[Pages H6951-H6952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

PIEDRAS BLANCAS HISTORIC LIGHT STATION OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA ACT OF
2005

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3534) to designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the
surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be
administered as a part of the National Landscape Conservation System,
and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows

H.R. 3534

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; DEFINITIONS.

(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Piedras
Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area Act
of 2005''.
(b) Definitions.--For the purposes of this Act, the
following definitions apply:
(1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(2) Light station.--The term ``Light Station'' means
Piedras Blancas Light Station.
(3) Public lands.--The term ``public lands'' has the
meaning stated in section 103(e) of the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1703(e)).
(4) Outstanding natural area.--The term ``Outstanding
Natural Area'' means the Piedras Blancas Historic Light
Station Outstanding Natural Area established pursuant to
section 3.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds as follows:
(1) The publicly owned Piedras Blancas Light Station has
nationally recognized historical structures that should be
preserved for present and future generations.
(2) The coastline adjacent to the Light Station is
internationally recognized as having significant wildlife and
marine habitat that provides critical information to research
institutions throughout the world.
(3) The Light Station tells an important story about
California's coastal prehistory and history in the context of
the surrounding region and communities.
(4) The coastal area surrounding the Light Station was
traditionally used by Indian people, including the Chumash
and Salinan Indian tribes.
(5) The Light Station is historically associated with the
nearby world-famous Hearst Castle (Hearst San Simeon State
Historical Monument), now administered by the State of
California.
(6) The Light Station represents a model partnership where
future management can be successfully accomplished among the
Federal Government, the State of California, San Luis Obispo
County, local communities, and private groups.
(7) Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding
Natural Area would make a significant addition to the
National Landscape Conservation System administered by the
Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management.
(8) Statutory protection is needed for the Light Station
and its surrounding Federal lands to ensure that it remains a
part of our historic, cultural, and natural heritage and to
be a source of inspiration for the people of the United
States.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE PIEDRAS BLANCAS HISTORIC LIGHT
STATION OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA.

(a) In General.--In order to protect, conserve, and enhance
for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future
generations the unique and nationally important historical,
natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, and
recreational values of certain lands in and around the
Piedras Blancas Light Station, in San Luis Obispo County,
California, while allowing certain recreational and research
activities to continue, there is established, subject to
valid existing rights, the Piedras Blancas Historic Light
Station Outstanding Natural Area.
(b) Maps and Legal Descriptions.--The boundaries of the
Outstanding Natural Area as those shown on the map entitled
``Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station: Outstanding Natural
Area'', dated May 5, 2004, which shall be on file and
available for public inspection in the Office of the
Director, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department
of the Interior, and the State office of the Bureau of Land
Management in the State of California.
(c) Basis of Management.--The Secretary shall manage the
Outstanding Natural Area as part of the National Landscape
Conservation System to protect the resources of the area, and
shall allow only those uses that further the purposes for the
establishment of the Outstanding Natural Area, the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et
seq.), and other applicable laws.
(d) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, and in
accordance with the existing withdrawal as set forth in
Public Land Order 7501 (Oct. 12, 2001, Vol. 66, No. 198,
Federal Register 52149), the Federal lands and interests in
lands included within the Outstanding Natural Area are hereby
withdrawn from--
(1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under
the public land laws;
(2) location, entry, and patent under the public land
mining laws; and
(3) operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing
laws and the mineral materials laws.

SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT OF THE PIEDRAS BLANCAS HISTORIC LIGHT
STATION OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall manage the Outstanding
Natural Area in a manner that conserves, protects, and
enhances the unique and nationally important historical,
natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, and
recreational values of that area, including an emphasis on
preserving and restoring the Light Station facilities,
consistent with the requirements section 3(c).
(b) Uses.--Subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary
shall only allow such uses of the Outstanding Natural Area as
the Secretary finds are likely to further the purposes for
which the Outstanding Natural Area is established as set
forth in section 3(a).
(c) Management Plan.--Not later than 3 years after of the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
complete a comprehensive management plan consistent with the
requirements of section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) to provide long-term
management guidance for the public lands within the
Outstanding Natural Area and fulfill the purposes for which
it is established, as set forth in section 3(a). The
management plan shall be developed in consultation with
appropriate Federal, State, and local government agencies,
with full public participation, and the contents shall
include--
(1) provisions designed to ensure the protection of the
resources and values described in section 3(a);
(2) objectives to restore the historic Light Station and
ancillary buildings;
(3) an implementation plan for a continuing program of
interpretation and public education about the Light Station
and its importance to the surrounding community;
(4) a proposal for minimal administrative and public
facilities to be developed or improved at a level compatible
with achieving the resources objectives for the Outstanding
Natural Area as described in subsection (a) and with other
proposed management activities to accommodate visitors and
researchers to the Outstanding Natural Area; and
(5) cultural resources management strategies for the
Outstanding Natural Area, prepared in consultation with
appropriate departments of the State of California, with
emphasis on the preservation of the resources of the
Outstanding Natural Area and the interpretive, education, and
long-term scientific uses of the resources, giving priority
to the enforcement of the Archaeological Resources Protection
Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa et seq.) and the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) within the
Outstanding Natural Area.
(d) Cooperative Agreements.--In order to better implement
the management plan and to continue the successful
partnerships with the local communities and the Hearst San
Simeon State Historical Monument, administered by the
California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Secretary
may enter into cooperative agreements with the appropriate
Federal, State, and local agencies pursuant to section 307(b)
of the Federal Land Management Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1737(b)).
(e) Research Activities.--In order to continue the
successful partnership with research organizations and
agencies and to assist in the development and implementation
of the management plan, the Secretary may authorize within
the Outstanding Natural Area appropriate research activities
for the purposes identified in section 3(a) and pursuant to
section 307(a) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1737(a)).
(f) Acquisition.--State and privately held lands or
interests in lands adjacent to the Outstanding Natural Area
and identified as appropriate for acquisition in the
management plan may be acquired by the Secretary as part of
the Outstanding Natural Area only by--
(1) donation;
(2) exchange with a willing party; or
(3) purchase from a willing seller.
(g) Additions to the Outstanding Natural Area.--Any lands
or interest in lands adjacent to the Outstanding Natural Area
acquired by the United States after the date of the enactment
of this Act shall be added to and administered as part of the
Outstanding Natural Area.
(h) Overflights.--Nothing in this Act or the management
plan shall be construed to--
(1) restrict or preclude overflights, including low level
overflights, military, commercial, and general aviation
overflights that can be seen or heard within the Outstanding
Natural Area;
(2) restrict or preclude the designation or creation of new
units of special use airspace or the establishment of
military flight training routes over the Outstanding Natural
Area; or

[[Page H6952]]

