[House Report 105-193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 1st Session                                                    105-193
_______________________________________________________________________


 
            WARNER CANYON SKI HILL LAND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1997

                                _______
                                

 July 21, 1997.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

_______________________________________________________________________


  Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1944]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H. R. 1944) to provide for a land exchange involving the 
Warner Canyon Ski Area and other land in the State of Oregon, 
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. 1944 is to provide for a land exchange 
involving the Warner Canyon Ski Area and other land in the 
State of Oregon.

                  background and need for legislation

    H.R. 1944 deeds approximately 290 acres of Forest Service 
land, comprising the Warner Canyon Ski Hill, to Lake County, 
Oregon. In exchange, Lake County will deed approximately 320 
acres of land that is currently owned by Lake County within the 
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge to the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service. The specific acreage offered by Lake County 
will depend on an appraisal of all the lands to determine what 
amounts to an equal value trade.
    The Warner Canyon Ski Hill has been operated by the 
nonprofit Fremont Highlanders Ski Club since 1938. It is one of 
America's last nonprofit ski hills and has 780 feet vertical 
drop for skiing and one lift (a T-bar). The ski area is about 
five miles from the town of Lakeview, which has a population of 
roughly 2,500 citizens. After the exchange is completed, Lake 
County will own the land and the Fremont Highlanders Ski Club 
will lease the land from Lake County at a nominal yearly fee 
and run the community ski area.
    The Warner Canyon Ski Hill anticipates many benefits by the 
trade including the reduction in the cost of liability 
insurance as well as better management of the ski area. The 
Forest Service will benefit by reducing the cost of managing 
this recreational property. The Supervisor of the Fremont 
National Forest has determined that it costs $10,000 per year 
to administer the ski area permit, while the ski area itself 
generates no more than $400 in ski fee revenues to the U.S. 
Treasury.

                            committee action

    H.R. 1944 was introduced on June 17, 1997, by Congressman 
Bob Smith (R-OR). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 
Forest Health. On July 10, 1997, the Subcommittee held a 
hearing on H.R. 1944, where the Administration testified in 
support. On July 16, 1997, the Resources Committee met to mark 
up H.R. 1944 and discharged the Subcommittee from further 
consideration of the bill. No amendments were offered and the 
bill was then ordered favorably reported to the House of 
Representatives by voice vote, in the presence of a quorum.

            committee oversight findings and recommendations

    With respect to the requirements of clause 2(l)(3) of rule 
XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and clause 
2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, 
the Committee on Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Article I, section 8 and article IV, section 3 of the 
Constitution of the United States grant Congress the authority 
to enact H.R. 1944.

                        COST OF THE LEGISLATION

    Clause 7(a) 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 
H.R. 1944. However, clause 7(d) 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 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XI

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(B) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, H.R. 
1944 does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in tax 
expenditures. Enactment of H.R. 1944 could decrease revenues to 
the United States by eliminating the minimal ski area permit 
fees paid by the Warner Canyon Ski Area, but the net impact on 
the federal budget would be negligible.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(D) of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee has received no report of oversight findings and 
recommendations from the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight on the subject of H.R. 1944.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 2(l)(3)(C) of 
rule XI 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 H.R. 
1944 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 17, 1997.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1944, the Warner 
Canyon Ski Hill Land Exchange Act of 1997.
    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.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1944--Warner Canyon Ski Hill Land Exchange Act of 1997

    CBO estimates that enacting this bill would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget. Because H.R. 1944 
would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures would 
apply; however, CBO estimates that such effects would total 
less than $1,000 per year. H.R. 1944 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 and would have no 
significant impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    H.R. 1944 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to 
convey about 295 acres of federal land within the Warner Canyon 
Ski Area of Fremont National Forest to Lake County, Oregon, if 
that county conveys about 320 acres of nonfederal land within 
the Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge to the Secretary of 
the Interior. The conveyance would be subject to valid existing 
rights and under terms acceptable to the Secretaries of 
Agriculture and the Interior. Under current law, the Warner 
Canyon Ski Area pays several hundred dollars per year in ski 
fees to the federal government, of which a portion is paid to 
the state of Oregon. Because enacting the bill would eliminate 
these offsetting receipts and associated state payments, pay-
as-you-go procedures would apply, but the net impact on direct 
spending would be negligible. Enacting H.R. 1944 would reduce 
the amount of land administered by the U.S. Forest Service and 
increase the amount of land administered by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, all within Lake County. We estimate these 
changes would have no significant net impact on discretionary 
spending by the federal government.
    The CBO contact for this estimate is Victoria V. Heid. This 
estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                    compliance with public law 104-4

    H.R. 1944 contains no unfunded mandates.

                        changes in existing law

    If enacted, H.R. 1944 would make no changes in existing 
law.