[Pages H1966-H1969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

FLATSIDE WILDERNESS ADDITIONS ACT

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1612) to designate the

[[Page H1967]]

Flatside-Bethune Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 1612

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Flatside Wilderness
Additions Act''.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONS TO FLATSIDE WILDERNESS.

Section 3(d) of Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law
98-508; 98 Stat. 2349) is amended by inserting ``and certain
land in the Ouachita National Forest, which comprise
approximately 2,212 acres, generally depicted as'' Land
Proposed for Wilderness Designation ``on the map titled''
Flatside Wilderness, Proposed Addition Designation ``, dated
November 12, 2024'' after ``1984''.

SEC. 3. FIRE, INSECTS, AND DISEASES.

Nothing in this Act or the amendment made by section 2
shall be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary of
Agriculture under section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16
U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), in accordance with existing laws
(including regulations).

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS ADDITION.

The wilderness designated by section 3(d) of Arkansas
Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-508; 98 Stat. 2349),
shall be known as the ``Flatside-Bethune Wilderness''. Any
reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or
other record of the United States to such portion of the
Flatside Wilderness shall be deemed to be a reference to the
Flatside-Bethune Wilderness.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.

General Leave

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 1612, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative Hill's
legislation, H.R. 1612, which would add four parcels totaling 2,215
acres of Ouachita National Forest lands to the Flatside Wilderness Area
in his district.
The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest and largest national
forest in the Southern United States, spanning nearly 1.8 million acres
across Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, it is a true multiple-use forest,
supporting timber harvesting, wildlife conservation, and a wide range
of outdoor recreation opportunities, such as hiking, hunting, camping,
and fishing.
Arkansans take great pride in this forest, which draws more than
670,000 visitors each year. Currently, only 3.6 percent of the Ouachita
National Forest, including the existing Flatside Wilderness Area, is
designated as wilderness.
The Flatside Wilderness was expanded by 640 acres during the 115th
Congress. The Forest Service also studied the potential designation of
the parcels included in today's legislation.
This bill has strong local support and has been endorsed by Arkansas
Governor Sarah Sanders; the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and
Tourism; and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Representative Hill for his efforts
on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1612, the Flatside Wilderness
Additions Act, introduced by my colleague from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).
This bill would expand the boundaries of the Flatside Wilderness Area
in the Ouachita National Forest by approximately 2,212 acres and
redesignate the area as the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness.
Representative Bethune represented Arkansas here in the House of
Representatives, and he was a strong champion for conservation. He
sponsored the first bill to designate the Flatside Wilderness back in
1984, so the redesignation included in this bill is a fitting tribute.
Wilderness areas hold immense importance for a variety of reasons.
They support and provide essential ecosystem services, including clean
air, water, carbon sequestration, and critical wildlife habitat.
Protecting the wilderness is not just about preserving pristine
environments. It is also about safeguarding our national heritage and
ensuring a healthy planet for future generations.
I thank Representative Hill for his work on expanding the wilderness
area in his State. I and many of my Democratic colleagues also have
bills we would like to advance to provide conservation protections for
special areas in our congressional districts. This bill demonstrates
that we can and should work in a bipartisan manner to protect and
conserve public lands.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Hill), my colleague and the lead sponsor of the bill.
Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Mr.
Westerman, and my colleagues in the House who serve on the Natural
Resources Committee for working with me on the Flatside Wilderness
Additions Act over the past 5 years.
I stand in strong support of H.R. 1612, which I think is a model for
how to go about considering recreation conservation lands in our
national forests.
The Ouachita Mountains and the surrounding forest sit in the
southwest corner of Arkansas. It is the oldest and largest national
forest in our southern region. It has origins in my district of central
Arkansas and stretches some 220 miles west into eastern Oklahoma
through my good friend, Mr. Westerman's district.
It encompasses nearly 10,000 acres of rugged terrain, and the most
treasured views in the Ouachita region are in Flatside Wilderness. For
those visitors that Congressman Westerman referenced, the area also
includes the challenging and very popular Ouachita National Recreation
Trail, which bisects Flatside Wilderness.
Back in 1984, under the leadership of former Arkansas Senator Dale
Bumpers and my predecessor, Congressman Ed Bethune, the Arkansas
Wilderness Act was passed and signed into law by President Reagan. This
legislation designated Flatside as one of the first Arkansas wilderness
areas to be added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. At
the time of its passage, the Flatside area was intended to be larger
than what was ultimately designated.

