Washington, D.C. – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today approved sixteen bills in an 11:30 a.m. business meeting: S. 203, S. 931, S. 1211, S. 2052, S. 2140, S. 2167, S. 2173, S. 2285, S. 2287, S. 2460, S. 2508, S. 2511, S. 2543, H.R. 1284, H.R. 1616, and H.R. 3768. The sixteen bills, approved by unanimous consent, are as follows: S. 203 as amended - A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, to locatable mineral development for bentonite mining with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which directs the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate a sole source contract for the mining of benonite on certain military lands. The bill establishes a fee of $1 per ton and stipulates terms and conditions for mining and reclamation consistent with those required for the adjoining mining operation. S. 931 as amended- A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other recreational users of public land with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which changes the lead agency from Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture, deletes the formula for funds allocation, and establishes a funding level for the grants program. S. 1211 as amended - A bill to further the purposes of title XVI of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a demonstration program for water reclamation in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, and for other purposes with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which requires that water produced by facility be sold to local communities at fair market value. Proceeds from the sale of the water will be provided towards operation and maintenance costs of the facility. S. 2052 as amended - A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which provides language to protect private property. H.R. 265 (S. 2140) - A bill to expand the boundary of the Mount Rainier National Park. S. 2167 as amended - A bill to establish the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes with an amendment which clarifies disposition of land at the Cape Disappointment site and role of state in managing the property. S. 2173 as amended - A bill to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which clarifies definition of “Trust Property” as it pertains to this bill and authorizes acquisition of property by exchange. S. 2285 as amended - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain federal lands to Beaver County, Utah that have been used under lease as a State Park. It also authorizes the sale of a portion of the land on the condition the revenue is used to cover cost of maintenance and operation of the park. S. 2287 as amended - A bill to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes with a technical amendment correcting map reference number. S. 2460 as amended - A bill to provide assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development of comprehensive State water plans, and for other purposes with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which adjusted non-federal cost share to 50% and designated that in-kind services shall be credited to non-federal contribution. S. 2508 as amended - A bill to redesignate the Ridges Basin Reservoir, Colorado, as Lake Nighthorse with a technical amendment. S. 2508 was approved by a majority with eleven aye votes. One senator, Sen. Campbell, voted present. S. 2511 as amended - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study of a Chimayo water supply system, to provide for the planning, design, and construction of a water supply, reclamation, and filtration facility for Espanola, New Mexico, and for other purposes with a technical amendment in the nature of a substitute. S. 2543 as amended - A bill to establish a program and criteria for National Heritage Areas in the United States, and for other purposes with an amendment in the nature of a substitute which makes technical amendments changing “national significance” to “national importance”. H.R. 1284 as amended - a bill to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to increase the Federal share of the costs of the San Gabriel Basin demonstration project with an amendment which increases the authorization level by $6.5 million. H.R. 1616 - a bill to authorize the exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site for lands owned by the City of Atlanta, Georgia, and for other purposes. H.R. 3768 - a bill to expand the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Florida.