[Senate Report 110-164]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 362
110th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 110-164
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COLUMBIA-PACIFIC NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA STUDY ACT
_______
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. 407]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the Act (H.R. 407) to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of
establishing the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area in the
States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without
amendment and recommends that the Act do pass.
PURPOSE
The purpose of H.R. 407 is to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of
designating certain coastal areas in Clatsop County, Oregon,
and Pacific County, Washington, and a corridor along the
Columbia River as the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Following the completion of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Bicentennial Commemoration that took place in Clatsop County,
Oregon, and Pacific County, Washington, in 2005, community
leaders recognized the national significance of the heritage
culture, and legacy of the region. The bicentennial celebration
efforts greatly enhanced local community pride and resulted in
several projects related to the heritage of the area, including
the designation of the Lewis & Clark National Historical Park,
construction of the ``Fort to Sea'' trail in Oregon and the
Discovery Trail in Washington, and development of heritage
monuments in both States.
H.R. 407 authorizes a study to be undertaken to assess the
feasibility of designating this area as a national heritage
area, in furtherance of the previous efforts described above.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
H.R. 407, sponsored by Representative Baird, passed the
House of Representatives by a voice vote on May 7, 2007.
Companion legislation, S. 257, was introduced by Senators
Smith, Murray, Wyden, and Cantwell on January 11, 2007. The
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 257 on
March 20, 2007 (S. Hrg. 110-73).
At its business meeting on July 25, 2007, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 407 favorably
reported.
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. 407.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Columbia-Pacific
National Heritage Area Study Act.''
Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.
Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior, in
consultation with the managers of Federal lands within the
study area, appropriate State and local governmental agencies,
tribal governments, and other interested organizations, to
conduct a study to determine the feasibility of designating the
study area as the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area.
Subsection (b) sets forth the requirements for the study.
The study is to include analysis, documentation, and a
determination whether the study area has an assemblage of
natural, historic, and cultural resources that represent
distinctive aspects of the heritage of the United States, in
addition to several other criteria listed in the subsection.
Subsection (c) requires the Secretary, in conducting the
study, to analyze the potential impact that designation of the
area as a national heritage area is likely to have on
privately-owned land within the study area.
Section 4 requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit
a report to Congress within three fiscal years after funds are
made available for the study, describing the findings of the
study and any conclusions and recommendations.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
July 31, 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. 407, the Columbia-
Pacific National Heritage Area Study Act.
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. 407--Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area Study Act
H.R. 407 would direct the Department of the Interior (DOI)
to conduct a suitability and feasibility study of designating
coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest as the Columbia-Pacific
National Heritage Area. Based on information from the DOI, CBO
estimates that implementing H.R. 407 would cost less than
$500,000, assuming the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or
revenues.
H.R. 407 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 contacts for this estimate are Tyler Kruzich
and David Reynolds. The 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. 407. 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. 407, as ordered reported.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
The testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at
the March 20, 2007, Subcommittee hearing on the Senate
companion measure, S. 257, follows:
Statement of Daniel N. Wenk, Deputy Director, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to provide the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 257, a bill to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to
determine the feasibility of establishing the Columbia-Pacific
National Heritage Area in the states of Washington and Oregon.
The Department supports enactment of S. 257 with amendments
that are described later in this statement. These amendments
would make the study requirements in S. 257 fully consistent
with the criteria for National Heritage Area studies that were
included in the Administration's proposal for National Heritage
Area program legislation that was transmitted to Congress last
July. Bills were introduced in the 109th Congress (S. 243, H.R.
760 and H.R. 6287) that incorporated the majority of the
provisions of the Administration's proposal, and S. 243 passed
the Senate. During the 110th Congress, a similar heritage area
program bill, S. 278, has been introduced, and we look forward
to continuing to work with Congress on this very important
issue.
While the Department supports the authorization of this
study, we also believe that any funding requested should be
directed first toward completing previously authorized studies.
With 37 national heritage areas designated across 27
states, and more heritage area legislative proposals in the
pipeline, the Administration believes it is critical at this
juncture for Congress to enact national heritage area program
legislation. This legislation would provide a much-needed
framework for evaluating proposed national heritage areas,
offering guidelines for successful planning and management,
clarifying the roles and responsibilities of all parties, and
standardizing timeframes and funding for designated areas.
