Nashua River Wild and Scenic River 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. The hearing will be held on Thursday, July 24, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this hearing is to consider the nomination of Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.

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 may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to [email protected].

For further information, please contact Sam Fowler at (202) 224-7571 or Sallie Derr at (202) 224-6836.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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 National Parks. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 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:

H.R. 412, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and

its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for

study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic

Rivers System, and for other purposes.

S.1189, to adjust the boundaries of Paterson Great Falls

National Historical Park to include Hinchliffe Stadium, and

for other purposes;

S. 1389 and H.R. 1501, to direct the Secretary of the

Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of

designating the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene

Park, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, as a unit of

the National Park System;

S. 1520 and H.R. 2197, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers

Act to designate segments of the York River and associated

tributaries for study for potential inclusion in the National

Wild and Scenic Rivers System;

S. 1641, to establish the Appalachian Forest National

Heritage Area, and for other purposes;

S. 1718, to modify the boundary of Petersburg National

Battlefield in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other

purposes;

S. 1750, authorize the Secretary of the Interior or the

Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with States

and political subdivisions of States providing for the

continued operation, in whole or in part, of public land,

units of the National Park System, units of the National

Wildlife Refuge System, and units of the National Forest

System in the State during any period in which the Secretary

of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture is unable to

maintain normal level of operations at the units due to a

lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes;

S. 1785, to modify the boundary of the Shiloh National

Military Park located in the States of Tennessee and

Mississippi, to establish Parker's Crossroads Battlefield as

an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other

purposes;

S. 1794, to designate certain Federal land in Chaffee

County, Colorado, as a national monument and as wilderness.

S. 1866, a bill 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;

S. 2031, to amend the Act to provide for the establishment

of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in the State of

Wisconsin, and for other purposes, to adjust the boundary of

that National Lakeshore to include the lighthouse known as

Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light, and for other purposes;

S. 2104, to require the Director of the National Park

Service to refund to States all State funds that were used to

reopen and temporarily operate a unit of the National Park

System during the October 2013 shutdown;

S. 2111, to reauthorize the Yuma Crossing National Heritage

Area;

S. 2221, to extend the authorization for the Automobile

National Heritage Area in Michigan;

S. 2264, A bill to designate memorials to the service of

members of the United States Armed Forces in World War I, and

for other purposes;

S. 2293, to clarify the status of the North Country, Ice

Age, and New England National Scenic Trails as units of the

National Park System, and for other purposes;

S. 2318, to reauthorize the Erie Canalway National Heritage

Corridor Act.

S. 2346, to amend the National Trails System Act to include

national discovery trails, and to designate the American

Discovery Trail, and for other purposes;

S. 2356, to adjust the boundary of the Mojave National

Preserve;

S. 2392, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate certain segments of East Rosebud Creek in Carbon

County, Montana, as components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers

System;

S.2576, to establish the Maritime Washington National

Heritage Area in the State of Washington, and for other

purposes; and

S. 2602, to establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway

National Heritage Area in the State of Washington.

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 [email protected].

For further information, please contact David Brooks (202) 224-9863 or John Assini (202) 224-9313.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The title of this hearing is ``Breaking the Logjam at BLM: Examining Ways to More Efficiently Process Permits for Energy Production on Federal Lands.''

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 may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to [email protected].

For further information, please contact Jan Brunner at (202) 224-3907 or Kristen Granier at (202) 224-1219.

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

I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 412, the Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Act.

First, I want to thank Chairman Hastings for bringing this legislation to the floor. As we all know, Chairman Hastings will be retiring at the end of this year, so I want to especially thank him for his service on the Natural Resources Committee, and I wish him all the best.

I also want to thank Ranking Member DeFazio, Subcommittee Chairman Bishop, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Grijalva for their support of this legislation.

The history and development of the towns and cities in the Third District of Massachusetts have been defined by the many rivers that course through these unique communities. From the mighty Merrimack River that supported the birth of the industrial revolution in Lowell to the Concord River where a famous shot was heard around the world, our rivers continue to play an important role in connecting our communities, but time and development have not always been kind to these rivers.

Beginning in the 1700s and continuing to just a few decades ago, paper, shoe, and textile factories were constructed along the Nashua River and many other rivers in the area. The strong currents of the rivers powered the factories and made their success possible; but at the same time, the factories were releasing industrial waste right back into the rivers, polluting the very source of their success. By the mid-1960s, the Nashua River was one of the most polluted rivers in the Nation. In fact, the river would change color almost daily because of the inks and dyes released into the river by the paper factories; but in 1965, one Third District resident, Marion Stoddart, realized that something had to be done. Ms. Stoddart formed the Nashua River Clean-up Committee to work toward cleaning up the river and protecting the land along its banks.

Thanks to her work and to the continued work of the Nashua River Watershed Association, the Nashua River has come a long way since the 1960s. Pollution from the mills has been cleaned up; new sewage treatment plants now keep sewage out of the river; and more than 8,000 acres of land and 85 miles of greenway along the riverbanks have been permanently conserved. I can't praise Marion enough and all of the dedicated residents, volunteers, and association staff who have spent countless hours working to make sure that the Nashua River can once again be an asset and resource to the communities through which it passes.

There is still much work to be done, and that is why I partnered with the Nashua River Watershed Association to introduce H.R. 412, a bill that will initiate a 3-year study to determine whether, roughly, 28 miles of the Nashua River and its tributaries can be designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers. This study will allow the National Park Service, the Watershed Association, and local governments and stakeholders to work together in forming a plan to protect the Nashua River.

Every town through which the Nashua River passes, in addition to several local environmental organizations, supports the adoption of this legislation. Additionally, my office just received the results of a reconnaissance survey conducted by the National Park Service. The Park Service found:

The elements for a successful Wild and Scenic River Study

process for the Nashua River and its tributaries in

Massachusetts are in place.

In 1999, 29 miles of the nearby Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Rivers were designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Since then, we have seen how this designation can help protect not only the quality of the rivers but the quality of the recreational activities they support. It is my hope that the Wild and Scenic designation can be expanded to the Nashua River so that we can see the same successes there. The study that H.R. 412 will initiate is essential to starting this process.

In closing, I would like to again thank Chairman Hastings and Chairman Bishop for bringing this bill to the floor.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 412) to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

H.R. 412 authorizes the National Park Service to study 32.5 miles of river in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The legislation requires that, in the course of the study, the National Park Service consider the effect of designation on recreational uses, such as hunting and fishing, but also consider impacts to energy production and transmission. I would like to note that this legislation exempts a 4.8-mile segment that is currently the subject of a FERC licensing proceeding to avoid the inherent conflict between hydroelectric facilities and the Wild and Scenic Rivers program. H.R. 412 requires the study take steps to inform the public of the consequences a future designation may bring. The study will identify all authorities that could be utilized to take property through eminent domain and those authorities that compel the Park Service to involve itself in local zoning.

Property owners must not be left in the dark as to the result of this Federal designation on their properties. For the study process to be authentically derived from the community, the facts and limitations on property rights must be revealed in the process.

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

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

I want to thank my colleague from Massachusetts for her kind words on this. I know that she has been working on this legislation for the past at least two Congresses, and she knows that some of us on our side of the aisle have some concerns with that; but in working with her, we have legislation that we can support, and I urge the adoption of this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.