Washington, D.C. – The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee today approved nineteen bills in a 10:00 a.m. business meeting.  All seventeen bills were approved en bloc by unanimous consent with the exception of S. 2035 and S. 2054, which both received a ‘nay’ vote from Senator Bingaman. 

The 17 bills are:

S. 997 - To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain land in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest, Montana, to Jefferson County, Montana, for use as a cemetery, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute that address an easement for a road to access the cemetery, was well as other minor technical changes. 

S. 1529 - To provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in the city of Yuma, Arizona, with a substitute amendment that: Under Section (3)(f), the substitute provides that the exchange of federal and non-federal land shall be of equal value and that either the City of Yuma or the Secretary of Interior shall reimburse the other for any difference in appraised value.  Section (3)(f) further provides that any sums paid to the Secretary by the City shall be deposited into the general fund of the Treasury.   Under Section 4, the substitute provides that the Secretary of Interior shall convey to the City the Fish and Wildlife Service land located at 356 West First Street, Yuma, Arizona to the City for fair market value.  Section 4(d) provides that any proceeds paid to the Secretary of Interior by the City shall be deposited into the general fund of the Treasury.

S. 1548 - To provide for the conveyance of certain Forest Service land to the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute that allows the Forest Service to convey the land to the City of Coffman Cove, Alaska for public purposes.

S. 2003 - To make permanent the authorization for watershed restoration and enhancement agreements, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute that make technical corrections recommended by the Administration to facilitate the implementation of project authorized under this program.

S. 2028 - To provide for the reinstatement of a license for a certain Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project (West Virginia Hydro Extension), with a technical amendment changing the term “expired” to “terminated”. 

S. 2035 - To extend the time required for construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Idaho, with a technical amendment changing the term “expired” to “terminated”. 

S. 2054 - To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of water resources in the State of Vermont with a joint staff amendment that provides that the groundwater resources study shall apply with applicable law.

S. 2150 - To direct the Secretary of Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management Land to the City of Eugene, Oregon, with an amendment that makes changes recommended by the Department of the Interior. 

S. 2373 - To provide for the sale of approximately 132 acres of public land to the City of Green River, Wyoming, at fair market value, with an amendment that removes a time requirement to complete the conveyance, and removes any requirement to amend the existing management plan.

S. 2403 - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to include in the boundaries of the Grand Teton National Park land and interests in land of the GT Park Subdivision, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute that makes technical corrections, changing “the Secretary shall accept” to “the Secretary is authorized to accept”, and states the intent of Congress is for the transfer to be completed in one year.

S. 2568 - To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail with a technical amendment that adds reference a map.

S. Res. 468 - A resolution supporting the continued administration of Channel Islands National Park, including Santa Rosa Island, in accordance with the laws (including regulations) and policies of the National Park Service.

H.R. 394/S. 2034 - To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to evaluate the significance of the Colonel James Barrett Farm in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and assess the suitability and feasibility of including the farm in the National Park System as part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, with a technical amendment that references a map, sets a deadline for acquisition of land, and imposes a restriction on transfer from DOI to another party.

H.R. 482 - To provide for a land exchange involving Federal lands in the Lincoln National Forest in the State of New Mexico, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute to ensure environmental analysis to assess the potential impacts of this exchange are completed prior to implementation of the exchange.  

H.R. 486 - To provide for a land exchange involving private land and Bureau of Land Management land in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, for the purpose of removing private land from the required safety zone surrounding munitions storage bunkers at Holloman Air Force Base, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute that captures the intent of the original bill, clarifies where receipts are deposited and other changes recommended by the Department of the Interior.  

H.R. 1492/S. 1719 - A bill to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II, with a clarifying amendment that removes reference to a specific non-profit organization, requires Secretary DOI to develop criteria for awarding grants after consultation with interest groups, and requires a 50% non-federal match of funding.

H.R. 4000 - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to revise certain repayment contracts with the Bostwick Irrigation District in Nebraska, the Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District No. 2, the Frenchman-Cambridge Irrigation District, and the Webster Irrigation District No. 4, all a part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.