Program legislation also would clarify the expectation that
heritage areas would work toward self-sufficiency by outlining
the necessary steps, including appropriate planning, to achieve
that shared goal.
Where the mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, a
unique confluence of American history unfolds. For many
millennia, the broad, fog-shrouded, and dangerous Columbia
River served as the home to the Chinookan people. Over the
years, the Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wiakakum and Cathlamet
people developed a rich and complex society based upon trade
and the use of the abundant natural resources. These people
continue to live and work to keep their culture alive
throughout the region.
The entrance yielded to 18th Century maritime and
continental explorers after Captain Sir Francis Drake and
Captain Cook sailed off the coast in search of the fabled
Northwest Passage. In 1792, the first ship under United States
command in the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia Rediviva, was the
first non-native ship to enter the mouth of the great river of
the west. Captain Robert Gray named the four-mile-wide river
after his ship. Two months later, one of British Captain George
Vancouver's ships sailed up the Columbia River and claimed both
banks of the river for England. This created international
tensions over disputed territory that would remain unresolved
for over 50 years.
International commerce flourished as American and European
ships sought to trade with the Chinook for furs. Ships would
travel around Cape Horn, trade for furs along the Columbia,
then sail to China where the furs would be traded for silk,
spices, porcelain, and other goods.
In 1805, thirteen years after Captain Gray first entered
the Columbia River, the Lewis and Clark Expedition made the
first overland journey to the mouth of the Columbia, reaching
their destination of the Pacific Ocean. The Expedition wintered
at Fort Clatsop and successfully returned home. The Corps of
Discovery's arrival and stay is commemorated at the sites of
the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and at state park
sites in Washington and Oregon, which are working in
partnership with the National Park Service to preserve and
interpret the Corps of Discovery story.
In 1811, John Jacob Astor established the first permanent
American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, in Astoria. At
the outbreak of the War of 1812, Astoria was sold to the
British Hudson's Bay Company and was not returned to America
until the late 1820's. After more than 50 years of contentious
British and American ownership, possession of the region was
not resolved until both banks of the Columbia became undisputed
United States territory in 1846. Today, Astoria is known for
its Historic Districts with Victorian and Craftsman-style homes
stacked along its steep hillsides with an active working
waterfront.
The natural geography of the Columbia River provided a
ready-made homeland defense for Native Americans. At the start
of the Civil War, the United States Army followed the example
of the native people and constructed forts and coastal defenses
at the mouth of the Columbia. Fort Stevens, Fort Columbia and
Fort Canby (at Cape Disappointment) remained in continuous
operation guarding the Columbia River entrance from the Civil
War through the end of World War II.
The confluence of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean has
become known as the ``Graveyard of the Pacific.'' Hundreds of
ships lay wrecked at the entrance and along the nearby coast.
In order to further trade and commerce, the United States has
worked for nearly 150 years to make navigation of the Columbia
River safe for mariners. Today, the United States Coast Guard
serves as the sentinels of the river, where every year they
protect thousands of lives and millions of dollars in property.
For the last 200 years, people from all over the world have
settled in communities of the region to work in the industries
in the area--fishing, canneries, ship outfitting, timber
harvesting, milling and transportation, and international
trade. These resource-based industries have played and will
continue to play a significant role in the region's heritage.
The rich history of this region is set against a backdrop
of rugged scenic beauty. It includes the headlands at Ecola and
Cape Disappointment State parks, old growth forests in the
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, abundant wildlife in the
Lewis and Clark and Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife
Refuges, and miles of gentle beaches on the Long Beach
Peninsula and at Seaside, Oregon.
The study authorized by S. 257 would cover four counties
close to the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific
Ocean where there is a strong, broad-based local support for
protecting and promoting these resources. It is estimated to
cost between $200,000 and $300,000.
S. 257 contains most, but not all, of the criteria for
National Heritage Area studies that the National Park Service
believes is essential for evaluating the feasibility of
designating a National Heritage Area. The bill omits criteria
related to the identification of a local coordinating entity
and its roles and responsibilities. It also omits criteria
related to development of a conceptual boundary map. We would
be pleased to work with the committee to develop amendments
that would address these matters.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of 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 Act H.R. 407, as
ordered reported.