[DOCID: f:hr586.109]
From the House Reports Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
109th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 109-586
======================================================================
TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO ESTABLISH A DEMONSTRATION
PROGRAM TO FACILITATE LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PROGRAMS WITHIN CERTAIN
UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM ESTABLISHED BY LAW TO PRESERVE AND
INTERPRET RESOURCES ASSOCIATED WITH AMERICAN HISTORY, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
_______
July 20, 2006.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Pombo, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5411]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 5411) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
establish a demonstration program to facilitate landscape
restoration programs within certain units of the National Park
System established by law to preserve and interpret resources
associated with American history, and for other purposes,
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 5411 is to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to establish a demonstration program to facilitate
landscape restoration programs within certain units of the
National Park System established by law to preserve and
interpret resources associated with American history, and for
other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Over 130 units of the National Park System are represented
by National Battlefields, National Battlefields Parks and
Sites, National Military Parks and National Historical Parks
and Sites, such as Pea Ridge National Military Park and
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. As directed by Congress,
the National Parks Service (NPS) is to preserve many of these
sites as they appeared at the time of a battle or historic
moment in our Nation's history. Part of the landscape
restoration program for these park units requires NPS personnel
from time to time to remove trees as well as other flora from a
unit to maintain its historic landscape or to reduce the
hazardous fuel load. Currently, the National Park Service
Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 3) authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior, ``upon terms and conditions to be fixed by him, to
sell or dispose of timber in those cases where in his judgment
the cutting of such timber is required in order to control the
attacks of insects or diseases or otherwise conserve the
scenery or the natural or historic objects in any such park,
monument, or reservation.'' Prior to restoring any landscape,
park superintendents are required to comply with all National
Environmental Protection Act requirements and may have to be
issued a Special Use Permit from NPS headquarters.
Should any park unit remove timber and sell it, all
proceeds from the sale must be forwarded to the General
Treasury. According to the NPS, the following are the receipts
for the last six years for the sale of timber: Fiscal Year (FY)
2000, $24,932; FY 2001, $8,252; FY 2002, $4,410; FY 2003,
$12,207; FY 2004, $3,403; FY 2005, $5,957 ($59,161 total).
H.R. 4612 would establish a four-year demonstration program
involving 24 National Battlefields, Battlefield Parks, Military
Parks and Battlefield Sites to provide that receipts from any
timber sales will be retained for expenditure within the unit
from which the timber is removed as part of any approved plan
for the restoration or protection of park resources or values.
The bill specifies that any retained funds must be used in
direct connection with landscape restoration and directs the
Secretary of the Interior to submit a report to the Committee
on Resources establishing a time line for landscape restoration
work in all 24 units.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 5411 was introduced on May 17, 2006, by Congressman
Stevan Pearce (R-NM) following a December 19, 2005, field
hearing of the Subcommittee on National Parks at Pea Ridge
National Military Park on landscape restoration programs within
the National Park System. The bill was referred to the
Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on National Parks. On June 21, 2006, the Full
Resources Committee met to consider the bill, at which time the
Subcommittee on National Parks was discharged from further
consideration of the bill by unanimous consent. No amendments
were offered and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the
House of Representatives by unanimous consent.
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT
Article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the Constitution of the
United States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, credit
authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax
expenditures. According to the Congressional Budget Office,
enactment of this bill would increase direct spending ``by
negligible amounts'' over the 2007-2011 time period.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to establish a demonstration program to facilitate
landscape restoration programs within certain units of the
National Park System established to preserve and interpret
resources associated with American history.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
H.R. 5411--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish
a demonstration program to facilitate landscape restoration
programs within certain units of the National Park System
established by law to preserve and interpret resources
associated with American history
H.R. 5411 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to
implement a demonstration program for landscape restoration and
other projects at national battlefields. CBO estimates that
enacting H.R. 5411 would increase direct spending by negligible
amounts over the 2007-2011 period.
Under H.R. 5411, the NPS would carry out projects such as
landscape restoration at 24 national battlefields or similar
sites using receipts earned from sales of timber at those park
units. Sales receipts used for such projects would be available
without further appropriation. Authority to retain and spend
timber receipts at battlefield units would expire after four
years.
Based on recent timber receipts at the affected park units,
CBO estimates that the NPS would spend, without further
appropriation, less than $20,000 annually over the 2007-2011
period for the projects authorized by the bill. Such amounts--
generally between $3,000 and $25,000 a year--are currently
deposited in the U.S. Treasury and cannot be used without
further appropriation.
H.R. 5411 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would have no significant impact on the budgets of state,
local, and tribal governments.
The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Leigh Angres
and Deborah Reis. This estimate was approved by Peter H.
Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would not make changes to existing
law.
<all>