[House Report 113-217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress } { Report
} HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES {
1st Session 113-217
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DENALI NATIONAL PARK IMPROVEMENT ACT
_______
September 20, 2013.--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. 586]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 586) to provide for certain improvements to the
Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska, 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. 586 is to provide for certain
improvements to the Denali National Park and Preserve in the
State of Alaska.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
H.R. 586 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
issue right-of-way permits for a natural gas transmission
pipeline within Denali National Park, authorize the Secretary
of the Interior to issue permits for a micro-hydroelectric
project within Denali National Park and Preserve, exchange land
managed by Denali National Park and Preserve with land owned by
Doyon Tourism, Inc., and rename the Talkeetna Ranger Station in
Talkeetna, Alaska, in honor of Walter Harper.
Electricity in south-central Alaska is largely generated by
burning natural gas produced from the gas fields in Cook Inlet,
south of Anchorage, although production from Cook Inlet has
been declining. There are concerns regarding the region's
ability to produce sufficient gas to support the area's
electricity and home heating needs. Plans for a large-volume
natural gas pipeline to run from the Prudhoe Bay oil fields to
the Lower 48 States may not be finished in time to provide
needed gas to south-central Alaska. Therefore, Alaska is
considering investing in a pipeline to meet medium-term in-
state demand.
The pipeline would run from Alaska's North Slope region,
past Fairbanks, through the Nenana River Canyon and, as
authorized by H.R. 586, through Denali National Park and
Preserve following the existing highway, seven miles of which
pass through the park. The proposed pipeline makes use of the
current highway right-of-way. Using that right-of-way would
prevent impacts on wildlife in lands immediately adjacent to
the park and would provide natural gas for use in park
facilities and vehicles, currently powered by diesel-turbine
power sources.
To further the purposes of H.R. 586, the Committee strongly
urges that the requirement for the simultaneous filing of an
application under section 1104(c) of the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3164(c)) apply only
to the portion of the applicant's high-pressure natural gas
transmission pipeline that is within the boundary of Denali
National Park and Preserve.
The Kantishna Roadhouse is owned by Doyon Tourism, Inc., a
subsidiary of the Alaska Native Corporation Doyon, Ltd. It is a
full-service lodge located 92 miles inside Denali National Park
and Preserve at the end of the Denali Park Road. The Roadhouse,
like many structures within Denali National Park, is entirely
off the grid and generates all of its electricity needs with a
diesel generator. As a result, diesel must be trucked in using
the Denali Park Road. H.R. 586 would authorize the permitting
of a micro hydroelectric project that would allow the Roadhouse
to reduce its diesel use and transport by approximately 50
percent.
The proposed microhydro generator would be installed in
Eureka Creek, a four-mile-long stream. Some water from the
creek would be diverted through an at-grade water intake with a
conduit to carry water downhill to the generator housed in one
of Doyon Tourism's buildings. An electrical distribution line
would carry the electricity to the Roadhouse, about 600 feet
from the microhydro generator. A battery bank would store
surplus electricity to accommodate peak power demands and
maintenance shut-downs of the generator. H.R. 586 would
authorize the Secretary to issue permits for other microhydro
projects in the Kantishna Hills area subject to applicable
National Park Service terms and conditions. H.R. 586 also
authorizes a land exchange between Denali National Park and
Doyon Tourism, Inc., for the purpose of consolidating land
holdings for both the Park and Doyon.
The Talkeetna Ranger Station is located approximately 100
miles from the south entrance to Denali National Park and
Preserve and is the headquarters for the Park's mountaineering
rangers. All climbing expeditions to Mt. McKinley and Mt.
Foraker obtain permits and mountain orientation at this ranger
station. H.R. 586 will rename the Talkeetna Ranger Station in
honor of Alaskan Native Walter Harper. Nearly 100 years ago,
Harper set out to reach the summit of Mount McKinley in the
Alaskan Range. After a three-month journey from Fairbanks,
Walter Harper became the first person to set foot on top of
North America's tallest peak on June 7, 1913.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 586 was introduced on February 6, 2013, by Congressman
Don Young (R-AK). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On May 9, 2013,
the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On July 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 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. 586--Denali National Park Improvement Act
Based on information provided by the National Park Service
(NPS), CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 586 would have no
significant impact on the federal budget. The bill would:
Authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
issue permits for microhydroelectric projects in the
Kantishna Hills area of the Denali National Park and
Preserve in Alaska;
Authorize an exchange of land between the
Department of the Interior and Doyon Tourism, Inc.;
Authorize the NPS to issue permits to
construct a natural gas pipeline in the Denali National
Park; and
Redesignate the Talkeetna Ranger Station as
the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station.
Enacting H.R. 586 could increase offsetting receipts (from
permit fees) and associated direct spending; therefore, pay-as-
you-go procedures apply. If potential owners or operators of a
pipeline seek permits from the NPS, the agency could collect a
fee to recover any costs associated with issuing such permits.
NPS would retain and spend those amounts to process the permit
without further appropriation, and any excess receipts would be
deposited in the Treasury. CBO estimates that the total
collections under the legislation would be insignificant over
the 2014-2023 period, and the net effect on direct spending
would be negligible. Enacting the legislation would not affect
revenues.
H.R. 586 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.
On April 1, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
157, the Denali National Park Improvement Act, as ordered
reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources on March 14, 2013. On July 26, 2013, CBO transmitted
a cost estimate for S. 157, the Denali National Park
Improvement Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on
Natural Resources on July 24, 2013. H.R. 586 is similar to both
versions of S. 157, and the CBO cost estimates are the same.
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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. Based on
information provided by the National Park Service (NPS), CBO
estimates that implementing H.R. 586 would have no significant
impact on the federal budget.
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 provide for certain improvements
to the Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of
Alaska.
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
If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing
law.