Fruit Heights Land Conveyance Act

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 Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at 10:00 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. 37, to sustain the economic development and recreational

use of National Forest System land and other public land in

the State of Montana, to add certain land to the National

Wilderness Preservation System, to release certain wilderness

study areas, to designate new areas for recreation, and for

other purposes;

S. 343, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal

land in Clark County, Nevada,

for the environmental remediation and reclamation of the

Three Kids Mine Project Site, and for other purposes;

S. 364, to establish the Rocky Mountain Front Conservation

Management Area, to designate certain Federal land as

wilderness, and to improve the management of noxious weeds in

the Lewis and Clark National Forest, and for other purposes;

S. 404, to preserve the Green Mountain Lookout in the

Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie

National Forest;

S. 753, to provide for national security benefits for White

Sands Missile Range and Fort Bliss;

S. 1169, to withdraw and reserve certain public land in the

State of Montana for the Limestone Hills Training Area, and

for other purposes;

S. 1294, to designate as wilderness certain public land in

the Cherokee National Forest in the State of Tennessee, and

for other purposes;

S. 1300, to amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of

2003 to provide for the conduct of stewardship end result

contracting projects;

S. 1301, to provide for the restoration of forest

landscapes, protection of old growth forests, and management

of national forests in the eastside forests of the State of

Oregon;

S. 1309, to withdraw and reserve certain public land under

the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior for

military uses, and for other purposes;

H.R. 507, to provide for the conveyance of certain land

inholdings owned by the United States to the Pascua Yaqui

Tribe of Arizona, and for other purposes;

H.R. 862, to authorize the conveyance of two small parcels

of land within the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest

containing private improvements that were developed based

upon the reliance of the landowners in an erroneous survey

conducted in May 1960;

H.R. 876, to authorize the continued use of certain water

diversions located on National Forest System land in the

Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-

Bitterroot Wilderness in the State of Idaho, and for other

purposes, and;

H.R. 993 and S. 507, to provide for the conveyance of

certain parcels of National Forest System land to the city of

Fruit Heights, Utah.

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@energy.senate.gov.

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

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 the Subcommittee on National Parks. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 31, 2013, 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. 398, to establish the Commission to Study the Potential

Creation of a National Women's History Museum, and for other

purposes;

S. 524, to amend the National Trails System Act to provide

for the study of the Pike National Historic Trail;

S. 618, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct

certain special resource studies;

S. 702, to designate the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers

Valley National Heritage Corridor as ``The Last Green Valley

National Heritage Corridor'';

S. 781, to modify the boundary of Yosemite National Park,

and for other purposes;

S. 782, to amend Public Law 101-377 to revise the

boundaries of the Gettysburg National Military Park to

include the Gettysburg Train Station, and for other purposes;

S. 869, to establish the Alabama Black Belt National

Heritage Area, and for other purposes;

S. 925, to improve the Lower East Side Tenement National

Historic Site, and for other purposes;

S. 995, to authorize the National Desert Storm Memorial

Association to establish the National Desert Storm and Desert

Shield Memorial as a commemorative work in the District of

Columbia, and for other purposes;

S. 974, to provide for certain land conveyances in the

State of Nevada, and for other purposes;

S. 1044, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to install

in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of

Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words

that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United

States on D-Day, June 6, 1944;

S. 1071, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make

improvements to support facilities for National Historic

Sites operated by the National Park Service, and for other

purposes;

S. 1138, to reauthorize the Hudson River Valley National

Heritage Area;

S. 1151, to reauthorize the America's Agricultural Heritage

Partnership in the State of Iowa;

S. 1157, to reauthorize the Rivers of Steel National

Heritage Area, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area,

the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, and the

Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area;

S. 1168, to reauthorize the Essex National Heritage Area;

S. 1252, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate segments of the Missisquoi River and the Trout

River in the State of Vermont, as components of the National

Wild and Scenic Rivers System;

S. 1253, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to

designate certain segments of the Farmington River and Salmon

Brook in the State of Connecticut as components of the

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other

purposes;

H.R. 674, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

study the suitability and feasibility of designating

prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota,

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of

the National Park System;

H.R. 885, to expand the boundary of the San Antonio

Missions National Historical Park, and for other purposes;

H.R. 1033 and S. 916, to authorize the acquisition and

protection of nationally significant battlefields and

associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812

under the American Battlefield Protection Program, and

H.R. 1158, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to

continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the North Cascades

National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake

Chelan National Recreation Area.

