[Senate Report 108-363]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 722
108th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 108-363
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UINTA RESEARCH AND CURATORIAL CENTER
_______
September 28, 2004.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Domenici, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1678]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 1678) to provide for the establishment of
the Uinta Research and Curatorial Center for Dinosaur National
Monument in the States of Colorado and Utah, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon
with an amendment and an amendment to the title and recommends
that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
1. Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in
lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Uinta Research and Curatorial Center
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Uinta Research and
Curatorial Center.
(2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Proposed
Location of the Uinta Research and Curatorial Center'',
numbered 122/80,080, and dated May 2004.
(3) Monument.--The term ``Monument'' means the Dinosaur
National Monument in the States of Colorado and Utah.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
SEC. 3. UINTA RESEARCH AND CURATORIAL CENTER.
(a) In General.--To provide for the unified and cost-effective
curation of the paleontological, natural, and cultural objects of the
Monument and the surrounding area, the Secretary shall establish the
Uinta Research and Curatorial Center on land located outside the
boundary of the Monument acquired under subsection (b).
(b) Acquisition of Land.--The Secretary may acquire by donation land
for the Center consisting of not more than 5 acres located in Uintah
County, in the vicinity of Vernal, Utah, as generally depicted on the
map.
(c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available for
public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park
Service.
(d) Use.--The Center shall be used for the curation of, storage of,
and research on items in--
(1) the museum collection of the Monument; and
(2) any collection maintained by an entity described in
subsection (e)(2) that enters into a cooperative agreement with
the Secretary.
(e) Administration.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(A) administer the land acquired under subsection
(b); and
(B) promulgate any regulations that the Secretary
determines to be appropriate for the use and management
of the land.
(2) Cooperative agreements.--The Secretary may enter into a
cooperative agreement with a Federal, State, and local agency,
academic institution, Indian tribe, or nonprofit entity to
provide for--
(A) the curation of and research on the museum
collection at the Center; and
(B) the development, use, management, and operation
of the Center.
(3) Limitation.--The land acquired by the Secretary under
subsection (b) shall not--
(A) be a part of the Monument; or
(B) be subject to the laws (including regulations)
applicable to the Monument.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$8,800,000.
Amend the title so as to read: ``To provide for the
establishment of the Uinta Research and Curatorial Center for
Dinosaur National Monument in the States of Colorado and Utah,
and for other purposes.''.
PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE
The purpose of S. 1678 is to authorize the establishment of
the Uinta Research and Curatorial Center outside of Dinosaur
National Monument in Utah.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Dinosaur National Monument was designated by President
Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Since that time, the Monument has been
a haven for both amateur and expert dinosaur enthusiasts. Known
worldwide as one of the most productive sites for Jurassic era
fossils and bones, the Monument has over 600,000 artifacts in
its collection. The collection is housed in 17 separate
facilities in the park and many of them are unavailable to the
public. In addition, many of the artifacts are at risk because
they are not stored in facilities that meet National Park
Service standards for artifact storage.
S. 1678 would establish the Uinta Research and Curatorial
Center (Center). The 22,500 square foot facility would be
constructed outside the Monument's boundary at a site near the
Utah Field House of Natural History Museum (Museum) in Vernal,
Utah. The curatorial and research facility will fill the role
of fossil and archeological collection center and archive for
the Monument. Additionally, it will fill operational
requirements for the park and other partners, including the
Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. By locating
the Center adjacent to the Museum, interns, park staff and
visiting scholars will have access to the Museum's exhibit
space, classrooms, conference rooms and education facilities.
S. 1678 would also authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
accept the donation of the building site. The National Park
Service estimates the total cost of building the Center to be
approximately $8.7 million.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Senator Bennett introduced S. 1678 on September 9, 2003.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources'
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 1678 on
June 8, 2004. At the business meeting on September 15, 2004,
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 1678,
as amended, favorably reported.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an
open business session on September 15, 2004, by a unanimous
voice vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass
S. 1678, if amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
During its consideration of S. 1678, the Committee adopted
an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to
the title. The amendments correct the title and the text of the
bill to reflect the correct spelling of ``Uinta.'' The
amendment also makes a technical correction to the map
reference and authorizes an appropriation of $8,800,000 to
carry out the Act.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 entitles this bill the ``Uinta Research and
Curatorial Act.'' Section 2 defines key terms used in the Act.
