The Senate today approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which included several long-term priorities important to Washington state, and particularly Central Washington. These provisions were included as part of bipartisan agreement between the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The House approved the bill last week and it will now go to President Obama to be signed into law.
“This bipartisan agreement is a victory for Washington state and the Central Washington district I’ve had the honor to represent. It includes several long-term priorities for which the people of Central Washington have strongly advocated for years and their support and determination has helped get these bills over the finish line,” said Congressman Hastings.“This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work of Senator Murray, Senator Cantwell, Representative Reichert, and Representatives Larsen and DelBene.”
Provisions impacting Washington state include:
Manhattan Project National Historical Park. This provision establishes the Manhattan Project National Historical Park that will include Hanford’s historic B Reactor as well as facilities at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Los Alamos, New Mexico. Under the bill, the Department of the Interior has one year to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park and enter into an agreement with the Department of Energy governing the respective roles in administering the facilities, enhancing public access, management, interpretation and historic preservation.
Cabin Fee Fairness: This provision modifies the current cabin fee formula to make it more predictable and fair for families who own cabins in our National Forests. In recent years, cabin owners have been faced with arbitrary, skyrocketing fees as a result of a faulty appraisal system that has allowed annual cabin fees to increase exponentially. Unable to afford the mounting fees, owners are faced with the choice of selling their cabins or abandoning and tearing them down.Hastings’ Cabin Fee Act, which was the basis for this provision, creates a new formula for calculating fees to ensure the bill is revenue neutral without imposing fees that American families cannot afford.
Public Access to Rattlesnake Mountain: This provision, which mirrors legislation passed by the House of Representatives in previous years, will ensure public access to Rattlesnake Mountain in the Hanford Reach National Monument.
Hanford Land TransferThis provision executes a land transfer with a deadline of September 2015. The 1,641 acres of Hanford land no longer needed for cleanup activities will be conveyed to the local Community Reuse Organization (CRO) for economic development and diversification. The land is already designated for industrial use under the Department of Energy’s Hanford Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The CRO requested the land transfer from the Department of Energy over three years ago.
Stehekin Road. This provision will allow the National Park Service to relocate and rebuild the Upper Stehekin Valley Road in the North Cascades National Park. Over time, floods and the changing path of the Stehekin River has critically damaged significant sections of Stehekin Road.
Alpine Lakes. This provision will expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area in Washington state and designate both the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers as Wild and Scenic.
Illabot Creek. This provision designates a segment of Illabot Creek in Skagit County as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
