Floor Statements

I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I rise with my good friend Senator Ensign to co-sponsor a bill that is important to Lincoln County, important to Southern Nevada, and important to America.

The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2004 accommodates southern Nevada's growth and meets our conservation challenges. I am pleased that Congressman Gibbons, Congresswoman Berkley and Congressman Porter are introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives today. We are working together on a bipartisan basis to reach fair compromises on a number of difficult issues.

The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act represents a comprehensive plan that balances the needs for infrastructure development, recreation opportunities, and conservation of our natural resources and public lands in Lincoln County, Nevada. Our bill is a broad-based compromise. It creates utility corridors, resolves wilderness study area issues, provides for competitive, Federal land sales, designates a back country off-highway vehicle trail and provides for the conveyance of federal land to the State of Nevada and Lincoln County for use as public parks.

We do not expect everyone to advocate every provision of this bill. In fact, I don't imagine that anyone will champion every provision of this bill. It is a tough compromise and it is a good bill.

I will preface my description of the titles of this bill by reviewing the challenges that public land issues pose in Nevada. Nearly 9 out of every 10 acres in our State are owned and managed by the Federal Government. This includes land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.

In Lincoln County, the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Defense manage 49 out of every 50 acres--98 percent of the total land area.

Unlike most of America where land use decisions are made by local communities, many land use decisions in Nevada require concurrence of Federal officials and, in some cases, the passage of Federal laws. The Ely Field and the State offices of the BLM bear tremendous responsibilities with respect to the management, development, and conservation of natural resources in eastern Nevada, particularly in Lincoln County. Many of my colleagues from western states identify with the challenges and benefits of Federal land ownership.

In Lincoln County these challenges are compounded by rapid growth and a fragile ecology: The neighboring Las Vegas valley is the fastest growing community in the nation, and the Mojave Desert is one of North America's most extreme and vulnerable regions.

Many people believe this scenario poses an impossible challenge for Lincoln County. Some believe that managing growth in southern Nevada and protecting our desert for future generations are mutually exclusive. Some believe that protecting our air and water quality and recognizing that some open space should be set aside as wilderness are prohibitive barriers to growth that will unnecessarily restrict recreation. Some believe that the federal management of public land is too strict; others find it too lenient.

Some believe that every acre of Lincoln County should be privatized. Some believe that not a single acre should be auctioned from the public domain. The only common thread in these views is that they are perspectives passionately held by Nevadans.

I hope this context illustrates why compromise is not just desirable but necessary.

We fully expect some criticism for what this bill does not do. For example, it does not designate the more than 2.5 million acres that the Nevada Wilderness Coalition advocates in Lincoln County. Nor does the bill release all the wilderness study areas in Lincoln County as others advocate. Our compromise is fair, forward-looking and provides for conservation, recreation and development in Lincoln County and for southern Nevada.

The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act will enhance our quality of life, protect our environment for our children and grandchildren, and make public land available for housing, growth of the industrial base and infrastructure to meet community needs.

As I discuss each title of this bill, I will explain how these provisions reflect our shared effort to improve the quality of life and enhance economic opportunities for Nevadans while enriching and protecting the awe-inspiring natural and cultural resources with which southern Nevada is blessed. This bill will benefit Nevadans today, and for generations to come.

Mr. President, today I rise with my good friend Senator Ensign to co-sponsor a bill that is important to Lincoln County, important to Southern Nevada, and important to America.

The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2004 accommodates southern Nevada's growth and meets our conservation challenges. I am pleased that Congressman Gibbons, Congresswoman Berkley and Congressman Porter are introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives today. We are working together on a bipartisan basis to reach fair compromises on a number of difficult issues.

The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act represents a comprehensive plan that balances the needs for infrastructure development, recreation opportunities, and conservation of our natural resources and public lands in Lincoln County, Nevada. Our bill is a broad-based compromise. It creates utility corridors, resolves wilderness study area issues, provides for competitive, Federal land sales, designates a back country off-highway vehicle trail and provides for the conveyance of federal land to the State of Nevada and Lincoln County for use as public parks.

We do not expect everyone to advocate every provision of this bill. In fact, I don't imagine that anyone will champion every provision of this bill. It is a tough compromise and it is a good bill.

I will preface my description of the titles of this bill by reviewing the challenges that public land issues pose in Nevada. Nearly 9 out of every 10 acres in our State are owned and managed by the Federal Government. This includes land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.

In Lincoln County, the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Defense manage 49 out of every 50 acres--98 percent of the total land area.

Unlike most of America where land use decisions are made by local communities, many land use decisions in Nevada require concurrence of Federal officials and, in some cases, the passage of Federal laws. The Ely Field and the State offices of the BLM bear tremendous responsibilities with respect to the management, development, and conservation of natural resources in eastern Nevada, particularly in Lincoln County. Many of my colleagues from western states identify with the challenges and benefits of Federal land ownership.

In Lincoln County these challenges are compounded by rapid growth and a fragile ecology: The neighboring Las Vegas valley is the fastest growing community in the nation, and the Mojave Desert is one of North America's most extreme and vulnerable regions.

Many people believe this scenario poses an impossible challenge for Lincoln County. Some believe that managing growth in southern Nevada and protecting our desert for future generations are mutually exclusive. Some believe that protecting our air and water quality and recognizing that some open space should be set aside as wilderness are prohibitive barriers to growth that will unnecessarily restrict recreation. Some believe that the federal management of public land is too strict; others find it too lenient.