Section 3(a) authorizes the Secretary of Interior
(Secretary) to establish the Uinta Research and Curatorial
Center (Center).
Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to accept the
donation of not more than five acres of land located in Uintah
County, near Vernal, Utah as identified on the map referenced
in section 2.
Subsection (c) requires the map referenced in section 2 to
be on file for public inspection in appropriate National Park
Service offices.
Subsection (d) describes the authorized function of the
Center.
Subsection (e) directs the Secretary to administer the land
described in subsection (b). The land is not to be a part of
the Dinosaur National Monument and as such is not subject to
laws or regulations applicable to the Monument; however, the
Secretary is authorized to promulgate any regulations necessary
for the management of the Center. This section also allows the
Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements to provide for
Curatorial, research and operational services.
Section 4 authorizes the appropriation of $8,800,000 to
carry out this Act.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office.
S. 1678--Uinta Research and Curatorial Center Act
S. 1678 would direct the Department of the Interior to
establish a research and curatorial center near the Dinosaur
National Monument, which is located in Colorado and Utah. The
bill would authorize the department to acquire by donation up
to five acres of land around Vernal, Utah, as a site for the
new center. The facility would be used to store and conduct
research on fossils and other items owned by the National Park
Service (NPS) and other collectors. Under the bill, the center
could be managed, operated, or used by governmental agencies,
educational institutions, or nonprofit organizations through
cooperative agreements between the department and those
entities. S. 1678 would authorize the appropriation of $8.8
million to carry out these activities.
Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming
appropriation of the authorized amount, CBO estimates that the
federal government would spend $8.8 million over the next five
years to construct the research and curatorial center. We
estimate that the cost of furnishing, equipping, operating, and
maintaining the center after 2009 would be about $400,000 a
year, assuming the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting
S. 1678 would not affect revenues or direct spending.
The legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-
sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
and would have no significant impact on the budgets of state,
local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out S. 1678.
The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of
imposing Government-established standards or significant
economic responsibilities on private individuals and
businesses.
No personal information would be collected in administering
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal
privacy.
Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the
enactment of S. 1678.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
On June 2, 2004, the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of
the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting
forth Executive agency recommendations on S. 1678. These
reports had not been received when this report was filed. The
testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at the
Subcommittee hearing on S. 1678 follows:
Statement of Janet Snyder Matthews, Associate Director for Cultural
Resources, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to appear before you today to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 1678, a bill to
establish the Uintah Research and Curatorial Center in the city
of Vernal, Utah. We thank Senator Bennett and the other members
of the Utah delegation for their interest and support in
protecting the resources of Dinosaur National Monument, the
site for which the Center is intended.
The Department of the Interior supports this bill with a
technical amendment, to accurately reflect the correct spelling
of the name of the center--Uinta. The partners have chosen to
spell the name of the center in the same way the Uinta
Mountains are spelled and not the County of Uintah. We also
have a current version of the map that more accurately shows
the location of the center in its relationship to other partner
structures on the site.
S. 1678 would authorize the National Park Service to
establish the Uinta Research and Curatorial Center on land
outside the boundary of Dinosaur National Monument. The land
would be acquired by donation from the city of Vernal, Utah and
be no more than five acres. S. 1678 would authorize the center
to be used for the curation, storage, and research of the
museum collection of Dinosaur National Monument and provide for
curation of other collections held by other federal agencies,
tribes, and universities under the guidelines of cooperative
agreements with the Secretary. The State of Utah, local
agencies, academic institutions, and appropriate private
nonprofit entities may also enter into agreements to manage and
use the site. The bill requires that the land not become part
of the Monument or be subject to laws and regulations
applicable to the Monument. This language is common when
Congress has authorized NPS administrative sites in the past.
