Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District Land Exchange Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3923, the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District Land Exchange Act. This legislation is the result of a long-term effort by the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District in Sugar Loaf, Colorado. This exchange will be of great benefit to those volunteer firefighters and the communities that they serve.

The Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service have always worked closely with each other since the fire district's inception in 1967. The Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District volunteers are key first responders to both wild-land and residential fires as well as car accidents and health emergencies within the communities and the public lands that they serve.

In its fledgling start, the fire district's physical home was established in an existing building on U.S. Forest Service land through a special use permit. Three years later, a second building was constructed under another special use permit, both in important locations for accessibility to the few main roads in the mountainous areas. This bill today would exchange the small amount of Federal land on which these facilities exist with private land that has been purchased by the fire district for this transfer, land that is better suited for the scenic and recreational services of the local public lands.

While the U.S. Forest Service and these special use permits have been incredibly valuable during the over 40-year history of the fire district, it is now important that the fire district has the autonomy to better self-direct its future, invest, and ensure the modernization of its facilities.

Currently these buildings are without even the most basic amenities, like running water and restrooms, and their location on public land has precluded them from making modernizations. As the surrounding communities have grown considerably in the past few decades, these buildings have taken on added responsibility as community meeting centers, making it even more important that they be updated to accommodate this new rule, and this bill will allow for them to be updated and modernized.

I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Hastings, as well as Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva and the gentlewoman from Guam, for their hard work on this effort. It is an important measure for the local communities of my district, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3923) to provide for the exchange of certain land located in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

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.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3923 was introduced by our colleague from Colorado, Congressman Jared Polis. Since 1967, the Forest Service has issued two special use permits to the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District to own and operate two fire stations on National Forest System land.

The District would like to own the parcels of land on which the fire stations sit in order to build an area for firefighter training and bathroom facilities. Currently, the fire stations do not have running water because State and county regulations prohibit well and septic systems on public lands for private use.

The District would receive approximately 5 acres of Federal land on which the fire stations sit, and the Forest Service would receive land of equal value from the District. A specific in-holding owned by the District has been identified for the exchange.

Mr. Speaker, we commend Congressman Polis for his work on this bill, and we support passage of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

Mr. Speaker, I would like again to urge Members to support the bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, throughout the West there are communities struggling to provide basic services because of a limited tax base and a shortage of non-Federal lands to build infrastructure. The Sugar Loaf Fire District in Colorado has provided services to the surrounding National Forest area for years and is simply seeking a tiny parcel of land in order to make much-needed improvements in their facilities.

This commonsense land conveyance should have been handled administratively by the Forest Service. Something is not working right when cash-strapped fire districts who are providing incalculable benefits to Federal lands have to spend years and money they do not have to push for legislation for something that should be handled quickly and at the local level.

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

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