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@energy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact 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 30, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1240, the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2013.

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 Lauren_Goldschmidt@ energy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Sam Fowler at (202) 224-7571, Dave Berick at (202) 224-2209, or Lauren Goldschmidt at (202) 224-5488.

Fruit Heights, Utah, is a city of around 5,000 people. In the center of Davis County to the east are the mountains which are owned by the Forest Service. Surrounding it to the south is the city of Farmington, which has a landlocked cemetery and only allows Farmington residents to be buried there. On the west and the north is Kaysville and Layton, which has a cemetery which faces the same situation and is restricting who can be buried there, as well.

Fruit Heights really has a significant problem. The only way they can go is east, up the mountain, on land that is currently owned by the Forest Service but is within the boundaries of Fruit Heights itself. So on this map, the brown, barren area without trees is what's owned by the Forest Service. Totally surrounding the Forest Service land are houses, and only residential roads can get up to this particular area. Running through the middle, blasted in there, is a canal which will be preserved for canal use and be dedicated to that. Above it, the area that is above that, still within the city of

Fruit Heights, is too steep for any development.

So, by city ordinance, they have already said, when they receive this land, that will be permanent open space. The area below the canal here is the land in question that would be transferred to the city for the purpose of a cemetery, which they drastically need. They have been through every area they have as potential in Fruit Heights City. This is truly the only area.

It is true that a nature conservancy group purchased this land from a citizen in Fruit Heights and then sold it at a profit to the Federal Government to be used as habitat for mule deer. The Mule Deer Association is neutral on this bill, neither opposing it nor in favor of it, and they basically privately say that if it's a cemetery, they'll probably have more forage potential for the mule deer than they have right now.

This is what is necessary. I appreciate the minority's working with me on this particular issue to find the realization that there is a need for a cemetery. I thank them for their support. I thank the chairman for putting this crucial issue forward, which to us may be not crucial, but to those dying to get into this place, it is indeed crucial.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 993) to provide for the conveyance of certain parcels of National Forest System land to the city of Fruit Heights, Utah.

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 materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 993, introduced by our distinguished subcommittee chairman, Mr. Bishop of Utah, would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey approximately 100 acres of National Forest System land to the city of Fruit Heights in Utah. Fruit Heights is completely surrounded by Federal land and is in desperate need of a place to develop a cemetery. This legislation would convey a small parcel of Federal land for that important public service.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to yield 4 minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. Speaker, I advise my friend from Arizona I have no further speakers, and I'm prepared to yield back if he is.

I yield back the balance of my time and urge adoption of the resolution.

Mr. President, I wish to announce that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in open session on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at 10 a.m. in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Hearing on National Labor Relations Board Nominees.''

For further information regarding this meeting, please contact Sarah Cupp of the committee staff on (202) 224-5441.

Mr. President, I wish to announce that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in executive session on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, at 10 a.m. in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to mark-up the nominations of Kent Yoshiho Hirozawa, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board and Nancy Jean Schiffer, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board, as well as any additional nominations cleared for action.

For further information regarding this meeting, please contact the Committee at (202) 224-5375.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 993 would transfer 100 acres of Forest Service land to Fruit Heights, Utah, at no cost to the city, for use as a cemetery. The parcel of land in question was purchased by the Federal Government in 2002 for over $3 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

It is obviously not ideal for Federal taxpayers to give away land that was purchased with Federal money just 11 years ago. However, the bill makes clear that should the land ever be used for anything other than a public purpose, the parcel will come back to Federal ownership.

We do not object to H.R. 993, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.