To provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, to correct the effects of an erroneous land survey that resulted in approximately 7 acres of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision, Ninth Filing, encroaching on National Forest System land, and for other purposes.

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

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 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. 3261, to establish the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area in the State of Texas, and for other purposes;

S. 3283, A bill to designate Mt. Andrea Lawrence;

S. 3291, to establish Coltsville National Historical Park in the State of Connecticut, and for other purposes;

S. 3524 and H.R. 1858, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement for a park headquarters at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, to expand the boundary of the Park, to conduct a study of potential land acquisitions, and for other purposes;

S. 3565, to provide for the conveyance of certain Bureau of Land Management land in Mohave County, Arizona, to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, for use as a public shooting range;

S. 3612, to amend the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Act to expand the boundary of the Marsh-Billings- Rockefeller National Historical Park in the State of Vermont, and for other purposes;

S. 3616, to withdraw certain land in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes;

S. 3744, to establish Pinnacles National Park in the State of California as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes;

S. 3778 and H.R. 4773, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands within Fort Pulaski National Monument, and for other purposes;

S. 3820, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for a microhydro project in nonwilderness areas within the boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve, to acquire land for Denali National Park and Preserve from Doyon Tourism, Inc., and for other purposes;

S. 3822, to adjust the boundary of the Carson National Forest, New Mexico; and

H.R. 1858, to provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, to correct the effects of an erroneous land survey that resulted in approximately 7 acres of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision, Ninth Filing, encroaching on National Forest System land, 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].

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1858 and for private property rights.

Imagine for a moment that the Federal Government sent you a notification that you need to repurchase land that you have owned for over 30 years. This is exactly what happened to landowners in the Crystal Lakes subdivision on the border of the Roosevelt National Forest.

When the Crystal Lakes subdivision was developed in 1975, an inaccurate land survey resulted in a 7-acre overlap with the U.S. Forest Service land. In 2006, the Crystal Lakes landowners were notified that parts of their property were on Federal land, and they would be required to purchase this land at current market price from the Forest Service.

It is simply unacceptable in these tough economic times to penalize the Crystal Lakes landowners for a mistake made through no fault of their own and a mistake the Federal Government has waited for over 30 years to rectify. The current property value is, without question, higher than it was at the time of the sale in the 1970s and 1980s.

If forced to repurchase their land, some landowners may be in danger of foreclosure. These property owners have bought their land in good faith and have been paying taxes on that land.

While I support the national forest system and the need to preserve land in the West for future generations, for the Federal Government to ask these landowners to repurchase land they have owned for decades stands against reason.

Therefore, I urge all my colleagues to vote for H.R. 1858 today to adjust the boundaries of the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado. With your vote, we can ensure the landowners in Crystal Lakes will be able to remain on their land.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1858) to provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, to correct the effects of an erroneous land survey that resulted in approximately 7 acres of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision, Ninth Filing, encroaching on National Forest System land, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1858, introduced by Representative Betsy Markey of Colorado, would provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado to correct the effects of erroneous land survey. The bill responds to an ongoing boundary dispute between the Forest Service and private land owners with property adjacent to the forest.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our colleague, Representative Markey, for her work on this bill. As a freshman, she has demonstrated remarkable ability to get things done on behalf of her constituents. I ask my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 1858.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this point let me yield as much time as she may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, Representative Markey.

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

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

This bill provides a legislative solution for a number of homeowners in Larimer County, Colorado, who own real property adjacent to the Roosevelt National Forest. These homeowners have occupied or improved their property in good faith and in reliance on 1975 land surveys.

It was introduced in the last Congress by Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. It is needed to resolve the issue fairly because a recent Forest Service resurvey now claims that a small portion of Roosevelt National Forest is occupied by these adjacent landowners.

This bill conveys approximately 7 acres occupied by the affected landowners to those landowners, and I support its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Colorado for bringing this bill. She is building on the good work that was begun by her predecessor, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. This is a bill that I would urge all of my colleagues to support.

I yield back the balance of my time.