Dinosaur National Monument was established on October 9,
1915 to protect an extraordinary deposit of dinosaur remains of
the Jurassic period. While the park contains many other
significant resources, the centerpiece continues to be the
paleontological specimens for which the park was originally
established. They are considered by the scientific community as
internationally significant and represent the single best
window into the life of Jurassic dinosaurs. The collection
contains type specimens from which specific dinosaurs are
named, as well as many one-of-a-kind specimens. The collection
is heavily used by outside researchers as well as the NPS. The
collection also contains significant archeological, biological,
archival, and historic objects that preserve the cultural and
natural history of the park.
The 1986 General Management Plan identified a need for a
collections building and upgraded lab facilities under the
preferred alternative. In the late 1990s Utah State Parks began
planning for the construction/reconstruction of the Utah Field
House Museum in Vernal. The park began working with the State
to develop a partnership to provide collections space for the
state as well as the park.The Field House Museum received $5.5
million from the State of Utah for the reconstruction, to be co-located
with the collections building on property acquired by the City of
Vernal and Uintah County. The portion of the property for the Uinta
Research and Curatorial Center is being donated to the National Park
Service (approximately one-fourth of the lot, estimated value of
approximately $375,000).
The 2001 Collection Management Report identified 609,000
items in the collection. The collections are currently stored
in 11 different facilities throughout the park, including
garages, most of which meet few NPS museum standards.
Maintenance and curation has been deferred due to lack of space
or proper facility to prepare for storage. Of the 957 museum
standards currently applicable to the park, the park barely
meets 50% of them.
This new facility would allow the park to meet nearly 98%
of those standards. Of particular importance are the health and
safety concerns from radon gas production in the enclosed areas
where radioactive specimens are currently stored. Due to lack
of space, park staff must conduct their duties in the aisles of
the old paleo lab at the Quarry Visitor Center. This lab, as
well as the entire Center, is in serious need of
rehabilitation, having suffered extensive structural distress
since its construction in the 1950s. As such, the Quarry
Visitor provides neither adequate storage space nor a suitable
environment for staff to work in. The NPS has a project planned
to stabilize and rehabilitate the historic Quarry Visitor
Center in FY 2007 as part of the five-year line-item
construction program.
The Uinta Center will provide for approximately 22,500
square feet of work and storage space and cost approximately
$8.8 million, which covers only the construction of the
building. Funding for the construction is currently programmed
for FY 2007. In addition, one-time costs for moving the
collection, equipping the laboratory, furnishing offices, and
meeting IT needs are estimated to be approximately $400,000.
Additional recurring costs for the operation of the center--
either through direct additional NPS funding, or partnerships
with other agencies that have expressed an interest in using
the facility, are estimated to be approximately $250,000 to
$300,000 per year. This includes additional staffing to perform
administrative and maintenance functions as well as basic
operational costs (utilities, necessary supplies, materials and
equipment).
A decision was made early in the process not to include the
site as part of the monument. The site is not contiguous with
the present park boundary and is nearly fourteen miles from the
closest park entrance. However, it is in the City of Vernal,
Utah and is the site for the newly constructed Utah Field House
of Natural History Museum. The State will be the primary
partner with the NPS. The Field House will provide visitors and
residents access to the museum and programs on the natural
history of the area, while the Uinta Center will provide the
storage and research function of a world-class museum. Other
partners in the project include the City of Vernal, Utah and
Uintah County who have donated the land for the project. Both
communities see this venture as an economic benefit and an
enhancement to the surrounding region's tourism efforts. The
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Ashley National Forest
will also work with us and store their collections here.
The Uinta Research and Curatorial Center is another example
of the goal of the Department and the National Park Service to
meet the needs of the agency while working with partners. The
Center will provide proper storage for irreplaceable artifacts,
improve working conditions for staff and visiting scientists,
partner with the state to provide educational opportunities,
and give visitors the chance to discover the many wonders of
eastern Utah.
That concludes my remarks, Mr. Chairman. I would be happy
to respond to any questions you and the committee may have.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 1678 as ordered
reported.