[House Report 112-165]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
112th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 112-165
======================================================================
TO ELIMINATE AN UNUSED LIGHTHOUSE RESERVATION, PROVIDE MANAGEMENT
CONSISTENCY BY INCORPORATING THE ROCKS AND SMALL ISLANDS ALONG THE
COAST OF ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, INTO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL
NATIONAL MONUMENT MANAGED BY THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, AND MEET
THE ORIGINAL CONGRESSIONAL INTENT OF PRESERVING ORANGE COUNTY'S ROCKS
AND SMALL ISLANDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
_______
July 20, 2011.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 944]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 944) to eliminate an unused lighthouse
reservation, provide management consistency by incorporating
the rocks and small islands along the coast of Orange County,
California, into the California Coastal National Monument
managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and meet the original
Congressional intent of preserving Orange County's rocks and
small islands, 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. 944 is to eliminate an unused
lighthouse reservation, provide management consistency by
incorporating the rocks and small islands along the coast of
Orange County, California, into the California Coastal National
Monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management and meet the
original Congressional intent of preserving Orange County's
rocks and small islands.
Background and Need for Legislation
H.R. 944 is intended to correct a situation in which two
public laws from the 1930's are inadvertently preventing
certain rocks, pinnacles, reefs, small islands and lighthouses
off the coast of Orange County from being included in the
California Coastal National Monument (Monument).
President Bill Clinton, under the authority of Section 2 of
the Antiquities Act of 1906, created the California Coastal
National Monument on January 11, 2000. The Monument is
protected as part of the National Landscape Conservation System
and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Monument
spans the entire 1,100 miles of the California coast between
Mexico and Oregon, and extends 12 nautical miles from the
shoreline. When created, the Monument only included
``unreserved and unappropriated'' rocks and islands. Since the
areas covered by this bill were reserved for lighthouses that
were never built, they were not designated as part of the
Monument. This legislation will therefore provide consistency
in the management of these geologic features under the umbrella
of the National Landscape Conservation System.
Committee Action
H.R. 944 was introduced on March 8, 2011, by Congressman
John Campbell (R-CA). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. On May 4, 2011,
the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
held a hearing on the bill. On June 15, 2011, the Full
Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee
on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands was discharged by
unanimous consent. No amendments were offered and the bill was
ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by
unanimous consent.
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Compliance With House Rule XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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. 944--A bill to eliminate an unused lighthouse reservation, provide
management consistency by incorporating the rocks and small
islands along the coast of Orange County, California, into the
California Coastal National Monument managed by the Bureau of
Land Management, and meet the original Congressional intent of
preserving Orange County's rocks and small islands, and for
other purposes
H.R. 944 would add certain islands and large rocks located
off the coast of California to the California Coastal National
Monument. The act also would repeal statutes enacted in the
1930s that reserved two of the rocks for lighthouses that were
never constructed.
Based on information provided by the Bureau of Land
Management, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 944 would have
no significant impact on the federal budget. The affected
properties are already administered by the federal government,
and their inclusion in the national monument would not require
the purchase or development of any land. Enacting H.R. 944
would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-
as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 944 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The
estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
2. Section 308(a) of 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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. Enacting H.R. 944
would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-
as-you-go procedures do not apply.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does
not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not
apply.
Earmark Statement
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
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 Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
ACT OF FEBRUARY 18, 1931
CHAP. 226.--AN ACT To reserve for public use rocks, pinnacles, reefs,
and small islands along the seacoast of Orange County, California.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all
rocks, pinnacles, reefs, and islands having an area, at
ordinary high tide, of less than two acres, and located in the
Pacific Ocean within one mile of the coast of Orange County,
California, be, and the same are hereby, [temporarily reserved,
pending enactment of appropriate legislation by the Congress of
the United States] part of the California Coastal National
Monument and shall be administered as such, in the interest of
preserving the same for park, scenic, or other public purposes,
and no patent shall issue for any of said rocks, pinnacles,
reefs, or islands under any law relating to the public lands
after the passage of this Act.
----------
SECTION 31 OF THE ACT OF MAY 28, 1935
AN ACT To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to dispose of certain
lighthouse reservations, and for other purposes.
[Sec. 31. That the Act of February 18, 1931 (46 Stat. 1172),
entitled ``An Act to reserve for public use rocks, pinnacles,
reefs, and small islands along the sea coast of Orange County,
California'', is hereby amended to reserve for lighthouse
purposes the San Juan and San Mateo Rocks and the two rocks in
the vicinity of Laguna Beach, off the coast of Orange County,
California.]