Upper Elk River Wild and Scenic Study Act

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

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 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. 1369, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate segments of the Molalla River in the State of

Oregon, as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers

System, and for other purposes;

S. 1405, to redesignate the Longfellow National Historic

Site, Massachusetts, as the ``Longfellow House-Washington's

Headquarters National Historic Site'';

S. 1413, to amend the Adams National Historical Park Act of

1998 to include the Quincy Homestead within the boundary of

the Adams National Historical Park, and for other purposes;

S. 1767 and H.R. 1121, to authorize a land exchange to

acquire land for the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Town of

Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and for other purposes;

S. Res. 275, honoring the Minute Man National Historical

Park on the occasion of its 50th anniversary;

H.R. 2802, to provide for an extension of the legislative

authority of the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish a

commemorative work in honor of former President John Adams

and his legacy, and for other purposes; and

H.R. 3113, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate a segment of the Elk River in the State of West

Virginia for study for potential addition to the National

Wild and Scenic Rivers System, 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 Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests to receive testimony on managing Federal forests in response to climate change, including for natural resource adaptation and carbon sequestration has been rescheduled.

The rescheduled hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

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 Scott Miller at (202) 224- 5488 or Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.

Mr. Speaker, the pending legislation would provide for a study to determine the feasibility and suitability of including a segment of the Elk River as a component of the Wild and Scenic River System.

The Elk River is one of West Virginia's premier natural resource assets. It is the longest river in West Virginia with its boundaries entirely within the State. The study that would be authorized by this legislation, however, would focus only on that segment of the Elk where it begins at the confluence of two streams--Old Field Fork and Big Spring Fork--at the community of Slatyfork and flows North for approximately five miles to the Pocahontas/Randolph County line. The study would be conducted by the U.S. Forest Service.

I would point out that this legislation was initiated by the Pocahontas County Commission which unanimously voted on February 4, 2009, to request that a study be conducted on the segment of the Elk River within their county. In this regard I commend Commissioners Martin V. Saffer, David M. Fleming and Reta J. Griffith for their initiative.

The ``Slaty'' segment of the Elk River that would be the subject of the study authorized by this bill, named in reference to the community of Slatyfork where the river begins, was described in a January 2009 letter written by local resident Tom Shipley to the Pocahontas County Commission as follows: ``History abounds around, near and on the banks of the Elk River. She is, in a literal sense, very much as she was back in the early 1800s . . . one of the last rivers on the East Coast that has three naturally reproducing species of wild trout . . . Brook, Brown and Rainbow. As Big Spring Fork and Old Field merge, they form an impressive gateway to the Upper Elk . . . a gift from God to Pocahontas County.''

Indeed, the Slaty segment is a superb fishery, and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources does a good job in the area. While what is being proposed is a study--not a designation--and while the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is very clear that nothing in the statute ``shall affect the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State with respect to fish and wildlife,'' I am including in the legislation being introduced today a reaffirmation that the mere act of studying this segment of the Elk River will not change the status quo with respect to State jurisdiction.

In my view, most people associated with this segment of the Elk River want to keep it the way it is. As Mr. Shipley wrote, the river is ``a gift of God to Pocahontas County'' and I would add, to the State of West Virginia and the Nation as a whole.

I urge the adoption of the pending legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3113) to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of the Elk River in the State of West Virginia for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.

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

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

H.R. 3113, introduced by the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Mr. Nick Rahall, reflects the continuing efforts by the people of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, to preserve and protect the most significant natural and historic resources that they are blessed with in that area.

The pending legislation would have the National Forest Service conduct a study on a segment of the Elk River within the county to determine its eligibility for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

On behalf of Chairman Rahall, I would like to commend the Pocahontas County Commission for its leadership in this matter.

With that, I ask Members on both sides to support passage of this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

We believe that the bill has been adequately explained and studied, and we commend the efforts of Mr. Rahall in his working with the Members on both sides of the aisle.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.