House makes quick work of land-use bills

The House on Monday approved one non-controversial land-use bill by voice vote, and quickly debated two others that will be approved later.

Members approved H.R. 306, which requires the secretary of the Interior to enter into a new agreement for the management of wild horses in North Carolina. The bill would also roughly double the number of horses that can be managed under the agreement, which supporters say would help ensure the existence of the horses by introducing more genetic diversity.

The House also debated H.R. 2606, which authorizes the construction of a natural-gas pipeline off the coast of New York City to deliver gas to residents of Brooklyn and Queens. And, the chamber debated H.R. 1162, which would designate federal land in Olympic National Park in Washington as wilderness land and puts some land in trust for the Quileute Indian tribe.

The House approved H.R. 1162 by a 381-7 vote shortly after 7 p.m., and a vote on H.R. 2606 is expected Tuesday.

The House was expected to take up debate on H.R. 1734 at about 5:15 p.m., and also vote on the rule to that bill by 6:30 p.m. This bill, the Civilian Property Realignment Act, which would set in place a plan for the federal government to reduce its holdings of property.

— This story was updated at 7:01 p.m. to reflect the additional vote.