{time} 1615

In 1984, the Forest Service and its Flatside advocates were not able
to craft a strategy where all the studied and preferred acres of the
forest could be included. As such, Mr. Speaker, when I joined Congress
in 2015, I set out to complete that original designed 1984 plan for
Flatside.
In 2019, with the help of Arkansas Senator John Boozman and Chairman
Westerman, we were able to add 640 acres to Flatside, which was signed
into law by President Trump.
That same year, Senator Boozman and I collaborated on an
appropriation measure that directed the Forest Service to complete a
study on which the surrounding lands that were eligible to be added to
Flatside would be carefully studied.
Mr. Speaker, it is the results of that 2019 legislatively directed
study that was published in 2021 that are the basis for the law
proposal before us today.
With the help of my colleagues, this bill will finish the work
started some four decades ago in which I have been personally dedicated
since joining this House.
With this final addition, the Flatside Wilderness area can continue
to serve central Arkansas as a place of economic, recreational, and
historic importance.
First, as Chairman Westerman noted, this is not creating a new
wilderness area but simply designating additional land. It has wide
support, as noted by my friend, including our local county and city
officials in the county where it is located: Governor Sarah Sanders,
Arkansas Parks & Tourism, the leadership of our Game and Fish
Commission, and many other local

[[Page H1968]]

leaders and outdoor recreation groups in our State.
Rest assured also, Mr. Speaker, the current forest management plan
for Flatside already includes prescribed burns, fire suppression
techniques, and reiterates the authority of management to protect the
area from fire, insects, and disease.
So, I thank my friend, Mr. Westerman, for working with me on this. I
think it should be supported by all the Members in the House. It is a
model, as we have talked about before, for how we bring local
officials, outdoor recreation, conservationists, and forest land
management people together to advance something that is sought by our
local leadership in the State.
So I thank Mr. Westerman, Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, and
Representative Emmer, as well as all the members of the House Natural
Resources Committee for working with me on this proposal.
As I conclude, Mr. Speaker, I have to say that for four decades this
has been an important place in my life. It reminds me of John Muir's
famous poem:

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's
peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you and
the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like
autumn leaves.

Mr. Speaker, I hope future generations of Arkansans and a lot of
Texas visitors will enjoy those glad tidings from Flatside.
I include in the Record an article titled: ``Opposites Attract: How a
Conservative Texan Helped a Liberal Arkansan Enact the Sweeping
Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984.''

Opposites Attract: How a Conservative Texan Helped a Liberal Arkansan
Enact the Sweeping Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984

(By J. French Hill, April 25, 2009)

BEFORE THE ARKANSAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION SOUTHERN ARKANSAS UNIVERSITY
MAGNOLIA, ARKANSAS

