[Senate Report 106-375]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 753
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     106-375

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



 
                            JOE ROWELL PARK

                                _______
                                

                August 25, 2000.--Ordered to be printed

   Filed under authority of the order of the Senate of July 26, 2000

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1972]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 1972) to direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to convey to the town of Dolores, Colorado, the 
current site of the Joe Rowell Park, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon with amendments and recommends 
that the bill, as amended, do pass.
    The amendments are as follows:
    1. On page 2, line 6 and 7; Strike: ``in section 16 (Map 
1), township 37 north, range 15 west, NMPM, Dolores, 
Colorado.'' and insert in lieu the following: ``depicted on the 
map entitled ``Joe Rowell Park,'' dated July 12, 2000.''
    2. Insert at the end of the bill a new subsection (d) as 
follows: ``(d) The map referenced in subsection (b)(1) shall be 
on file for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the 
Forest Service at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, 
DC.''.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of S. 1972 is to direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to convey to the town of Dolores, Colorado, the 
current site of the Joe Rowell Park.

                          background and need

    The parcel to be conveyed by S. 1972 was originally 
privately owned, and was acquired by the Bureau of Reclamation 
for flood protection. The parcel was subsequently used for 
recreation purposes and transferred to the Forest Service. The 
Forest Service issued a permit to the town of Dolores to 
operate the park and make improvements on the parcel.
    The park is surrounded by town and private lands. 
Conveyance to the town of Dolores will facilitate the addition 
of further improvements, and eliminate time-consuming 
requirements for routine upgrades of the existing features of 
the park. In addition, the parcel is not contiguous to National 
Forest lands.

                          legislative history

    S. 1972 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources on November 19, 1999. The Subcommittee on Forests and 
Public Land Management held a hearing on S. 1972 on June 8, 
2000. At the business meeting on July 13, 2000, the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 1972 reported 
favorably with an amendment.

            committee recommendation and tabulation of votes

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on July 13, 2000, by a voice vote of a 
quorum present recommends that the Senate pass S. 1972 if 
amended as described herein.

                          committee amendments

    During the consideration of S. 1972, the Committee adopted 
two amendments that replace the reference to a legal 
description with a reference to a map of the parcel to be 
conveyed.

                      section-by-section analysis

    Section (1)(a) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to 
convey, for no consideration, the parcel described in 
subsection (b).
    Subsection (b) describes the property and refers to the map 
that depicts the parcel. The subsection also requires a survey 
of the property, the cost of which will be paid for by the town 
of Dolores.
    Subsection (c) requires the reversion of the property to 
the United States if the town of Dolores attempts to transfer 
title, encumber the property, or permit a use other than as a 
park.
    Subsection (d) requires that the map referenced in 
subsection (b) will be on file for public inspection in 
Washington, D.C. in the Chief of the Forest Service's office.

                   cost and budgetary considerations

    The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of the costs 
of this measure follows:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC July 20, 2000.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
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 S. 1972, a bill to 
direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the town of 
Dolores, Colorado, the current site of the Joe Rowell Park.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan 
Carroll.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

S. 1972--A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the 
        town of Dolores, Colorado, the current site of the Joe Rowell 
        Park

    CBO estimates that enacting S. 1972 would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget. The bill would not 
affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures would not apply.
    S. 1972 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 
25 acres of federal land to the town of Dolores, Colorado. That 
town currently operates a town park on those lands under a 
special use permit from the Forest Service. According to the 
Forest Service, the lands currently generate no significant 
receipts, and the agency does not expect them to generate 
significant receipts in the future. S. 1972 would require the 
town to pay for a survey of the land before it could be 
conveyed. CBO estimated that any administrative costs incurred 
by the Forest Service to complete the conveyance would be 
insignificant.
    S. 1972 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would have no significant impact on the budgets of state, 
local, or tribal governments. The town of Dolores, Colorado, 
would benefit not only because it could acquire the Joe Rowell 
site at almost no cost, but also because it would be able to 
make improvements to the park without seeking approval form the 
U.S. Forest Service.
    The CBO staff contact is Megan Carroll. 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 S. 1972.
    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 S. 1972, as ordered reported.

                        Executive Communications

    On July 13, 2000 the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of 
Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget setting 
forth Executive agency recommendations on S. 1972. These 
reports had not been received at the time the report on S. 1972 
was filed. When the 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 Forest 
Service at the Subcommittee hearing follows:

  Statement of Jack Craven, Director of Lands, Forest Service, United 
                    States Department of Agriculture

    Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee; thank you for 
the opportunity to present the administration's views 
concerning S. 1972, a bill to direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to convey to the town of Dolores, Colorado, the 
current site of the Joe Rowell Park. We would not object to 
this bill if it is amended as suggested.
    This bill would convey approximately 25 acres of national 
forest system land to the town of Dolores, Colorado. The land 
is currently under special use permit to the town for use as a 
park. If the bill were amended to provide for fair market value 
in consideration for the conveyance, the Administration would 
not object to the bill.
    This concludes my testimony. I would be glad 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 S. 1972, as ordered 
reported.

                                  
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