68 



Senator Hecht. Thank you for summarizing. 

 As I said, if you want to leave, you are quite welcome to do so. If 

 you want to wait until the panel is over with, that is fine, too. 

 Mr. BuRFORD. I will wait for the panel to finish. 

 Senator Hecht. Okay. 

 Mr. Horn. 



STATEMENT OF WILLIAM P. HORN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR 

 FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARKS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTE- 

 RIOR 



Mr. Horn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would just ask that the 

 entire statement be inserted into the record, and I will present a 

 summary of it. 



Senator Hecht. Without objection. 



Mr. Horn. Thank you. 



I am pleased to present our views on S. 854 and state that we 

 support its enactment. Let me add personally that I hope expedi- 

 tious action can occur because the exchange would enable the U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire key in-holdings within two 

 critical units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Lower 

 Suwannee Refuge and the Key Deer Refuge, both in Florida. 



As stated, the bill would authorize and direct the Department to 

 exchange land in Nevada presently under BLM jurisdiction for 

 wetlands in Dade County, Florida, owned by Aerojet. 



Based on approved, professionally executed appraisals, the Feder- 

 al Government is receiving more value than it gives up under this 

 transaction. The bill would then subsequently authorize the De- 

 partment to sell the Florida wetlands to the South Florida Water 

 Management District. The funds received from this sale would be 

 utilized for acquisition of in-holdings within the two previously 

 mentioned wildlife refuge units. 



We have been assisting Congress in preparing this legislation 

 and the exchange contract that goes with it. In that process, we un- 

 dertook environmental evaluations to ensure that our drafting ef- 

 forts would not result in conflict with our responsibilities under the 

 Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws. 



Fortunately, there is a wealth of environmental data available 

 on both parcels, particularly on the Coyote Springs Valley tract in 

 Nevada, arising from the extensive studies done of the area in con- 

 junction with its possible use as an MX missile site under the Race- 

 track Proposal of the prior Administration. 



In addition, subsequent environmental analyses have also been 

 prepared in this area. 



We, on our own initiative prepared a Resource Ascertainment 

 Report, which is similar to an environmental assessment to guide 

 our activities. Lastly, we engaged in a formal, internal consultation 

 under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, which resulted in 

 the issuance of a "no jeopardy" opinion by the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service. 



All of this work provides a body of evidence that clearly indicates 

 that the Aerojet activities in Nevada are expected to have no ad- 

 verse effects on endangered, threatened, or other species of con- 

 cern. 



