The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“UTAH PUBLIC LANDS ARTIFACT PRESERVATION ACT” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H952-H953 on March 19, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
UTAH PUBLIC LANDS ARTIFACT PRESERVATION ACT
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3928) to assist in the preservation of archaeological, paleontological, zoological, geological, and botanical artifacts through construction of a new facility for the University of Utah Museum of Natural History, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3928
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Utah Public Lands Artifact Preservation Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the collection of the Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City, Utah, includes more than 1,000,000 archaeological, paleontological, zoological, geological, and botanical artifacts;
(2) the collection of items housed by the Museum contains artifacts from land managed by--
(A) the Bureau of Land Management;
(B) the Bureau of Reclamation;
(C) the National Park Service;
(D) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and
(E) the Forest Service;
(3) more than 75 percent of the Museum's collection was recovered from federally managed public land; and
(4) the Museum has been designated by the legislature of the State of Utah as the State museum of natural history.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Museum.--The term ``Museum'' means the University of Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE FOR UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY.
(a) Assistance for Museum.--The Secretary shall make a grant to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, to pay the Federal share of the costs of construction of a new facility for the Museum, including the design, planning, furnishing, and equipping of the Museum.
(b) Grant Requirements.--
(1) In general.--To receive a grant under subsection (b), the Museum shall submit to the Secretary a proposal for the use of the grant.
(2) Federal share.--The Federal share of the costs described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 percent.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to remain available until expended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3928 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to assist the University of Utah by making a grant to the University of Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City, Utah, to help pay for the Federal share of the costs of construction of a new natural history museum. The Federal share, however, would not exceed 25 percent of the total cost.
Mr. Speaker, while the museum holds large collections of objects and specimens recovered from State and private lands, the vast majority of the collection has come from public lands in Utah and the surrounding States in the Intermountain West. In fact, more than 75 percent of the museum's collection contains artifacts from lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The building which currently houses archeological, paleontological, zoological, geological, and botanical artifacts poses serious environmental threats to the collection, lacks good public access, and contains very small and outdated exhibits.
Mr. Speaker, for its part, the University of Utah has acquired the land for a new building, and the State of Utah has committed $800,000 for its annual operations and has collected $11 million towards the construction of the new building.
Mr. Speaker, I believe this is a good example of a public-private partnership. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3928.
Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I would like to say concerning the bill. Too often in this town there is more emphasis placed on who gets the credit rather than what is the right thing to do. I would like to thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson), who has worked tirelessly on this issue; and I want the record to show that without his ability to make compromises, we would not be here today.
I have learned in my 22 years that the most successful legislators are those willing to take up the pick and the shovel and go to work. The gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) has demonstrated his willingness to do that.
The Members of the other body also deserve credit for this initiative. They have been a friend to the museum for years. Although we have the luxury of expending the legislative process over here and expediting it, I hope that Members of the other body will be able to carry this legislation from here and let us get this done. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3928.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), for his eloquent remarks and as a cosponsor of this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson), the chief cosponsor of this legislation.
Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give support to H.R. 3928, a bill that would provide the Natural History Museum at the University of Utah with the means to restore, protect, and preserve our shared natural heritage.
In 1824, a philanthropist named James Smithson bequeathed his fortune to the government of the United States in order to found an institution to ``increase the diffusion of knowledge among men.''
In 1846 the United States established the Smithsonian Institution and established the wise and remarkable precedent of the value of public investment in institutions of science, research, and heritage.
Mr. Speaker, in Utah we have an institution that houses 1 billion years of the history of life on our planet. It is an institution that holds three-quarters of a million artifacts detailing tens of thousands of years of Native American life throughout the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin areas of our country.
It contains over 30,000 specimens of mammals, one of the 30 largest collections in the western hemisphere, and its 18,000 specimen reptile collection contains one of the largest turtle assemblages in the world.
It is an institution that houses one of the world's great paleontology collections. Its 12,000 specimen vertebrate fossil collection is dominated by 150 million-year-old dinosaurs from the Jurassic period, as well as Ice Age mammals such as giant bears, mammoths, and mastodons.
What I have just described is just a fraction of the resources provided by the University of Utah's Natural History Museum. It is a treasure unsurpassed in the western United States.
However, these resources are under threat. First, they are housed in a converted library built during the 1930s. It is a building constructed for the close, claustrophobic stacking of books, not for the storage of artifacts. Most of the ceilings throughout the building are 7 feet 2 inches high, which makes dinosaur storage somewhat of a problem.
Climate control and water systems are woefully antiquated. The humidity and temperature in the display and storage areas have wide swings. This inconsistency puts tremendous strain on the increasingly fragile collections. It is plausible to think that a child's Pokemon cards might be at less risk for damage than some of the pieces in this collection.
The university, along with private donors and the State government, have embarked on an ambitious project to build a new museum that would be a centerpiece for cultural and scientific education in the Intermountain West.
This project will be a partnership in every sense of the word. State and private donors have promised to match every Federal dollar with three of their own. The university's donors and alumni network view this as a priority project for Utah and are actively engaged in its development.
The university has already contributed the 14 acres for the development. The State has guaranteed the operating funds for the facility at $800,000 per year. To date, close to $12 million has been raised from private donors. This includes $10 million from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation.
Unlike many museums throughout the country, 75 percent of the museum's holdings are owned outright by the Federal Government, with more than 90 percent of some collections coming from Federal lands. That means that these artifacts, fossils, and specimens belong to the people of the United States. These exhibits and collections are part of our collective national heritage. With Congress' help, we can save these treasures for future generations of Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I want to give special thanks to the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources. I thank the gentleman from Utah
(Mr. Hansen) for his diligence, dedication, and commitment to this project. This was a collaborative effort in every sense. The gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) is a true gentleman legislator, and this Chamber will be diminished by his upcoming departure.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon).
Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3928, the Utah Public Lands Artifact Preservation Act.
Before Utah was home to the Olympics, it was home to dozens of Native American tribes, ancient plants, wildlife and dinosaurs. The rich history of this region has been a looking glass into the natural history of America. Scientists have used the millions of artifacts discovered here to preserve the past and gain knowledge for the future.
The University of Utah houses over a million artifacts from this region. Though famous for the exhibits that feature tens of thousands of ancient mammals, reptiles, dinosaurs, and Native American artifacts, the museum serves a much greater purpose. It will also serve as a center for science literacy and educating students about the natural history of the Columbia Plateau.
Mr. Speaker, 75 percent of the artifacts have been recovered from federally managed land. With this grant from the Department of the Interior, the museum will continue to promote cultural diversity of the region for future generations. I applaud the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and all others who have worked to make this bill a reality.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of the Utah delegation for their bipartisanship in supporting this legislation. It goes without saying that this was also true when the proposed bill was brought before the Committee on Resources. I commend our chairman, the gentleman from Utah
(Mr. Hansen), and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) for their cosponsorship of this bill, and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) for his remarks and his support.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3928.
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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