Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Reauthorization 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. President, I am please to introduce legislation that would reauthorize the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area located in Yuma, AZ. A companion bill is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Raul Grijalva and Congressman Ed Pastor from Arizona.

The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is a unique success story in the National Heritage Areas, NHA, system. It was first authorized in 2000 under legislation sponsored by myself and former Senator Jon Kyl, P.L. 106-319. Yuma Crossing NHA has proven to be a central component in a collaborative effort by local, tribal and federal partners to transform the City of Yuma downtown riverfront area and restore riparian habitat along the banks of the Colorado River. Like many other NHAs, it was established as a means of encouraging historic preservation at a local level without assigning large federal resources for the management of land as a National Park. The Yuma Crossing NHA model continues to involve a broad coalition of local businesses, farmers, and the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation among others.

Yuma Crossing NHA was the first NHA to be established west of the Mississippi River. Its purpose is to preserve and share the history of the Yuma Crossing, which is a narrow granite outcropping on the Colorado River that for centuries served as the only transportation gateway for those traveling west to California, including Spanish missionaries, American pioneers, and gold rush prospectors. Prior to the completion of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860's, if you wanted to trade or travel to California, you had to go through Yuma Crossing.

The NHA designation has enabled the City of Yuma to develop plans to leverage about $80 million in private investments, not Federal funding, for the revitalization of downtown Yuma and the historic landmark. The Yuma Crossing NHA also played a critical role in saving a former Arizona State Park unit, the historic Yuma Quartermaster Depot, which had closed and fallen into disrepair due to state budget cuts. Moreover, the Yuma Crossing NHA has led the way in a remarkable environmental project along the Colorado River known as the Yuma East Wetlands project, which aims to remove 1,400 acres of non-native, water-guzzling salt cedar thickets and re-vegetate the area with native willows, cottonwood, and mesquite trees. The 400 acres completed thus far has aided in the initial recovery of a number of endangered and migratory bird species, including the Yuma clapper rail, the yellow- billed cuckoo, and the southwestern willow flycatcher.

As a testament to its successes, the National Park Service has downgraded the Yuma Crossing historic landmark from Threatened to Watch status. However, more work remains to be done. For example, the Yuma East Wetlands project has secured a funding commitment from non-federal parties for the next fifty years. Because NHA's have an authorization period of 15 years, it's critical that Congress reauthorize the Yuma Crossing NHA before the end of Fiscal Year 2015 so that this effort continues uninterrupted. I understand there may be a need to offset the federal spending that's authorized by this legislation, and I hope to address this concern as the bill advances through the legislative process. I encourage my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.

Mr. President, I am please to introduce legislation that would reauthorize the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area located in Yuma, AZ. A companion bill is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Raul Grijalva and Congressman Ed Pastor from Arizona.

The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is a unique success story in the National Heritage Areas, NHA, system. It was first authorized in 2000 under legislation sponsored by myself and former Senator Jon Kyl, P.L. 106-319. Yuma Crossing NHA has proven to be a central component in a collaborative effort by local, tribal and federal partners to transform the City of Yuma downtown riverfront area and restore riparian habitat along the banks of the Colorado River. Like many other NHAs, it was established as a means of encouraging historic preservation at a local level without assigning large federal resources for the management of land as a National Park. The Yuma Crossing NHA model continues to involve a broad coalition of local businesses, farmers, and the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation among others.

Yuma Crossing NHA was the first NHA to be established west of the Mississippi River. Its purpose is to preserve and share the history of the Yuma Crossing, which is a narrow granite outcropping on the Colorado River that for centuries served as the only transportation gateway for those traveling west to California, including Spanish missionaries, American pioneers, and gold rush prospectors. Prior to the completion of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860's, if you wanted to trade or travel to California, you had to go through Yuma Crossing.

The NHA designation has enabled the City of Yuma to develop plans to leverage about $80 million in private investments, not Federal funding, for the revitalization of downtown Yuma and the historic landmark. The Yuma Crossing NHA also played a critical role in saving a former Arizona State Park unit, the historic Yuma Quartermaster Depot, which had closed and fallen into disrepair due to state budget cuts. Moreover, the Yuma Crossing NHA has led the way in a remarkable environmental project along the Colorado River known as the Yuma East Wetlands project, which aims to remove 1,400 acres of non-native, water-guzzling salt cedar thickets and re-vegetate the area with native willows, cottonwood, and mesquite trees. The 400 acres completed thus far has aided in the initial recovery of a number of endangered and migratory bird species, including the Yuma clapper rail, the yellow- billed cuckoo, and the southwestern willow flycatcher.

As a testament to its successes, the National Park Service has downgraded the Yuma Crossing historic landmark from Threatened to Watch status. However, more work remains to be done. For example, the Yuma East Wetlands project has secured a funding commitment from non-federal parties for the next fifty years. Because NHA's have an authorization period of 15 years, it's critical that Congress reauthorize the Yuma Crossing NHA before the end of Fiscal Year 2015 so that this effort continues uninterrupted. I understand there may be a need to offset the federal spending that's authorized by this legislation, and I hope to address this concern as the bill advances through the legislative process. I encourage my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.