Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR506 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Rodriguez S.R. No. 506
2	2	(In the Senate - Filed March 14, 2011; March 28, 2011, read
3	3	first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs and
4	4	Military Installations; April 19, 2011, reported adversely, with
5	5	favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 3,
6	6	Nays 0; April 19, 2011, sent to printer.)
7	7	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.R. No. 506 By: Rodriguez
8	8
9	9
10	10	SENATE RESOLUTION
11	11	WHEREAS, The Castner Range in El Paso is one of the most
12	12	rugged and pristine landscapes in Texas, encompassing 7,000 acres
13	13	of undeveloped desert and foothills; and
14	14	WHEREAS, The land was previously known as the Castner Range
15	15	Complex at Fort Bliss and was used as a United States Army artillery
16	16	range, but the Department of Defense ceased operations there in
17	17	1971; unexploded ordnance remained behind, rendering the land
18	18	unsuitable for development, and under the stewardship of the army,
19	19	it has been allowed to rest in its natural state; and
20	20	WHEREAS, Since 1995, the army has been clearing old artillery
21	21	rounds from the surface of the land; surface clearance, as opposed
22	22	to subsurface clearance, was found to offer the best
23	23	risk-reduction-to-cost ratio and is most compatible with a
24	24	minimal-disturbance future land use, such as passive recreation on
25	25	protected parkland; and
26	26	WHEREAS, Although the Castner Range is off-limits to the
27	27	public, El Pasoans have long cherished the area for its surpassing
28	28	beauty; bordering Franklin Mountains State Park on the west, the
29	29	range contains some of the most geologically complex and visually
30	30	striking parts of the Franklins and is prized for its Mexican gold
31	31	poppy, which carpets the lower slopes in brilliant color in the
32	32	spring; and
33	33	WHEREAS, Also remarkable for its biodiversity, Castner Range
34	34	provides a number of distinctive animal habitats, and its unique
35	35	soils and location combine to make this the only known site in Texas
36	36	where several rare plants can be found; moreover, the range holds
37	37	the greatest concentration of springs in the Franklins, supporting
38	38	unexpectedly lush pockets of vegetation; and
39	39	WHEREAS, Castner Range is further distinguished by military
40	40	history and archaeological sites; and
41	41	WHEREAS, In 1981, the Texas Legislature provided for the
42	42	adjustment of the boundaries of Franklin Mountains State Park in
43	43	anticipation of the future addition of Castner Range lands, an idea
44	44	strongly favored by area residents; both the El Paso City Council
45	45	and the El Paso County Commissioners Court unanimously passed
46	46	resolutions in recent years advocating that the Castner Range be
47	47	left undeveloped and be conserved for recreational use;
48	48	furthermore, the Franklin Mountains State Park management plan
49	49	takes the range into account, envisioning a network of trails in the
50	50	canyons and lower elevations, and the United States Department of
51	51	Defense recently made a $300,000 grant to the Frontera Land
52	52	Alliance to collect data concerning a conservation conveyance for
53	53	the area; and
54	54	WHEREAS, The Castner Range is one of the Lone Star State's
55	55	unequaled treasures, and its conservation will provide enormous
56	56	benefits to future generations of Texans; now, therefore, be it
57	57	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
58	58	Legislature, hereby express its support for the conservation of
59	59	Castner Range; and, be it further
60	60	RESOLVED, That the secretary of the senate forward official
61	61	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
62	62	the commanding general of Fort Bliss, to the secretary of the United
63	63	States Department of Defense, to the president of the Senate and the
64	64	speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States
65	65	Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress
66	66	with the request that this resolution be entered in the
67	67	Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United
68	68	States of America.
69	69	* * * * *