman, to the best of my ability as a member of the legislative branch, that the administrative branch will fulfill their duties in this matter.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I support the bill's purpose to transfer administrative jurisdiction over a light station and approximately 24 acres of public land in the State of Oregon from the Coast Guard to the Secretary of the Interior. The land and structures will be held in trust for a federally recognized tribe and would be available for tribal and public interests that were approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Lastly, the bill would prohibit the use of the land for any commercial activity that is not expressly approved by the Secretary.

However, I am disappointed that the bill is being brought to the floor without a map specifically detailing the location and amount of land which is to be transferred under the bill.

The land has not been surveyed, and there is a question between the Department of the Interior and Coast Guard on the boundaries of this land that is proposed for transfer.

I support the bill, but I do have reservations about the lack of a precise description of the land to be transferred. I hope that the majority, under Mr. DeFazio's leadership, will work with our side to ensure that the land is surveyed promptly and that the final transfer should be delayed until such maps are available.

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I support H.R. 6370, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6370, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.