[Senate Report 104-374]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 612
104th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE

 2d Session                                                     104-374
_______________________________________________________________________


 
                       GREAT WESTERN SCENIC TRAIL

                                _______
                                

               September 30, 1996.--Ordered to be printed

_______________________________________________________________________


  Mr. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 531]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 531) to designate the Great Western 
Scenic Trail as a study trail under the National Trails System 
Act, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that 
the Act do pass.

                         Purpose of the Measure

    The purpose of H.R. 531 is to direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to work in consultation with the Secretary of the 
Interior in order to study the Great Western Scenic Trail for 
potential inclusion in the National Trails System.

                          Background and Need

    The Great Western Trail is envisioned as a north/south 
trail system extending from Canada to Mexico. The proposed 
route would take advantage of many existing trails, roads and 
public lands throughout the Rocky Mountain area, including 
lands managed by the National Park Service, National Forest 
Service and Bureau of Land Management.
    The proposed route from north to south would run through 
the Idaho Panhandle, Clearwater and Nez Perce National Forests, 
then east between the Selway Bitterroot and Frank Church River 
of No Return Wilderness Areas. Once at the Idaho/Montana 
border, the trail corridor would extend south along the 
alignment of the existing Continental Divide National Scenic 
Trail to the Trail Pass (Salmon and Beaverhead National 
Forests). The route would then continue south through the 
Targhee National Forest past the west side of Yellowstone 
National Park to Palisades Reservoir, where it would split into 
two routes which would merge at the Utah border.
    At the Utah border the trail corridor would continue south-
east of Logan, Salt Lake City, Provo, Nephi and several smaller 
communities along the Wasatch Front, extending into southern 
Utah (Wasatch/Cache, Uinta, Manti, Fishlake and Dixie National 
Forests). At the southern Utah border, the trail corridor would 
extend through Arizona completing the link to the border of 
Mexico. This section of the corridor would follow a proposed 
motorized trail route and would be known as the El Camino 
Grande section of the Great Western Trail. This section would 
extend south and east through Arizona, crossing the Colorado 
River upstream of Grand Canyon National Park and head south 
passing Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson, finally reaching the 
border of Mexico (Kaibab, Coconino, Tonto and Coronado National 
Forests).
    The Great Western Trail is envisioned as a ``multiple use'' 
trail that would accommodate nearly all methods of recreational 
trail use including hiking, biking, skiing, horses, boating, 
four wheel and off road vehicles. This is reaffirmed in the 
proposed legislation by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture 
to examine the appropriateness of motorized and non-motorized 
uses along the trail.

                          Legislative History

    H.R. 531 was introduced on January 17, 1995, by 
Representatives Hansen, Orton and Wallace. The bill was 
reported as amended by the House Committee on Resources (H.Rep. 
104-57). The bill passed the House as amended on March 14, 
1995, (400-15) and was referred to the Senate Energy and 
Natural Resources Committee on March 15, 1995. Reports from the 
Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior, and the Office of 
Management and Budget were requested on March 24, 1995. A 
hearing was held on H.R. 531 on May 16, 1996.
    H.R. 531 is identical to S. 621, which was introduced on 
March 24, 1996 by Senators Bennett, Campbell, Brown, Jeffords, 
Stevens and Hatch. The Subcommittee on Parks, Historic 
Preservation and Recreation held a hearing on the bill on May 
16, 1996. Similar legislation, S. 1652, was introduced by 
Senator Bennett and cosponsored by Senator Hatch during the 
103d Congress. The Subcommittee on Public Lands held a hearing 
on S. 1652 on May 19, 1996 (S. Hrg. 103-755). No further action 
was taken on the bill.
    At the business meeting on September 12, 1996, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 531 
favorably reported.

                        Committee Recommendation

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on September 12, 1996, by a unanimous voice 
vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 
531.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    Section 1 amends the National Trails Systems Act by 
authorizing a study of the Great Western Scenic Trail, which is 
described as a system of trails accommodating a variety of 
travel users in a corridor approximately 3,100 miles in length 
extending from the Arizona-New Mexico border to the Idaho-
Montana-Canada border, and following the approximate route 
depicted on a map titled ``Great Western Corridor, 1988.'' The 
Act directs that the map be available for public inspection.
    Section 1 directs that a trail study be conducted by the 
Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of 
the Interior, and directs that the study include: (A) the 
current status of land ownership and potential land use along 
the route; (B) the estimated cost of land acquisition; (C) an 
examination of the appropriateness of motorized use along the 
trail.

