John Doolittle: “I rise in support of H.R. 2438, introduced by Mr. McInnis of Colorado. H.R. 2438 corrects an encroachment into the…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2438, introduced by Mr. McInnis of Colorado. H.R. 2438 corrects an encroachment into the Raggeds Wilderness on the White River National Forest, just west of the Town of Marble, CO. The encroachment, discovered in 1993 following a new boundary survey, consists of approximately 400 feet of power line and 450 feet of road. In addition, portions of four subdivision lots extend into the wilderness. The road is a county road and provides the sole legal access to the four lots. The entire encroachment is less than 1 acre of land. The land in question does not have any wilderness characteristics. This land was used as it is today for 23 years before Congress designated the Raggeds Wilderness in 1982. Although only 0.86 acres is affected, the Forest Service cannot settle the matter under authority of the Small Tracts Act because the lands in question are within the Raggeds Wilderness. H.R. 2438 adjusts the wilderness boundary to exclude the 0.86 acres from the wilderness area, and, as amended in the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands, it directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the affected lands to the landowners under the authority of the Small Tracts Act. I urge the Members of the House to support H.R. 2438, so that the Forest Service will have the authority it needs to complete this minor land adjustment.”