(3) modify regulations governing low-level overflights
above the adjacent Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
(i) Law Enforcement Activities.--Nothing in this Act shall
be construed to preclude or otherwise affect coastal border
security operations or other law enforcement activities by
the Coast Guard or other agencies within the Department of
Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or any other
Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies within the
Outstanding Natural Area.
(j) Native American Uses and Interests.--In recognition of
the past use of the Outstanding Natural Area by Indians and
Indian tribes for traditional cultural and religious
purposes, the Secretary shall ensure access to the
Outstanding Natural Area by Indians and Indian tribes for
such traditional cultural and religious purposes. In
implementing this section, the Secretary, upon the request of
an Indian tribe or Indian religious community, shall
temporarily close to the general public use of one or more
specific portions of the Outstanding Natural Area in order to
protect the privacy of traditional cultural and religious
activities in such areas by the Indian tribe or Indian
religious community. Any such closure shall be made to affect
the smallest practicable area for the minimum period
necessary for such purposes. Such access shall be consistent
with the purpose and intent of Public Law 95-341 (42 U.S.C.
1996 et seq.; commonly referred to as the ``American Indian
Religious Freedom Act'').
(k) No Buffer Zones.--The designation of the Outstanding
Natural Area is not intended to lead to the creation of
protective perimeters or buffer zones around area. The fact
that activities outside the Outstanding Natural Area and not
consistent with the purposes of this Act can be seen or heard
within the Outstanding Natural Area shall not, of itself,
preclude such activities or uses up to the boundary of the
Outstanding Natural Area.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are
necessary to carry out this Act.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Mexico (Mr. Pearce) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 3534 establishes the Piedras Blancas Light Station Outstanding
Natural Area in San Luis Obispo County, California. Federal, State and
local officials, as well as private groups, have long sought a way to
protect, conserve and enhance the nationally important land in and
around the Piedras Blancas Light Station.
This bill would require the lighthouse to be managed as part of the
National Landscape Conservation System, and, as such, would protect the
historical structures and habitat of the area. I urge the passage of
this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, Representative Lois Capps, the author of
this legislation, has been a tireless advocate for conservation of the
stunning natural resources found in her district. H.R. 3534 continues
her efforts by protecting and interpreting an historic light station
and the incredibly rich natural resources surrounding it. We urge our
colleagues to support H.R. 3534.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, lastly, I want to thank my friend, the
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce), and my friend, the gentleman
from Arizona (Mr. Renzi), for their work today. It has been a pleasure
to manage these bills with them this afternoon.
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3534,
Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area Act.
First, I want to thank my colleague from California, the chairman of
the Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo, the chairman and ranking member of
the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, Mr. Walden and Mr. Tom
Udall, as well as the ranking member of the full Committee, Mr. Rahall
for expediting the consideration of this legislation and for bringing
H.R. 3534 before us today.
H.R. 3534 would designate the Piedras Blancas Historic Light
Station--located in my congressional district--as an Outstanding
Natural Area within the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System.
The Piedras Blancas Light Station is located on an 18 acre-parcel of
BLM administered land along the Pacific Coast in San Luis Obispo
County. The property is adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway and the
Hearst Castle State Historic Monument, and it looks over a pristine
coastal area that includes the southern portion of the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary and California Coastal National Monument.
The Light Station is nationally recognized as an important monitoring
point for migrating whales, and is used by the U.S. Geological Survey,
the National Marine Fisheries Service and a number of universities and
colleges for marine wildlife and plant research.
Finally, the Light Station and the surrounding area are important for
tourism. For example, the national historic Light House--built in
1879--is a main destination focal point on the Central Coast, and the
peninsula is very popular for viewing sea otters, elephant seals, and
sea lions from shore. The elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas
attracts an estimated 400,000 visitors annually.
In 2001, BLM assumed ownership and management of the Light Station
from the U.S. Coast Guard. Since then, BLM, state and local agencies,
community stakeholders and conservation groups have developed a very
successful partnership to preserve the Light Station.
Some of these partners include: the Piedras Blancas Light Station
Association; California State Parks; San Luis Obispo County; the cities
of Cambria and San Simeon; the California Coastal Conservancy and
Coastal Commission; NOAA; and the Hearst Corporation.
As a result of their hard work, the site was re-opened to public
tours in 2003--for the first time in 128 years! These partners continue
to work together on a series of environmental education, historical
restoration and resource protection programs. And I'm confident they
will each support and showcase this national designation if enacted.
Mr. Speaker, my legislation tracks the successful model of
designating the Oregon Coast's Yaquina Head as an Outstanding Natural
Area, which was signed into law in 1980. Yaquina Head was later
included in the National Landscape Conservation System.
Like Yaquina Head, the addition of the Piedras Blancas Light Station
to the NLCS would be an important step in protecting and preserving
this valuable natural and historic resource. It will also focus
attention on the restoration of the Light Station and surrounding area,
specifically the three on-site National Register properties. And, it
will serve as a means to increase public awareness of the Light
Station's scientific, cultural and educational values.
Specifically, H.R. 3534 stresses long-term conservation of the Light
Station by requiring timely completion of a management plan. The
management plan would be developed through a public process and include
guidelines for restoration of the National Register of Historic Places
buildings, including the Light House; public access; ecological and
cultural resource management; and, fostering scientific study and
research opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, the Piedras Blancas Light Station is a wonderful
resource. It has the potential to serve as a model for future resource
management, and therefore would be an appropriate addition to the BLM's
National Landscape Conservation System.
Again, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources for
supporting this bill to designate Piedras Blancas Historic Light
Station as an Outstanding Natural Area, and urge its immediate passage.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from
Guam for her hard work in this body for managing these bills on the
floor today.
I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3534.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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