Date: 1995-07-31
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 714. the Illinois Land Conservation Act. H.R. 714 is nearly identical to H.R. 4946 that was introduced in the 103d Congress by Congressman Sangmeister. H.R. 4946 was passed by unanimous consent in the House after being discharged by the Agriculture Committee at the very end of the session. The Senate took no action on the bill. before adjournment. H.R. 714. introduced by Congressman WELLER. establishes the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie by initially transferring approximately 16.000 acres currently held by the Department of the Army to the Department of Agriculture. Another 3.000 acres will be transferred when the Department of the Army completes an environmental cleanup on. the site. Provision is made for the continued responsibility of cleanup of hazardous wastes by the Department of the Army. The bill also provides for the transfer of approximately 910 acres to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the establishment of a National Cemetery on the site to be administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Additionally the bill provides for transfer to the county of approximately 425 acres to be operated as a landfill and approximately 3.000 acres to the State of Illinois to be used for economic development. The U.S. Forest Service is supportive of the legislation before us today. Mr. Speaker. an amendment that will be offered to modify the language regarding special use permits is supported by the U.S. Forest Service. I ask that a letter from U.S. Forest Service Chief Jack Ward Thomas. acknowledging the new languages consistency with current U.S. Forest Service management practices. be Included in the RECORD. DEPARTMENT OF AGRIcuLTuRE. Washington. DC. July 28. 1995. Hon. PAT ROBERTS. Chairman. Committee on Agriculture Washington. DC. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is to confirm discussions my staff have had with members of your staff regarding language contained in a draft Agriculture Committee version of H.R. 714. the "Illinois Conservation Act of 1995." John Hogan. counsel to the Committee. has told my staff that a proposed amendment may be offered on the House floor to strike two sentences in subsection 105(b)(2). The referenced subsection refers to the issuance by the Secretary of Agriculture of special use authorizations for agricultural purposes. including livestock grazing. The proposed amendment would strike the second and third complete sentences in that subsection. specifically: "Such special use authorization shall require payment of a rental fee. in advance. that is based on the fair market value of the use allowed. Fair market value shall be determined by appraisal or a competitive bidding process." It is our understanding that the proposed deletion of those two sentences is intended to avoid any confusion between the use provisions of this bill and the ongoing legislative debate over grazing fees in the Western States. Mr. Hogan asked our opinion as to what effect the deletion of these two sentences would have on management of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The proposed deletion of the referenced sentence would have no practical effect on management of the Prairie. The Forest Service will utilize the same general terms and conditions for agricultural leasing as was utilized by the Army. including competitive bidding for farming and leasing rights. This system has worked well for the Army and we plan to continue it. And. we note. the system is consistent with general Forest Service management practices throughout the Eastern United States. If we can provide additional information. please do not hesitate to ask.