Twenty-Five years ago in 1984, a dedicated group of
conservationists constructed an exceptional coalition, known
as the Arkansas Conservation Coalition (ACC). They were
successful in their quest to set aside 91,000 extraordinary
acres of national forest as ``forever wild'' wilderness.
Their success to which I pay tribute today came on the
twentieth anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964. In 1964,
Congress authorized guiding principles that would carefully
select areas within existing federal lands and define them as
wilderness--areas would be off limits in perpetuity to roads,
timber harvesting, mining and oil/gas exploration and other
commercial activities--and, more importantly in today's
culture, all motorized vehicles: no ATV's or 4-wheelers. But,
man himself is welcomed as a visitor to camp, hike, climb,
hunt and fish, canoe, swim and kayak.
While there have been U.S. forest reserves dating to
President Harrison in the 1890's, it was President Teddy
Roosevelt that established the National Forest Service in
1905 and dedicated over 150 million acres for future
generations. Included among these extraordinary resources
were both the Arkansas National Forest in 1907 (later renamed
the Ouachita National Forest by President Coolidge in 1924)
and the Ozark National Forest in 1908.
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter requested that the Forest
Service undertake a review of all potential wilderness areas
across the country and make recommendations to Congress.
Their effort was referred to as the Second Roadless Area
Review and Evaluation, or RARE II. The Forest Service was
required to assess each potential area for wilderness
designation as to presence of rare plant or animals;
historic, recreational or sites of solitude; man's existing
impact in the area; and, the potential impact on economic
development or nearby private land ownership and use.
The ACC also sent out teams to assess sites in the Ozark
and Ouachita National Forests. Their detailed report offered
up eleven areas with approximately 138,195 acres for
consideration. The Forest Service plan ultimately proposed
only 45,701 acres and recommended that seven areas deserved
``further planning'' while fourteen others deserved ``non-
wilderness'' uses. In April of 1979 President Carter endorsed
the Forest Service recommendations.
Politicians that supported the forest products industry,
including U.S. Representative Beryl Anthony (D-AR) from the
Fourth District of Arkansas, expressed support for the Forest
Service proposal. He offered legislation to enact its
recommendations and to appropriate funds for roads and timber
leasing in the disputed areas. He stated that the forest
industry would ``support wilderness,'' but only ``responsible
wilderness.'' Of further concern to wilderness proponents, a
``twenty year window'' had been left open in the 1964 Act to
facilitate mineral leases or claims; and, as a result,
applications were pouring into federal land offers before the
window would shut in 1983.
To gain time, the ACC in 1983 persuaded Senator David Pryor
(D-AR) and U.S. Representative from First District, Bill
Alexander (D-AR) to request the Forest Service to delay any
development in the potential areas. ACC members, Bill
Coleman, Don Hamilton, and Tom McClure toured the state with
an informative slide presentation supporting the larger ACC
proposed list of areas. In February 1982, Arkansas Governor
Frank White (R-AR), an avid hiker and canoeist, issued a
Proclamation in favor of the ACC Plan and urged action by
Congress.
Governor White's favorable view of wilderness was echoed by
another strong conservative voice in the country. Then
Newsweek columnist, George F. Will, in an August 16, 1982,
column passionately argued for wilderness in firm
opposition to President Reagan's Interior Secretary James
Watt's position of no further wilderness set aside.
In fact, the Reagan Administration supported the Carter
Forest Service position on RARE II recommendations. The only
firm Arkansas delegation position was Beryl Anthony's limited
approach. Therefore, ACC members needed a break in order to
have a shot at a bill before ``twenty year'' leasing window
closed or some other action derailed their attempt for more
wilderness areas in Arkansas.
The ACC firmly believed that their break would come when
Arkansas' senior senator, and distinguished member of the
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Dale Bumpers
(D-AR), would introduce a bill--as he had promised 18 months
previously in 1981. But, again, the public support for the
ACC approach came not from a Democrat, but from a Republican,
Second District U.S. Representative Ed Bethune of Searcy. In
April of 1983, Bethune, toured the areas and announced that
he would introduce legislation to designate Flatside in Perry
and Saline Counties as wilderness. Flatside (about 10,885
acres) was the only ACC designated area in the Second
District. He also told reporters that he would like to see
all eleven areas recommended by the ACC included in a final
bill.
Bethune's action prompted the Arkansas delegation's only
other Republican, U.S. Representative John Paul Hammerschmidt
(R-AR) of Harrison to take a position. He announced that he
was opposed to Bethune's and Anthony's efforts recalling that
he had told his constituents a ``number of years ago that we
probably had enough wilderness areas''. However, by the end
of 1983, Hammerschmidt and Alexander had sided with Anthony
and co-sponsored his Forest Service-backed bill. Arkansas
wilderness legislation was now deadlocked in the House and
Senators Bumpers and Pryor had yet to take any action.
The Arkansas Democrat reported that Anthony and Bethune
were applying pressure on Bumpers and Pryor and that Bumpers
and Pryor were waiting on a compromise in the House. But, in
the ``air war'' Bethune was gaining ground. He obtained
endorsements from pro-business groups such as The Little Rock
Chamber, Mack McLarty, then Chair and the Arkansas Industrial
Development Commission.
Then, a miracle of legislative courage happened. On the
last day of the 1983 session, Senators Bumpers and Pryor
introduced a wilderness bill, S. 2125, almost a duplicate of
Bethune's. They indicated that they would hold public
hearings in Arkansas despite the fact that two House
subcommittees had already held extensive hearings in May
1983. Regardless of the two year delay, proponents now had a
House bill and a Senate companion. The delay also resulted in
trying to legislate during the upcoming presidential election
year. Indeed, it was an uncertain environment for wilderness.
On Wednesday, February 15, 1984, on the campus of UALR,
Bumpers and Bethune sat side-by-side, allied and ready to
hear 130 scheduled witnesses--the most Senator Bumpers
remarked he had seen in his nine years in the Senate. Senator
Pryor would have joined them, but was attending the funeral
of his Mother. These hearings would be followed by a second
set of hearings in Washington in April 1984.
So, let's pick up the ``back story'' as to the role of a
conservative Texas Republican in this wilderness saga. On
February 7, 1984, the week before Little Rock hearings, I
sent a note to my boss, Senator John Tower (R-TX) about the
Bumpers and Pryor bill, S. 2125. At the time, I worked for
Senator Tower on the staff of the Senate Committee on
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs.
Having grown up in Arkansas and spent many boyhood hours in
the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests, I had closely
followed the House logjam and was eager to help my life-long
friend, Don Hamilton, and the coalition spark unusual support
in the Senate.
In order to persuade Senator Tower to co-sponsor wilderness
legislation outside his home state, I need a solid fact case.
With help from Joe David Rice of the Arkansas Department of
Tourism, we discovered the fact that Texans were the number
one source of tourists in Arkansas.
The Senator was amused, but nonetheless agreed to co-
sponsor S. 2125. He announced his intent on February 20, 1984
in a statement inserted in the Congressional Record. He
described typical visitor to Arkansas as a ``43 year old
Texan traveling with his family.'' He concluded his
endorsement with this critical caveat: ``. . . while I am in
support of Texans enjoying their beautiful wilderness, I will
never concede which state has better football teams.''

