I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1308
To withdraw and reserve certain public lands in the State of California
utilized in the mission of the Naval Air Facility, El Centro, California.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 23, 1995
Mr. HUNTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Commit-
tee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on National Security,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
A BILL
To withdraw and reserve certain public lands in the State
of California utilized in the mission of the Naval Air
Facility, El Centro, California.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘El
Centro Naval Air Facility Ranges Withdrawal Act’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and definitions.
Sec. 3. Withdrawal and reservation of lands for El Centro.
Sec. 4. Maps and legal descriptions.
Sec. 5. Management of withdrawn lands.
Sec. 6. Duration of withdrawal and reservation; process for extension.
Sec. 7. Ongoing decontamination.
Sec. 8. Early relinquishment of withdrawal.
Sec. 9. Delegation.
Sec. 10. Hunting, fishing, and trapping.
Sec. 11. Immunity of United States.
Sec. 12. Termination of prior reclamation withdrawals.
Sec. 13. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DEFINITIONS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) the Federal lands within the desert areas of
California have provided essential opportunities for
military training, research, and development for the
Armed Forces of the United States and allied na-
tions;
(2) alternative sites for military training and
other military activities carried out on Federal lands
in the California desert area are not readily avail-
able;
(3) while changing world conditions have less-
ened to some extent the immediacy of military
threats to the national security of the United States
and its allies, there remains a need for military
training, research, and development activities of the
types that have been carried out on Federal lands in
the California desert area; and
(4) continuation of existing military training,
research, and development activities, under appro-
priate terms and conditions, is not incompatible with
the protection and proper management of the natu-
ral, environmental, cultural, and other resources and
values of the Federal lands in the California desert
area.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ‘‘El Centro’’ means the Naval Air
Facility, El Centro, California.
(2) The term ‘‘cooperative agreement’’ means
the cooperative agreement entered into between the
Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclama-
tion, and the Department of the Navy, dated June
29, 1987, with regard to the defense-related uses of
Federal lands to further the mission of El Centro.
(3) The term ‘‘relinquishment notice’’ means a
notice of intention by the Secretary of the Navy
under section 8(a) to relinquish, before the termi-
nation date specified in section 6(a), the withdrawal
and reservation of certain lands withdrawn under
this Act.
SEC. 3. WITHDRAWAL AND RESERVATION OF LANDS FOR
EL CENTRO.
(a) WITHDRAWALS.—Subject to valid existing rights,
and except as otherwise provided in this Act, the Federal
lands utilized in the mission of the Naval Air Facility, El