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| Wilson Seals the Deal on Baca Ranch Purchase |
July 11, 2000 |
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| House votes overwhelmingly to approve purchase of the historic ranch
WASHINGTON, DC –After weeks of lobbying and negotiating with members of the House and Senate, Congresswoman Wilson today won the overwhelming support of the US House of Representatives for purchase of the Baca Ranch. Earlier this morning, a huge bipartisan majority approved the legislation to purchase the ranch by a vote of 377 to 45. The bill now moves to the White House for the President’s signature at which point the historic sale will be complete.
“This is an incredible day for the people of New Mexico and the United States,” said Wilson. “The Baca Ranch is a beautiful piece of Northern New Mexico and now it will be available for all New Mexicans to enjoy. I want to give a special thanks to Senator Domenici, Senator Bingaman, Rep. Jim Hansen (R-UT) and Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH) for all of their hard work and help in getting this bill through the Congress. I look forward to helping with the implementation of the unique management plan that this legislation sets up and to enjoying the beauty of the Baca.”
Following passage of the bill, Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert stated, “Thanks to the hard work and leadership of Congresswoman Wilson, thousands of Americans will now have the opportunity to visit one of the most spectacular pieces of land in the American West. The Baca Ranch is an incredible addition to America`s public land inventory and I look forward to having the chance to visit it in person in the future.”
Last year, the Congress passed a bill that included $101 million to buy the Baca Ranch in Northern New Mexico, but the purchase could not take place until an authorizing bill passed both chambers of Congress. The Baca authorizing bill, which now requires only the President’s signature to take effect, takes a unique approach to public lands arrangement. It sets up a special trust with its own board to oversee the ranch. It also directs the federal government to develop a plan to sell surplus lands so that funds can be used to purchase in-holdings--including privately held lands within the Petroglyph National Monument.
The bill passed the Senate in April. Wilson introduced the House companion bill in November of 1999. Passage of the bill in the House was held up over controversy surrounding a similar bill affecting the state of Utah. Over the last month, Wilson worked with the Utah delegation as well as Senator Domenici and Senator Bingaman to secure additional support for the Utah bill so that the Baca authorization could move forward. Last week, Wilson secured the agreement of subcommittee chairman Jim Hansen, ranking Minority Member George Miller to move three bills forward: Rosie the Riveter Park in Miller’s district, the Western Desert Land Trust bill in Utah, and the Baca authorization.
The Baca Bill contains two main titles. Under Title I--Valles Caldera National Preserve, the bill:
* Authorizes Forest Service purchase of the Baca Ranch for the creation of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, at a fair price following appraisal;
* Creates the Valles Caldera Trust, run by a nine-member board of trustees, to administer, operate and maintain the ranch under a unique management plan with appropriate public input and governmental oversight; and,
* Sets management goals that include resource protection and preservation, multiple use and sustained yield, and public access. In order to keep the taxpayers from having to pay for operation of this trust, its goal is to provide for the eventual financial self-sufficiency of the operation without violating other management goals.
Through Title II–Federal Land Transaction Facilitation, the bill:
* Directs the Interior Department to fulfill all legal requirements for the sale or transfer of millions acres of land already identified by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as disposal property under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976;
* Authorizes the use of the proceeds generated from these lands to purchase inholdings from willing sellers;
* Establishes a priority for their acquisition, on a willing seller basis, in the order of those which have existed as inholdings for the longest time; and,
* Requires owners of inholdings to be notified, and they must affirmatively ask to be bought out.
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