Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, June 26, 2017, Tuesday, June 27, 2017, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, Thursday, June 29, 2017, and Friday, June 30, 2017, I was unable to vote on any legislative measures due to having surgery on my foot. Had I been present, I would have voted the following:

Roll No. 323, On passage of H.R. 2547--Veterans Expanded Trucking Opportunities Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 324, On passage of H.R. 2258--ADVANCE Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 325, On ordering the previous question providing for consideration of H.R. 1215--the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 326, On adoption of the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1215--the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 327, On approval of the journal, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 328, On passage of H. Res. 397--Solemnly reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 329, On passage of H.R. 497--Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 330, On passage of H.R. 220--To authorize the expansion of an existing hydroelectric project, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 331, On ordering the previous question providing for consideration of H.R. 3003--the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 332, On adoption of the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3003--the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 333, On approval of the journal, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 334, On agreeing to the amendment of Mr. Hudson of North Carolina No. 4 to H.R. 1215--the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 335, On agreeing to the amendment of Mr. Barr of Kentucky No. 5 to H.R. 1215--the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, I would have voted no;

Roll No. 336, On motion to recommit with instructions to H.R. 1215-- the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, I would have voted no;

Roll No. 337, On passage of H.R. 1215--the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 338, On passage of H.R. 1500--the Robert Emmet Park Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 339, On ordering the previous question providing for consideration of H.R. 3004--Kate's Law, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 340, On adoption of the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3004--Kate's Law, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 341, On motion to recommit with instructions to H.R. 3003-- the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, I would have voted no;

Roll No. 342, On passage of H.R. 3003--the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, I would have voted yes;

Roll No. 343, On motion to recommit with instructions to H.R. 3004-- Kate's Law, I would have voted no; and

Roll No. 344, On passage of H.R. 3004--Kate's Law, I would have voted yes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act introduced by my Republican colleague and regional partner, Colonel Paul Cook. The Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act is the final step, as he mentioned, to complete the transfer of land between the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District and the Bureau of Land Management, known as the BLM.

This legislation allows the BLM and the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District to trade parcels of land which will benefit both the BLM and the conservation district.

This land exchange will empower mining companies, Robertson's Ready Mix, and CEMEX, which sit on land managed by the BLM, to increase efficiency. And as the gentleman mentioned, by increasing that efficiency, these local mining companies will produce aggregate that will support numerous infrastructure projects and approximately $36 million in annual payroll from this site alone.

Additionally, the land exchange creates 59 acres of land for the conservation district to use for conservation purposes to protect endangered plants and species and for recharging water in more than 70 basins.

The wash plan has been an ongoing project since the late 1980s, when it was a proposal from the cities of Highland and Redlands. As the former mayor of Redlands, I worked on this project at the local level. Years, and actually decades, of studies and committee reports have culminated in this final presentation of the Upper Santa Ana River Wash Plan.

The Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act moves this decades- long process forward, which will

allow San Bernardino County to take advantage of critical economic and environmental benefits.

After years of working on this project at the local level and listening to constituents and local stakeholders' comments and questions, I can confidently say that this land exchange is widely supported.

I have received letters of support from two mining companies affected by the transfer, the County of San Bernardino, the city of Highland, the city of Redlands, the San Bernardino Valley Conservation District, a local chapter of the Habitat League, and Inland Action, which is an organization of regional stakeholders that promote economic growth in the Inland Empire.

This bill is a smart bipartisan plan that will help us support our local economy and protect the environment. It is a victory for all involved, and I offer my complete support and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act.

I want to commend Representative Cook again. He has been a regional leader on this issue. He has been a colleague. We have worked on many of these issues that border our two districts. He has been incredibly thoughtful in his approach to this. He has done a yeoman's work with his staff in carrying forward this bill, and it is always a pleasure to work with my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 497) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public lands in San Bernardino County, California, to the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, and to accept in return certain exchanged non-public lands, 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 material on the bill under consideration.

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

I am proud to sponsor this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation, the Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act. This bill reflects a compromise negotiated at the grassroots level among the cities, county, mining companies, wildlife agencies, and water organizations for over two decades in the Upper Santa Ana Wash area.

The bill simply authorizes a land exchange of 327 acres of Bureau of Land Management land for 310 acres of land currently owned by the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District. This exchange facilitates the implementation of the broader Upper Santa Ana Wash Land Management and Habitat Conservation Plan, which identifies opportunities to expand existing aggregate mining operations to support new infrastructure developments; enhance water storage for the surrounding communities; and establish protected habitat for certain threatened and endangered plants and species.

After the exchange, the Bureau of Land Management will use the land to protect critical habitat and will enhance the region's water conservation and storage efforts by recharging more than 77 water basins. The land acquired by the Water Conservation District, which is currently adjacent to two aggregate mines, will allow local mining companies to expand and create greater efficiency in their current mining operations.

The companies estimate that this small exchange will result in approximately $8.5 million in new infrastructure projects and a $36 million increase in annual payrolls from the new sites.

This bill is supported by a wide variety of stakeholders in my district, including the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, San Bernardino County, the city of Highland, California, the city of Redlands, California, CEMEX, the Endangered Habitats League, Robertson's Ready Mix, and Inland Action.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, obviously, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

H.R. 497 authorizes a land exchange in California between the San Bernardino Valley Conservation District and the Bureau of Land Management. After 15 years, stakeholders have finalized the habitat conservation plan for the Santa Ana River Wash that balances the needs of endangered wildlife with regional economic development.

This is a stellar example of the Endangered Species Act at work, and I commend Representative Cook for his work on this bill.

This land exchange is a key component of the Habitat Conservation Plan and a win-win for all parties. It will help protect important wildlife habitat while allowing the conservation district to increase water storage capacity and direct mining activity into the appropriate areas.

So again, this is exactly how the Endangered Species Act should work. It is something we should all support. This is a good bill, and I urge swift adoption by the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar).

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

Mr. Speaker, I was absent during rollcall votes No. 328, No. 329, and No. 330 due to my spouse's health situation in California. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on H. Res. 397--Solemnly reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. I would have also voted ``yea'' on H.R. 497--Santa Ana River Wash Plan Land Exchange Act. I would have also voted ``yea'' on H.R. 220--To authorize the expansion of an existing hydroelectric project, and for other purposes.