John Hansen: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3676 establishes the Santa Rosa and the San Jacinto Mountain National Monument. This bill was…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3676 establishes the Santa Rosa and the San Jacinto Mountain National Monument. This bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono), and the work she showed in moving this legislation forward is really quite remarkable. Legislation dealing with land designations and uses can be very difficult, and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono) deserves congratulations in creating a bill which is agreeable to everyone involved. She has garnered tremendous support for this bill, including the very important local governments and private property owners. This monument created by H.R. 3676 consists of approximately 280,000 acres and would be managed jointly by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Speaker, although establishing a national monument, this bill has many private property protections that otherwise probably would not have been available if the President decided to proclaim this area a national monument in yet another of his administration's fiats. H.R. 3676, for example, assures that Congress does not intend for the designation of the monument to lead to the creation of any protective boundaries or to change authorized use of Federal land. Furthermore, all valid existing rights shall continue.”