[House Report 113-69]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 113-69
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AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO ADJUST THE BOUNDARY OF THE
STEPHEN MATHER WILDERNESS AND THE NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK IN ORDER
TO ALLOW THE REBUILDING OF A ROAD OUTSIDE OF THE FLOODPLAIN WHILE
ENSURING THAT THERE IS NO NET LOSS OF ACREAGE TO THE PARK OR THE
WILDERNESS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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May 17, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1156]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1156) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the
North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding
of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there
is no net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, 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. 1156 is to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather
Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to
allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while
ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or
the Wilderness.
Background and Need for Legislation
The Stephen Mather Wilderness was designated in 1988 as
part of the Washington Park Wilderness Act (Public Law 100-
668). Excluded from the wilderness area was a 100-foot corridor
for a pre-existing dirt road that followed the Stehekin River
for 23 miles from Lake Chelan into the wilderness, providing
limited vehicle access to trails and campgrounds in that
portion of the wilderness. The road dead-ended at a campground
and trailhead to a scenic basin and pass. The action to ensure
continuance of the road was careful and deliberate, and was
taken to ensure public access in an area that would have more
limited access options due to the wilderness designation.
Until 2003, the Park provided shuttle service along the
road for hikers and campers, who could only reach the road by
passenger ferry or floatplane. Local residents, who retained
property and small businesses inside the park and the adjoining
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, also used the road for
recreation.
Damage to the road from a 1995 flood was repaired, except
for a 2.5 mile section at the very end of the road, but in 2003
and again in 2006 major flooding along the river washed out
significant portions of the road in the upper valley. Since
these floods, the road has been impassible for vehicles above
what used to be the halfway point. The public access
specifically provided for and protected by the 1988 law has
been voided by the destruction of the road.
Due to the wilderness designation, the Secretary of the
Interior says that the National Park Service is unable to
rebuild the road. H.R. 1156 is necessary to simply allow the
Secretary of the Interior the ability to rebuild an adequate
road that can be successfully maintained, thereby upholding the
promise made in 1988.
Committee Action
H.R. 1156 was introduced on March 14, 2013, by Congressman
Doc Hastings (R-WA). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On April 24,
2013, the Full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the
bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental
Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments
were offered, and the bill was then adopted and 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. 1156--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust
the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North
Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a
road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no
net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, and for
other purposes
H.R. 1156 would allow the Secretary of the Interior to
redraw the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness (which
makes up more than 90 percent of the North Cascades National
Park in Washington) to exclude a 100-foot wide corridor. The
National Park Service (NPS) would use the corridor (which would
remain part of the park) to reroute a flood-damaged portion of
the Stehekin Valley Road.
Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming
appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that
completing the rerouting project would cost about $3 million
over the next five years. Of this amount, about $500,000 would
be spent to conduct an environmental impact study of the
boundary change and the construction project. About $2.5
million would be spent to build the new road segment and
restore the remaining portion of the existing road. Enacting
H.R. 1156 would not affect direct spending or revenues;
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von
Gnechten. 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, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures. Based on information provided by
the National Park Service and assuming appropriation of the
necessary amounts, CBO estimates that completing the rerouting
project would cost about $3 million over the next five years.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather
Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to
allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while
ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or
the Wilderness.
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.
Compliance With H. Res. 5
Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any
specific rule-making proceedings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
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 (new matter is
printed in italics and existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
WASHINGTON PARK WILDERNESS ACT OF 1988
* * * * * * *
TITLE II--NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COMPLEX WILDERNESS
* * * * * * *
SEC. 207. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROAD.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may adjust the boundaries of
the North Cascades National Park and the Stephen Mather
Wilderness in order to provide a 100-foot-wide corridor along
which the Stehekin Valley Road may be rebuilt--
(1) outside of the floodplain between milepost 12.9
and milepost 22.8;
(2) within the boundaries of the North Cascades
National Park; and
(3) outside of the boundaries of the Stephen Mather
Wilderness.
(b) No Net Loss of Lands.--The boundary adjustments made
under this section shall be such that equal acreage amounts are
exchanged between the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North
Cascades National Park, resulting in no net loss of acreage to
either the Stephen Mather Wilderness or the North Cascades
National Park.
* * * * * * *