Former Charleston Naval Base Land Exchange Act of 2012

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate 2061, the Former Charleston Naval Base Land Exchange Act of 2012. This bill authorizes the Secretary of Department of Homeland Security to convey a parcel of Federal land in North Charleston, South Carolina, to the South Carolina State Ports Authority in exchange for specified lands owned by the Ports Authority.

The land to be transferred by the Department of Homeland Security formerly comprised a portion of the Charleston Naval Base but is now vacant. DHS currently leases the land it plans to acquire in this transfer and uses it to house some of the operations of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center also known as FLETC.

The Charleston Harbor area includes the fourth busiest international container shipping port in the United States, with one passenger and four container port terminals, as well as numerous privately held terminals. The waterways in this area contain shipping channels, rivers, bays, creeks, streams, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean. These waterways provide a realistic training environment for FLETC's Maritime Law Enforcement and Port Security students.

Specifically, the FLETC Charleston facility is one of Charleston's three residential training centers and includes a variety of specialized capabilities for maritime law enforcement and port security training. The facilities include four deepwater piers for large commercial or military vessels and three sets of floating docks for smaller vessels.

Students at the FLETC Charleston facility engage in programs such as commercial vessel, boarding, training, maritime tactical operations training, and seaport security antiterrorism training. All of these programs are critical to protecting our Nation from the potential of a variety of criminal and terrorist threats.

By allowing a mutually beneficial transfer of the lands between the Port Authority and DHS, we are advancing the important mission of the

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2061) to provide for an exchange of land between the Department of Homeland Security and the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on S. 2061 currently under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, this legislation authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to transfer property located in South Carolina and owned by the United States in exchange for property owned by the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

The Department will acquire land that is important to the continued operation and development of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's maritime academy. The State of South Carolina will acquire land that will allow the South Carolina State Ports Authority to develop an access road to Interstate 26.

This exchange would have already occurred, but the Department of Homeland Security Secretary lacked the authority to engage in the transfer of real property. This bill gives the Secretary the necessary authority to facilitate this transaction. This is a commonsense solution that will benefit both the State of South Carolina and the United States.

This bill and the underlying land exchange is supported by the Governor of South Carolina, the South Carolina State Ports Authority, and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Senate passed this bill by unanimous consent last month.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2061, the Former Charleston Naval Base Land Exchange Act, introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham. Congressman Clyburn and I introduced the companion to this legislation in the House, and I want to thank both Mr. Clyburn and Senator Graham for their support on this land swap.

Our bill simply authorizes a land swap between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the South Carolina State Ports Authority. The 25 acres DHS would receive are in the middle of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center campus and are currently leased from the Ports Authority. In exchange for this land, the Ports Authority would receive 10.5 acres of vacant DHS land to build an access road between Interstate 26 and the new container terminal under construction.

This is a commonsense solution that is a win for both parties involved, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 414, S. 2061.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.