To direct the Secretary of the Interior to cancel certain Bureau of Land Management leases that authorize extraction of sand and gravel from the Federal mineral estate in land in Soledad Canyon, California, and for other purposes.

February 10, 2004

Mrs. BOXER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to cancel certain Bureau of Land Management leases that authorize extraction of sand and gravel from the Federal mineral estate in land in Soledad Canyon, California, and for other purposes.

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 `Soledad Canyon Mine Lease Cancellation Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--

(1) Transit Mixed Concrete Corporation holds 2 Bureau of Land Management leases for the extraction of sand and gravel from the Federal mineral estate in land in Soledad Canyon adjacent to the City of Santa Clarita, California, numbered CA-20139 and CA-22901;

(2) the land subject to the leases contains approximately 56,000,000 tons of sand and gravel;

(3) mining 56,000,000 tons of sand and gravel under the terms of the leases would cause harm to the environment and major transportation problems for the city of Santa Clarita, surrounding areas, and other users of the transportation systems in the vicinity of the Canyon; and

(4) it is in the best interest of the citizens of the State of California and the United States to cancel the leases and make new leases available for the extraction of sand and gravel that reflect the level of mining that has historically occurred in the Canyon.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) CANYON- The term `Canyon' means land in Soledad Canyon, California, as depicted on the map entitled `City of Santa Clarita, TMC Project Site', dated December 2000, and on file with the Secretary.

(2) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior.

SEC. 4. CANCELLATION OF LEASES; ISSUANCE OF NEW LEASES.

(a) CANCELLATION OF LEASES- The Secretary shall cancel the Bureau of Land Management leases numbered CA-20139 and CA-22901.

(b) ISSUANCE OF NEW LEASES-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may issue leases for the extraction of sand and gravel in the Canyon.

(2) LIMITATION ON ANNUAL EXTRACTIONS- Leases issued under paragraph (1) shall not authorize the extraction of more than 285,000 tons of sand and gravel per year.

(3) CONSULTATION- Before issuing a lease under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--

(A) consult with the city of Santa Clarita, California, Los Angles County, California, and surface owners in the Canyon; and

(B) take into consideration the environmental and transportation impacts of the extraction on the Canyon.

END