Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Voyageurs National Park, established in 1975, is a 218,200-acre national park located on the northern border of Minnesota. The name ``Voyageurs'' commemorates the French-Canadian fur traders who were the first European settlers to frequent the area. The park has remarkable water resources and islands and is popular with canoeists, kayakers, other boaters, and fishermen. The Bureau of Land Management currently manages lands within the boundaries of the park that were not transferred to the National Park Service at the park's establishment. H.R. 1350 formally transfers these Bureau of Land Management lands to the National Park Service. Enactment of the legislation is expected to save taxpayer money and agency time by eliminating duplicative land management. In addition, this legislation resolves an outstanding land management issue faced by the State of Minnesota and a county by authorizing a land exchange between the State and the National Park Service. Certain State tax-forfeited tracts within the boundaries of Voyageurs National Park will be traded for a National Park Service-owned tract outside the park boundary. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.”