Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1904, Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOSAR. I thank the gentleman from Utah, and I appreciate the House spending time to consider this important jobs bill legislation this week.

The need for this land exchange legislation and ensuing copper mine was one of the very first initiatives brought to my attention by the people of my district. Those folks are excited about the economic development and sustainable growth that this project will bring.

They are anxious for these high-priority conservation lands to be placed in Federal stewardship. And they are sick of waiting for Congress to act.

H.R. 1904 may be new legislation, but this initiative is not. Over the past 6 years, this land exchange has been subject to intensive review, public consideration, and modification. It has been introduced in four separate Congresses, twice by Democrats, twice by Republicans. This proposal truly has bipartisan support on the ground in our State and across the country. The mayor of the town of Superior, an elected Democrat, testified in support of H.R. 1904. Democrat and Republican county supervisors in each affected economy endorse my bill. The governor supports my bill. This legislation is a win-win.

H.R. 1904 specifically facilitates a land exchange that will bring into Federal stewardship 5,500 acres of high-priority conservation lands in exchange for 2,600 acres of national forest system lands containing the third-largest undeveloped copper resource in the world. It is the richest copper ore body in North America ever discovered.

The United States currently imports over 30 percent of the country's copper demand. This project could produce enough copper to equal 25 percent of our demand, contributing significantly to U.S. energy and mineral independence.

Let me be clear. This is not going to be a new mine. The majority of the infrastructure is already in place. We are simply opening up the resource to the country's vital needs.

Today, more than 500 employees and contractors are at work in Arizona on this project as they prepare for us to take action on this bill. Upon passage, the private company will be able to employ 3,000 workers during the 6-year construction period. And ultimately, the project will support over 3,700 jobs, providing for $220 million in annual wages over the life of the project. These are good-paying jobs.

This is good old Superior right here who needs this. The total economic impact of the project is estimated to be over $61.4 billion, over $1 billion per year, and another $19 billion in Federal, State, county, and local tax revenues. Fourteen billion dollars in Federal tax revenue--in these tough fiscal times, I think we can all agree that the Treasury could use that.

This bill is not only a jobs bill, it's a conservation bill. In exchange for opening up the third-largest undeveloped copper resource in the world, the Federal Government acquires 5,500 acres of high-priority conservation lands containing endangered species, sensitive ecosystems, recreational sites, and historical landmarks. Many of these lands being conveyed are landlocked by Federal lands, and the consolidation of the Federal lands will also contribute to better, more economically efficient Federal land management.

Today, The Arizona Republic, the largest newspaper in the State, issued an editorial in support of H.R. 1904. In that article, the editorial board highlights the big benefits of my legislation: jobs, tax revenue, and conservation. In the article they state, ``The bill, with its combination of benefits, has every reason to get bipartisan support.''

They continue, ``In today's economy, it's hard to imagine that Members of Congress would fail to give this bill a resounding approval in the House.''

Madam Speaker, I would like to submit the full editorial for the Record.

My legislation strikes the right balance between resource utilization and conservation. We can preserve lands that advance the important public objectives of protecting wildlife habitat, cultural, and historical resources, while enabling an economic development project to go forward that will generate economic and employment opportunities for the State and local residents.

Pass the rule and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1904.

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Mr. GOSAR. You're talking about robots. What I am talking about is trust. Trust is a series of promises kept. And what we see is right here in this picture. We have over 500 jobs that have been established here. We have seen the investment of this company in the local communities helping job creators, as far as truckers, independent construction organizations, trying to stay in business because, as you saw before, this is Superior, Arizona. This is what we've done to Main Street America. You see all the boarded up streets, all the buildings that are here.

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Mr. GOSAR. That's absurd. I've gone into the mine. I have actually seen the company. I've actually seen the work forces in here. I've actually gone down to the bottom of the mine. I got suited up and have been part of that. That's not appropriate.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. You mean a copper mine or Rio Tinto's mine?

Mr. GOSAR. I have been in this copper mine. I have been in the shaft.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. You mean the one in Arizona.

Mr. GOSAR. I have been in the one in Arizona.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I'm not quarreling with that. I'm talking about when Rio Tinto comes and this bill allows them to go forward in a way that allows them to robotize many of the--look, I'm not against technology. But what I'm saying to you is I don't see as how ultimately, that foreign companies are going to cause local communities to have increased employment that's sustainable.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

Mr. GOSAR. But I'm pointing back to the same purpose that I've actually seen trust exhibited here where they've actually hired people. I've seen the native people being hired. I've seen the local people being hired here, and that's a part of trust that we've got to get back to in this country.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. All right. At least we had a fair exchange, and perhaps if we had more time with measures like this we could do similar. But I would hope then my argument about the Native American measures does not fall on deaf ears when you take into consideration the need to preserve our cultural heritage and artifacts that might be swept up in mining.

Mr. GOSAR. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. GOSAR. We've spent an exorbitant amount of time trying to discuss this with our Native Americans. We actually have law that we've gone through the area in exchange that shows no actual artifacts at all.

So the thing about it is that we want to make sure that that has occurred. And for the better part, since the 109th Congress, we've actually dialogued with the Native Americans, and what we have seen is an over-and-over exchange. So what has transpired is actually----

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Reclaiming my time just to ask you one more question that requires a ``yes'' or a ``no,'' and that is: You support Mr. Luján's measure then that will make sure that that happens, an amendment that's coming up. Are you going to vote for that?

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Luján's amendment is immaterial because it's already been done and it's already been held up by the----

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. So you aren't going to vote for it?

Mr. GOSAR. It's already been supported by documentation already presented. It's duplicative.

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