                   Cost and Budgetary Considerations

    The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 18, 1996.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
reviewed H.R. 531, an act to designate the Great Western Scenic 
Trail as a study trail under the National Trails System Act, 
and for other purposes, as reported by the Senate Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources on September 16, 1996. CBO 
estimates that implementing this legislation would cost about 
$300,000 over fiscal years 1997 and 1998, assuming 
appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting H.R. 531 would 
not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-
go procedures would not apply.
    H.R. 531 would amend the National Trails System Act to 
designate the Great Western Trail as a potential addition to 
the National Trails System. This act would require that the 
Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department 
of the Interior, conduct a study of various issues concerning 
the trail. Based on information provided by the Forest Service, 
CBO estimates that the study would cost about $300,000, 
assuming appropriation of the necessary funds, and would take 
two years to complete.
    H.R. 531 contains no private-sector or intergovernmental 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4) and would have no impact on the budgets of 
state, local, or tribal governments.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Victoria V. 
Heid.
            Sincerely,
                                         June E. O'Neill, Director.

                      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. 531. 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 H.R. 531, as ordered reported.

                        Executive Communications

    On September 13, 1996, the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of 
Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and the Office of 
Management and Budget setting forth Executive agency 
recommendations on H.R. 531. These reports had not been 
received at the time the report on H.R. 531 was filed. When 
these reports become available, the Chairman will request that 
they be printed in the Congressional Record for the advice of 
the Senate. The testimony provided by the Department of 
Agriculture at the Subcommittee hearing follows:

Statement of Gray F. Reynolds, Deputy Chief, Forest Service, Department 
                             of Agriculture

    Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee: We appreciate 
the opportunity to provide the views of the Department of 
Agriculture regarding legislation for the Great Western Trail 
and the National Discovery Trails Act. I am accompanied by 
Brent Botts, Trails Program Manager here in the Washington 
Office.


                s. 621 and h.r. 531, great western trail


    S. 621 and H.R. 531 would amend the National Trails System 
Act to designate the Great Western Trail as a study trail for 
potential addition to the National Trails System.
    The Department of Agriculture supports enactment of S. 621 
and H.R. 531.
    The Forest Service testified on H.R. 531 before the House 
Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 
and Lands, in January 1995 and recommended certain amendments 
that would make the bill favorable and less costly for the 
Administration. These amendments were included in the bill as 
reported by the House Resources Committee on February 27, 1995, 
and were also included in S. 621.
    The Great Western Trail would begin at the Arizona-Mexico 
border and extends north approximately 3,100 miles to the 
Idaho-Montana-Canada border. The trail corridor, which also 
crosses Utah and Wyoming, would extend through the heart of the 
Intermountain West, some of the world's most spectacular 
scenery. This trail would be located primarily on public lands, 
crossing 18 National Forests and public domain lands 
administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Certain segments 
of the trail would also cross two National Parks, and State and 
county lands in Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho.
    Section 5(b) of the National Trails System Act (Public Law 
90-543) provides that the study of a trail shall be finalized 
and submitted to Congress within 3 complete fiscal years from 
the date of designation of the trail for study. Assuming the 
appropriation of funds for that purpose, we estimate that the 
proposed study would cost approximately $300,000 and take 2 
full fiscal years to complete. As indicated in S. 621, among 
other things, the study will include the current status of land 
ownership and potential use along the designated route, the 
estimated cost of acquisition of lands or interests in lands, 
if any, and examination of the appropriateness of motorized 
trail use along the Great Western Trail.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill H.R. 531, as ordered reported, are shown as follows 
(existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black 
brackets, new matters is printed in italic, existing law in 
which no change is proposed is shown in roman):
    Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 
1244(c)) is amended by adding at the end of the following new 
paragraph:
    (38) The Great Western Scenic Trail, a system of trails to 
accommodate a wide variety of travel users in a corridor of 
approximately 3,100 miles in length extending from the Arizona-
New Mexico border to the Idaho-Montana-Canada border, following 
the approximate route depicted on the map identified as ``Great 
Western Trail Corridor, 1988'', which shall be on file and 
available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of 
the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. 
The trail study shall be conducted by the Secretary of 
Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
Interior, in accordance with subsection (b) and shall include--
          (A) the current status of land ownership and current 
        and potential use along the designated route;
          (B) the estimated cost of acquisition of lands or 
        interests in lands, if any; and
          (C) an examination of the appropriateness of 
        motorized trail use along the trail.