Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1684) to convey certain property to the State of Wyoming to consolidate the historic Ranch A, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days 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.

Mr. Speaker, my bill, the Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act, would convey approximately 10 acres of National Forest Service land to the State of Wyoming to allow for consolidation and improvement of the Ranch A site.

Ranch A is a historic property that was first developed in the 1930s and later came under Federal ownership and was used as a fish hatchery. The property had fallen into significant neglect under Federal ownership. The Ranch A Restoration Foundation was created to restore and operate Ranch A as a center for learning and interpretation of Western heritage.

However, when Ranch A was conveyed to the State of Wyoming in 1997, an oversight kept 10 acres under Federal ownership. The Babcock House, seen in this picture, is owned by the State of Wyoming. This is in Crook County, very near the South Dakota border. So we are talking about the Black Hills. It is a very pretty area, but the land under the Babcock House was not properly conveyed. The Forest Service testified that ownership of this isolated parcel has presented ``management challenges'' and unknown costs associated with administering the property. It is an isolated tract of 10 acres upon which this house, owned by the State of Wyoming, is built. H.R. 1684 would address this issue by correcting the conveyance and would also allow for the Restoration Foundation to make further improvement for the use and enjoyment of Ranch A.

This bill would provide more flexibility for the use of the property,

which would allow for additional revenue sources to pay for maintenance and improvements. Right now, these properties are leased to educational organizations for educational uses, including sometimes South Dakota State and the South Dakota School of Mines. The foundation itself has invested those moneys and raises money at fund-raisers, thereby putting together approximately $1 million for facility restoration and renovation.

This next photo shows the deck before it was repaired and acquired by the State of Wyoming and then managed by the Ranch A Restoration Foundation. You see the damage that occurred under Federal ownership. This is its most recent state, which indicates the significant repairs.

Here, again, are before and after. It shows the state of repair having been completed by the Ranch A Foundation, using restoration funds that are obtained through the leasing operations.

We are also going to look at some of the other buildings. There are numerous buildings on this property that are used primarily by South Dakota School of Mines and South Dakota State University for educational purposes.

This is a very expensive repair to make, Mr. Speaker. When these lower logs rot over time because of snow and cold and dry air, followed by rain, and are not properly maintained, those lower logs rot, thereby causing the building to settle and creating terrible structural problems. To repair it, you have to lift the upper logs that are not damaged and jack the whole building up, pull the old logs out of the bottom, and reinsert new logs--properly treated--in order to maintain the historic finish back to its state when it was built in the 1930s.

It is hugely expensive and very time consuming. The Ranch A Foundation has undertaken that under State ownership. This was the status of the repairs when the Forest Service had it and it was used as a fish hatchery. It is because it is an isolated property the Federal Government doesn't have the money to manage. It wasn't being used anymore as a fish hatchery.

The State of Wyoming, since acquiring the property from the Federal Government, really has improved its historic condition and its long- term viability. The degraded wood has been all redone. It prevents interior damage from leakage.

Every project for maintaining and renovating the lodge has to be approved under historic designation standards. As we have pointed out, this was built in the 1930s by the Annenbergs. It is beautiful. Going through the historic design standards is a rigorous process and greatly increases the cost, but it also ensures the historic integrity of the restoration.

In order for the foundation to continue to preserve their educational facilities, they need long-term revenue generation. The foundation's academic board members and the State of Wyoming's oversight office of this property have supported the removal-of-use restrictions. With no annual appropriations in the State budget for Ranch A, their education mission is actually harmed by limiting user fees.

Ranch A is a cultural and education asset. My legislation will keep the ranch financially sustainable and improve its ability to serve educational users. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at 9:30 a.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. 1049 and H.R. 2166, to direct the Secretary of the

Interior and Secretary of Agriculture to expedite access to

certain Federal lands under the administrative jurisdiction

of each Secretary for good Samaritan search-and-recovery

missions, and for other purposes;

S. 1437, to provide for the release of the reversionary

interest held by the United States in certain land conveyed

in 1954 by the United States, acting through the Director of

the Bureau of Land Management, to the State of Oregon for the

establishment of the Hermiston Agricultural Research and

Extension Center of Oregon State University in Hermiston,

Oregon;

S. 1554, to direct the heads of Federal public land

management agencies to prepare reports on the availability of

public access and egress to Federal public land for hunting,

fishing, and other recreational purposes, to amend the Land

and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to provide funding

for recreational public access to Federal land, and for other

purposes;

S. 1605, for the relief of Michael G. Faber;

S. 1640, to facilitate planning, permitting,

administration, implementation, and monitoring of pinyon-

juniper dominated landscape restoration projects within

Lincoln County, Nevada, and for other purposes;

S. 1888 and H.R. 1241, to facilitate a land exchange

involving certain National Forest System land in the Inyo

National Forest, and for other purposes;

S. 2123, to authorize the exchange of certain Federal land

and non-Federal land in the State of Minnesota;

S. 2616, to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey

certain Federal land to Idaho County in the State of Idaho,

and for other purposes;

H.R. 1684, to convey certain property to the State of

Wyoming to consolidate the historic Ranch A, and for other

purposes; and,

H.R. 3008, to provide for the conveyance of a small parcel

of National Forest System land in Los Padres National Forest

in California, 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, 304 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to John Assini@energv.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Meghan Conklin (202)-224-8046 or John Assini (202)-224-9313.

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

H.R. 1684 would require the Forest Service to convey to the State of Wyoming 10 acres of land associated with Ranch A in the Black Hills National Forest.

In 1996, Congress conveyed nearly all of Ranch A to the State of Wyoming for educational purposes. We remain concerned that enactment of this legislation will remove the requirement that this particular property continue being used for educational purposes, potentially denying the public access to a valuable historic resource. It is our hope that, as the bill moves forward, this concern can be addressed.

I yield back the balance of my time.