[Senate Report 110-163] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] Calendar No. 361 110th Congress Report SENATE 1st Session 110-163 ====================================================================== DESIGNATION OF JIM WEAVER LOOP TRAIL, WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST, OREGON _______ September 17, 2007.--Ordered to be printed _______ Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany H.R. 247] The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was referred the Act (H.R. 247) to designate a Forest Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the State of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former Member of the House of Representatives, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the Act do pass. PURPOSE The purpose of H.R. 247 is to designate a 19.6-mile trail around Waldo Lake, on the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, as a national recreation trail under the National Trails System Act, to be known as the ``Jim Weaver Loop Trail.'' BACKGROUND AND NEED Jim Weaver represented Oregon's Fourth Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1987, an area that includes Lane County and the Willamette National Forest. During his tenure in Congress, Representative Weaver was a member of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (now known as the Natural Resources Committee) and was a proponent of many natural resource conservation measures, including the designation of new wilderness areas north of Waldo Lake in the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984. H.R. 247 designates a Forest Service trail as the ``Jim Weaver Loop Trail'' in honor of Congressman Weaver. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY H.R. 247, sponsored by Congressman DeFazio, passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote on March 5, 2007. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the bill on May 15, 2007, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 247 favorably reported on July 25, 2007. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on July 25, 2007, by a voice vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 247. SUMMARY OF THE MEASURE H.R. 247 designates Forest Service trail 3590 in the Willamette National Forest in Lane County, Oregon as the ``Jim Weaver Loop Trail.'' The trail extends 19.6 miles around Waldo Lake. The Secretary of Agriculture is directed to prepare, install, and maintain an appropriate sign at the trailhead to indicate the name of the trail. COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office: July 26, 2007. Hon. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 247, an act to designate a Forest Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the state of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former Member of the House of Representatives. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Tyler Kruzich. Sincerely, Peter R. Orszag. Enclosure. H.R. 247--An act to designate a Forest Service trail at Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in the state of Oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former Member of the House of Representatives H.R. 247 would designate approximately 20 miles of trail around Waldo Lake in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon as the ``Jim Weaver Loop Trail.'' The Secretary of Agriculture would be required to install and maintain an interpretive sign at the trailhead of the Jim Weaver Loop Trail detailing the life and career of Congressman Weaver. CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 247 would not have a significant effect on the federal budget. Enacting H.R. 247 would not affect direct spending or revenues. H.R. 247 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 Tyler Kruzich. 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 H.R. 247. The Act 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 H.R. 247, as ordered reported. EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS The testimony provided by the Department of Agriculture at the May 15, 2007, hearing on H.R. 247 follows: Statement of Joel Holtrop, Deputy Chief, National Forest System, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture * * * * * * * h.r. 247, designation of ``jim weaver loop trail,'' willamette national forest Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to provide the views of the Department of Agriculture on these bills: S. 1057, New River Wild and Scenic River Act of 2007; S. 1281, Snake Headwaters Legacy Act of 2007; and H.R. 247, which designates a Forest Service trail in the Willamette National Forest as a National Recreation Trail in honor of Jim Weaver, a former member of the House of Representatives. * * * * * * * h.r. 247, designation of the ``jim weaver loop trail,'' willamette national forest H.R. 247 would designate a 19.6 mile trail known as Trail 3590, the Waldo Lake Loop, on the Willamette National Forest as a national recreation trail in honor of Jim Weaver, former member of the House of Representatives from Oregon. The trail would be a component of the National Trails System and would be renamed the ``Jim Weaver Loop Trail.'' The bill would also authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare, install, and maintain an interpretive sign honoring the life and career of Congressman Jim Weaver. The Department supports enactment of this legislation to honor former Representative Jim Weaver. This concludes my prepared statement and I would be pleased to answer any questions you 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 Act H.R. 247, as ordered reported.