[Senate Report 106-71]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




                                                       Calendar No. 142
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     106-71

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



 
               DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE RESCUES

                                _______
                                

                  June 9, 1999.--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 S. 698]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 698) to review the suitability and 
feasibility of recovering costs of high altitude rescues at 
Denali National Park and Preserve in the state of Alaska, and 
for other purposes, having considered the same, reports 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the 
bill do pass.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of the S. 698, as ordered reported, is to 
direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability 
and feasibility of recovering the costs of high altitude 
rescues on Mt. McKinley located in Denali National Park and 
Preserve in Alaska.

                          background and need

    At 20,320 feet, Mt. McKinley is the highest mountain in 
North America. In 1998, 1,166 climbers from 38 countries 
attempted to climb the mountain, an increase of 250 percent 
since 1978. Largely because of bad weather, only 36 percent of 
all climbers successfully reached the summit in 1998, down from 
a historical average of about 50 percent.
    The 1998 climbing season was typical in that it involved 
climbing deaths and several life-saving rescue missions. The 
policy of the National Park Service is to ``make reasonable 
efforts to search for lost persons and to rescue sick, injured 
or stranded persons.''
    As a general rule, the National Park Service does not 
recover search and rescue costs. When individual search and 
rescue incidents cost more than $500, they are paid from a 
central account

[[Page 2]]

maintained by the National Park Service. Nationally, most 
incidents involve the use of motor vehicles or boats, or are 
searches for lost hikers. These search and rescue activities 
cost the National Park Service approximately $3 million per 
year.
    At Denali, the National Park Service spends about $742,000 
per year on the entire mountaineering program, including 
rescues. This figure includes the contract for the high 
altitude helicopter, supplies, educational material, salaries 
and work done to support good sanitation practices and other 
resource protection work in the Alaska Range.
    Just last summer the military and the Park Service spent 
four days and $221,818 rescuing 6 sick and injured British 
climbers who disregarded warnings and advice from park rangers 
stationed on the mountain. This rescue included what is 
probably the world's highest short haul helicopter rescue at 
19,000 feet and entailed a very high level of risk for the 
rescue team. This is just one example of many rescues the Park 
Service conducts each year on Mt. McKinley.
    As the mountaineering program at Denali accounts for almost 
one-third of the total cost of the annual search and rescue 
activities for the entire National Park System, some have 
questioned whether such expenditures for a very small and 
select group of park users is appropriate, and whether some 
sort of reimbursement for the cost of rescues should be 
collected. The Committee believes that a study of the 
suitability and feasibility of recovering such costs would 
provide the information necessary for such a determination. In 
addition, the Committee believes that the Secretary should 
examine whether proof of medical insurance should be a 
requirement for a climbing permit.

                          legislative history

    S. 698 was introduced by Senator Murkowski on March 24, 
1999. The full Committee held a hearing on S. 698 on May 13, 
1999.
    At its business meeting on May 19, 1999, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 698 favorably reported, 
without amendment.

                        committee recommendation

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on May 19, 1999, by a unanimous voice vote of 
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 698.

                         summary of the measure

    S. 698 requires the Secretary of the Interior to complete a 
report on the suitability and feasibility of (1) recovering 
cost of high altitude rescues within Denali National Park and 
(2) requiring proof of medical insurance for climbing permits. 
In addition, the report is to review the current fee structure 
for climbing permits and make recommendations for any 
appropriate changes.

                   cost and budgetary considerations

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


[[Page 3]]


                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, May 25, 1999.
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. 698, a bill to 
review the suitability and feasibility of recovery costs of 
high altitude rescues at Denali National Park and Preserve in 
the state of Alaska, and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact for this 
estimate is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

               congressional budget office cost estimate

S. 698--A bill to review the suitability and feasibility of recovering 
        costs of high altitude rescues at Denali National Park and 
        Preserve in the state of Alaska, and for other purposes

    S. 698 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
recovering the costs of rescues on Mt. McKinley in Alaska. The 
bill would further require the Secretary to report on the 
suitability of requiring climbers to provide proof of medical 
insurance before they receive a climbing permit from the 
National Park Service. Finally, the Secretary would have to 
review the existing fee structure for such permits and 
recommend changes.
    Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO 
estimates that the federal government would spend about 
$250,000 over the next fiscal year to implement S. 698. The 
bill would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, 
pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. S. 698 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets 
of state, local, or tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
The estimate was approved by Paul N. Van de Water, 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. 698. 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.

[[Page 4]]

    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from 
enactment of S. 698 as ordered reported.

