[House Report 106-712]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



106th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     106-712

======================================================================



 
      DESCHUTES RESOURCES CONSERVANCY REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1999

                                _______
                                

 July 10, 2000.--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. 1787]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 1787) to reauthorize the participation of the Bureau of 
Reclamation in the Deschutes Resources Conservancy, and for 
other purposes, 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. 1787 is to reauthorize the 
participation of the Bureau of Reclamation in the Deschutes 
Resources Conservancy, and for other purposes.

                          Background and Need

    The Deschutes Resources Conservancy was authorized in 1996 
as a five-year pilot project designed to achieve local 
consensus on projects to improve ecosystem health in the 
Deschutes River basin in Oregon. The Deschutes River drains 
Oregon's high desert along the eastern front of the Cascade 
Mountains and eventually flows into the Columbia River. The 
river basin is used for recreation, irrigation, contains 
hundreds of thousands of acres of productive forest and 
rangelands, serves the treaty fishing and water rights of the 
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and has Oregon's largest 
non-federal hydroelectric project.
    Projects funded through the Conservancy demonstration 
include: piping for irrigation district delivery systems to 
prevent water loss; securing water rights for instream flows to 
restore flows to Squaw Creek; providing fencing of riparian 
areas to protect riverbanks; working with private timberland 
owners to restore riparian and wetlands areas; and seeking 
donated water rights to enhance instream flows.
    The existing authorization provides up to $1 million each 
year for projects. Funding is provided through the Bureau of 
Reclamation, the lead federal agency. H.R. 1787 would 
reauthorize appropriations for the five-year pilot project from 
2002 to 2006 and increase the authorization ceiling to $2 
million annually.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 1787 was introduced on May 12, 1999, by Congressman 
Greg Walden (R-OR). H.R. 1787 was referred to the Committee on 
Resources and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on Water 
and Power. On April 6, 2000, the Subcommittee held a hearing on 
the bill. On June 15, 2000, the Subcommittee met to consider 
the bill. No amendments were offered and the bill was forwarded 
to the full Resources Committee by voice vote. The Committee on 
Resources met on June 21, 2000, to consider the bill. No 
amendments were offered and H.R. 1787 was ordered favorably 
reported by voice vote to the House of Representatives.

                      Section-By-Section Analysis


Section 1. Short title

    The short title of the bill is ``Deschutes Resources 
Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 1999''.

Section 2. Extension of participation of Bureau of Reclamation in 
        Deschutes Resources Conservancy

    This section reauthorizes appropriations for the project 
for an additional five years. This section also raises the 
authorization ceiling from $1 million to $2 million annually.

            Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII 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 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.

                    Compliance With House Rule XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) 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 this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) 
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 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
    2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2) 
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this 
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    3. Government Reform Oversight Findings. Under clause 
3(c)(4) of rule XIII 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 on this bill.
    4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause 
3(c)(3) of rule XIII 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 this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, June 27, 2000.
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. 1787, the 
Deschutes Resources Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 1999.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Rachel 
Applebaum.
            Sincerely,
                                           Steven Lieberman
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1787--Deschutes Resources Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 1999

    Summary: H.R. 1787 would authorize the appropriation of $10 
million over the 2002-2006 period for ecosystem restoration 
projects in the Deschutes River basin in Oregon. Assuming 
appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that 
implementing H.R. 1787 would cost $7 million over the 2002-2005 
period, with the remaining $3 million to be spent after 2005. 
The legislation would not affect direct spending or receipts; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
    H.R. 1787 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). 
State and local governments would probably incur some costs to 
match the funds authorized by this bill, but these costs would 
be voluntary.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: For this 
estimate, CBO assumes that the amounts authorized in the bill 
will be appropriated for each year and that outlays will follow 
the historical spending pattern for similar activities. The 
estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 1787 is shown in the 
following table. The costs of this legislation fall within 
budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   By fiscal year in millions of dollars--
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
                                                              2000     2001     2002     2003     2004     2005
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Spending Under Current Law:
    Budget Authority \1\..................................        1        1        0        0        0        0
    Estimated Outlays.....................................        1        1    (\2\)    (\2\)        0        0
Proposed Changes:
    Authorization Level...................................        0        0        2        2        2        2
    Estimated Outlays.....................................        0        0        1        2        2        2
Spending Under H.R. 1787:
    Authorization Level \1\...............................        1        1        2        2        2        2
    Estimated Outlays.....................................        1        1        2        2        2       2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The 2000 level is the amount appropriated for that year for restoration projects in the Deschutes basin.
\2\ Less than $500,000.

    Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 1787 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA. State and local governments would probably 
incur some costs to match the funds authorized by this bill, 
but these costs would be voluntary. Under current law, all 
federal expenditures for restoration projects in the Deschutes 
basin must be matched by an equal amount of nonfederal 
contributions, including in-kind contributions. This 
requirement would apply to the funds authorized by this bill.
    Previous CBO estimate: On June 21, 1999, CBO transmitted a 
cost estimate for S. 1027, the Deschutes Resources Conservancy 
Reauthorization Act of 1999, as reported by the Senate 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on June 16, 1999. The 
bills are nearly identical, and their estimated costs are the 
same.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Rachel Applebaum. 
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Marjorie 
Miller. Impact on the Private Sector: Natalie Tawil.
     Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                    Compliance With Public Law 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

               Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local, or 
tribal law.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

    In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

          SECTION 301 OF THE OREGON RESOURCE CONSERVATION ACT


SEC. 301. DESCHUTES BASIN ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS.

    (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (b) In General.--
          (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (3) The Bureau of Reclamation shall pay from funds 
        authorized under subsection (h) of this title up to 50 
        percent of the cost of performing any project proposed 
        by the Working Group and approved by the Secretary, up 
        to a total amount of $1,000,000 during each of the 
        fiscal years 1997 through 2001, and up to a total 
        amount of $2,000,000 during each of fiscal years 2002 
        through 2006.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this title $1,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 1997 through 2001 and $2,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2002 through 2006.

                                
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