[[Page H1969]]

Reaction to Tower's co-sponsorship was swift. First, it was
rare, if at all, for any out of state senator to co-sponsor
another state's bill. And, it was more shocking to some that
John Tower, conservative Republican, powerful chairman of
Senate Armed Services, would endorse an environmental bill:
Tower with a ``zero rating from the pro-conservation voters''
supported Bumpers with 77% rating from the same group. An
aide to Bumpers declared his reaction as ``delighted . . .
(but) it sure is strange.''
The Arkansas Gazette described the endorsement in an
editorial dated March 6, 1984, with the opening line:
``Amazing yes, but true.'' The Gazette opinion argued that
Tower's co-sponsorship of S. 2125 ``evidences more support
for conservation in Arkansas than Anthony, Alexander and
Hammerschmidt.'' The Pine Bluff Commercial Appeal in an
editorial called ``Tower of Strength'' demonstrated powerful
support for the State's tourism resources by saying, ``Let's
not skimp when it comes to saving something so valuable--and
so invaluable.''
On March 8, 1984, Senator Bumpers wrote Don Hamilton
enclosing a copy of Senator Tower's statement of support
saying, ``I'm sure you had something to do with his
decision.'' Tower followed up his co-sponsorship by
submitting a statement for the record at the Bumpers hearings
in Washington on April 6, 1984. In his statement, Tower
quoted from conservationist and Republican President Theodore
Roosevelt. I had recently been at Theodore Roosevelt's home,
Sagamore Hill on Long Island, seen the quote and recommended
to Senator Tower for inclusion:

The civilized people of today look back with horror at their
medieval ancestors who wantonly destroyed great works of art,
or sat slothfully by while they were being destroyed. We have
passed that stage. We treasure pictures and sculptures. But
we are, as a whole, still in that low stale of civilization
where we do not understand that it is also vandalism wantonly
to destroy or to permit the destruction of what is beautiful
in nature, whether it be a cliff, a forest, or a species
mammal or bird.

It should be noted that in May 1984, Senator Tower also co-
sponsored with Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) a bill to block
clear cutting and development in 34,300 acres of East Texas.
Politically, Tower was up for re-election in 1984 and he
desired to broaden his legislative record beyond his
internationally recognized expertise in military and foreign
relations matters. Thus, the Arkansas wilderness bill and the
Texas anti-clear cut measure both fit neatly in his
legislative diversity plan. In a 1986 law school paper,
distinguished Little Rock attorney, Scott Trotter, postulated
that Tower was recruited as a co-sponsor ``in anticipation of
opposition from several oil companies.''
And, while several oil companies in fact opposed the
legislation, there was no such grand plan as considered by
Mr. Trotter. The lead component in this legislative pact was
simply the bond of friendship and belief in the cause. In the
end, opposition from last minute concerns related to paper,
oil and gas and air quality issues were all turned away and
the U.S. Senate passed S. 2125 on August 9, 1984. Following
House passage, President Reagan signed the bill into law on
October 19, 1984 (PL 98-508).
I'll conclude with this photo taken on May 7, 1984, of
Senator Tower sitting in his office in the Russell Senate
Office Building reviewing Bill Coleman and Susan Morrison's
beautifully illustrated volume, Arkansas Wilderness. I
dedicate these remarks to the memory of my friend and mentor,
John Tower. He was killed tragically in a plane crash with
his daughter Marian in April, 1991. He was 65 and she was 35.
Our country has had few public servants possessing his
patriotism, intellect and commitment to the Constitution.
And, it was just like him to disagree vigorously with Senator
Bumpers on arms control, but link arm-in-arm and work for the
common good of their constituents and preserve spaces of
solitude for generations to come.

Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I
would like to, once again, thank my colleague from Arkansas, especially
Representative Hill, for his tireless efforts on this piece of
legislation and for the diligence in the process that he labored
through to get to this point today. I appreciate him bringing forth
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1612.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

____________________