[Senate Report 106-71]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 142
106th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 106-71
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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
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.