Some believe that every acre of Lincoln County should be privatized. Some believe that not a single acre should be auctioned from the public domain. The only common thread in these views is that they are perspectives passionately held by Nevadans.

I hope this context illustrates why compromise is not just desirable but necessary.

We fully expect some criticism for what this bill does not do. For example, it does not designate the more than 2.5 million acres that the Nevada Wilderness Coalition advocates in Lincoln County. Nor does the bill release all the wilderness study areas in Lincoln County as others advocate. Our compromise is fair, forward-looking and provides for conservation, recreation and development in Lincoln County and for southern Nevada.

The Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act will enhance our quality of life, protect our environment for our children and grandchildren, and make public land available for housing, growth of the industrial base and infrastructure to meet community needs.

As I discuss each title of this bill, I will explain how these provisions reflect our shared effort to improve the quality of life and enhance economic opportunities for Nevadans while enriching and protecting the awe-inspiring natural and cultural resources with which southern Nevada is blessed. This bill will benefit Nevadans today, and for generations to come.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Sandra Wilkinson, a detailee from the Department of Justice assigned to the Judiciary Committee, be granted floor privileges for the duration of the debate on the Leahy amendment with regard to war profiteering.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, on behalf of Senator Bingaman, that during the pendency of the DOD authorization bill, S. 2400, Sherrick Roanhorse and Rebecca Wilcox, interns on Senator Bingaman's staff, be given the privilege of the floor.

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy) are necessarily absent.

I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy) would vote ``yea.''

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, following this series of votes, we will return to the Defense bill. At that time, there has been an agreement--at least it is my understanding that a Crapo amendment will be laid down.

That amendment would be set aside and Senator Cantwell would lay down an amendment, and we will do our best to work out a time to vote on those amendments.

Following the offering of the Cantwell amendment, the next one in order is the amendment by Senator Durbin on our side, so people understand that.

No objection.

How much time remains for the majority and minority?

Does the distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania wish us to yield part of our time?

I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Pennsylvania of the time of the minority.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

Will the Senator yield?

It is my understanding that tonight, when we get to the bill, the junior Senator from Idaho is going to lay down an amendment; is that right?

That is the best way to proceed.

We need half an hour on our side. I indicated to Senator Levin we would be happy to waive morning business on Thursday, but we would like a half hour on our side tomorrow.

That is totally appropriate.

I say through the Chair, on our side, Senator Durbin will offer the next amendment, not Senator Reed. Our amendment will be Senator Durbin.

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, will the distinguished Senator yield?

The Senator from Illinois is willing to have his amendment set aside. He is certainly not trying to take advantage of anyone. I think it does not solve our problem if he withdraws his amendment.

We have a queue that is tentatively going to be set up to handle all this tomorrow.

We do not need to have him withdraw it.

We do not need to have him withdraw it.

Because the Senator from Illinois has said he is not trying to take advantage of anyone, not trying to be a gatekeeper, that it is up to the two managers of the bill when the amendment of the Senator from Illinois is acted upon.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Royce Feour who recently retired after reporting on boxing and sports for the Las Vegas Review-Journal for nearly 37 years.

Royce is a legend in Nevada sports reporting. He started his career in journalism half a century ago at age 14 when he covered prep sports for the Review Journal and the High School Sports Association.

He continued writing about sports at the University of Nevada-Reno with the support of two journalism scholarships. He became the editor of the school paper, and a correspondent for the Reno Evening Gazette and the Nevada State Journal.

After he graduated, Royce worked for 5 years at Las Vegas Sun, where he became sports editor. He reported on the first football and baseball games at what was back then the Nevada Southern University--now UNLV. At that first football game, it was so dark by the end of the game that no one in the press box could tell if the winning kick was good.

Royce covered the recruitment of UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, who lost his first game and offered to quit that same night. The offer was declined, and Tarkanian went on to win 509 games in 19 seasons, and an NCAA championship in 1990.

Royce was a sportswriter, but he was also a newspaper man. So when an earthquake struck San Francisco and rocked the upper deck of Candlestick Park while he was covering game 3 of

the 1988 World Series, he got on the phone and dictated a story about the quake.

Royce is best known for covering boxing in Las Vegas. He has reported on nearly every major championship fight in the city, going back to the Sonny Liston-Floyd Patterson heavyweight title bout at the Las Vegas Convention Center in 1963. He has chronicled the careers of boxing legends such as Muhammed Ali, Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roy Jones Jr., Thomas Hearns and Oscar de La Hoya.

For his incredible work, Royce has earned several Nevada Press Association awards and was named Writer of the Year by the North American Boxing Federation. He was the Las Vegas Boxing Hall of Fame's Local Media Man of the Year. And in 1996, he was awarded the Nat Fleischer Award for ``Excellence in Boxing Journalism'' by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

That is the highest honor that can be given to a boxing reporter. But I honor Royce for his brand of friendship. Royce, thanks for being my friend.

Royce Feour's exceptional skills and lasting devotion to his trade are remarkable. He is truly one of the heavyweights of the Nevada press. Please join me in honoring his years of extraordinary work, and wishing him well in his retirement.