                        executive communications

    A formal legislative report has not been received from 
Executive Branch agencies on S. 698. When such reports are 
received, the Chairman will request that they be provided in 
the Congressional Record for the advice of the Senate. The 
testimony provided by the National Park Service at the 
Committee hearing follows:

Statement of Stephen C. Saunders, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish and 
             Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior

    Thank you for the opportunity to present the position of 
the Department of the Interior on S. 698, a bill to review the 
suitability and feasibility of recovering costs of high 
altitude rescues at Denali National Park and Preserve in 
Alaska.
    The Department of the Interior supports this bill if it is 
amended in conformance with this testimony. The bill would 
require the Secretary of the Interior to study three aspects of 
search and rescue activities carried out at Mount McKinley in 
Denali National Park. It would require us to review the 
suitability and feasibility of recovering costs for rescues; 
the appropriateness of the amount of fee charged; and whether 
we should require proof of medical insurance before we issue 
someone a permit to climb Mount McKinley. We believe a study of 
cost recovery and the amount of fee charged would be useful and 
in the public interest. We do not, however, believe a study of 
whether we should require proof of medical insurance before 
issuing a climbing permit would be in the public interest, and 
therefore request that this language be removed from the bill.
    In addition to the National Park Service's public trust for 
the preservation of natural and cultural resources is an equal 
commitment to the care and protection of park visitors. The 
tradition of protecting park visitors from each other and their 
surroundings reaches back to the earliest days of the Service. 
Since 1916, National Park rangers have been honored at home and 
abroad as highly skilled, well-equipped cadre of men and women 
dedicated to helping those in need. It is with that tradition 
and mission that we approach our work in Denali and elsewhere 
in Alaska.
    At 20,320 feet, Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in 
North America. In 1998 we saw 1,166 climbers from 38 countries 
attempt to climb the mountain; a typical number for the last 
few years but up about 250 percent since 1978. Largely because 
of bad weather, the summit success rate this year was 36 
percent, down from a historical average of about 50 percent.

[[Page 5]]

    Unfortunately, this year was also typical in that it saw 
deaths and several life-saving rescue missions. It is those 
rescues and the costs associated with them that would be 
studied as a result of S. 698.
    The policy of the National Park Service is to ``make 
reasonable efforts to search for lost persons and to rescue 
sick, injured or stranded persons.'' The question of who bears 
the cost of those efforts is a topic that has had repeated 
public discussions, usually following highly publicized 
incidents. In the 1970's, Yosemite National Park attempted to 
bill rescued individuals for helicopter time. Few responded and 
there was no mechanism to force payment. At the Grand Canyon, 
accident victims are billed by a private helicopter operator 
who evacuates them--much as a person or their insurance company 
might pay for a local ambulance. Victims are not charged for 
searches.
    Nationally, most parks do not recover any search and rescue 
costs. When the individual incidents cost more than $500, they 
are charged to the national search and rescue account. 
Nationally, most incidents involve the use of motor vehicles or 
boats, or are searches for lost hikers. These incidents cost 
the National Park Service about $3 million a year.
    As search and rescue expenses are accounted for in various 
ways, it is often difficult to agree on the cost of any 
particular incident; among agencies it may be very difficult to 
compare expenses. At Denali, we spend about $670,000 per year 
on the entire mountaineering program, including rescues. This 
figure includes the contract for the high-altitude helicopter, 
supplies, educational material, salaries and work done to 
support good sanitation practices and other resource protection 
work in the Alaska Range. Any costs referred to in the 
testimony will be included in this figure. Much of this is a 
relatively fixed cost arising from the lease of a helicopter 
and salaries of patrol rangers. On the income side, about 75 
percent of the funding comes from appropriations either to 
Denali or elsewhere in the Service, and about 25 percent of the 
climbers themselves.
    More significant than money, is the fact we place both 
employees and volunteers at risk to help those unable to help 
themselves. On Mount McKinley in 1998, a volunteer on a ranger 
patrol died while attempting to reach another climber. The 
ultimate sacrifice that Mike Vanderbeck made is a tragic 
reminder that we must do all we can to not only make the search 
and rescue business as safe as possible, but to prevent 
accidents before they happen. We believe the mountaineering 
program in place on Mount McKinley and Mount Foraker in Denali 
National Park has made significant steps in that direction, and 
we would be eager to undertake the review of this program that 
would be required by S. 698.
    We regard to considering the question of whether to require 
climbers to have medical insurance, we do not believe a study 
is warranted. We believe the issue of pay

[[Page 6]]

ment for medical treatment at a hospital or other medical 
facility should remain beyond the authority of National Park 
Service or Department of the Interior. This is an issue between 
the private citizen, his family and his doctors. The National 
Park Service is responsible for the care of patients during a 
rescue and for their transportation to an appropriate medical 
facility, but should not be involved in assessing the adequacy 
of medical insurance for care that can extend for years beyond 
a person's initial injury.
    With regard to the review of feees charged for a climbing 
permit, the National Park Service is currently carrying out 
that review. The $150 fee can be raised or lowered with 
adequate public notice under existing authority. We expect any 
fee changes to be announced well before the 2000 climbing 
season and we will provide the completed information to the 
committee. This concludes my testimony. I would be happly to 
answer any of your questions.

                        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. 698 as ordered reported.

                                
