[House Report 107-707]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 107-707
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ADJUSTING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SALT RIVER BAY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
AND ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE LOCATED IN ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS
_______
October 1, 2002.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Hansen, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5097]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 5097) to adjust the boundaries of the Salt River Bay
National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve located in St.
Croix, Virgin Islands, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill
as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.
The first sentence of section 103(b) of the Salt River Bay National
Historical Park and Ecological Preserve at St. Croix, Virgin Islands,
Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 410tt-1(b)) is amended to read as follows: ``The
park shall consist of approximately 1015 acres of lands, waters, and
interests in lands as generally depicted on the map entitled `Salt
River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, St. Croix,
U.S.V.I.', numbered 141/80002, and dated May 2, 2002.''.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of H.R. 5097 is to adjust the boundaries of the
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
located in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
Background and Need for Legislation
The Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological
Preserve was established by Congress in 1992 (16 U.S.C. 410tt).
Located on the north coast of the island of St. Croix, about
six miles from Christiansted, it includes the only known place
in present-day U.S. territory where members of Christopher
Columbus' expedition landed. Among its pre-Columbian
archaeological finds have been the only ceremonial ball court
ever discovered in the Lesser Antilles. Some of its many
natural and environmental treasures include one of the few
carbonate submarine canyons in the world and the largest and
last remaining mangrove estuarine system in the U.S. Virgin
Islands, if not the entire Caribbean.
To provide better service and a more rewarding experience
for Park visitors, it is important for the National Park
Service (NPS) to have a place where visitors can come to learn
about the Park and receive assistance from NPS personnel. There
is currently no such NPS facility at the Park. The NPS recently
identified a two-story, 4800 square foot house at the site that
can easily be converted to a visitor station, museum, and
operation center that will house enforcement and maintenance
personnel and all Park functions. Because this facility is
presently outside the current Park boundary, H.R. 5097 was
introduced to expand the boundary of the Park to include the
site of this new facility as well as to include 15.4 acres of
land that has been offered as a donation to the park.
Committee Action
H.R. 5097 was introduced on July 11, 2002, by Delegate
Donna Christensen (D-VI). The bill was referred to the
Committee on Resources and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands.
On September 12, 2002, the Full Resources Committee met to
consider the bill. The Subcommittee on National Parks,
Recreation, and Public Lands was discharged from further
consideration of H.R. 5097 by unanimous consent. Delegate
Christensen offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute
to correct the map title and number cited in the bill as well
as the acreage associated with the boundary expansion. It was
agreed to by unanimous consent. The bill as amended was then
ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by
unanimous consent.
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. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does
not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not
apply.
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, September 25, 2002.
Hon. James V. Hansen,
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. 5097, a bill to
adjust the boundaries of the Salt River Bay National Historical
Park and Ecological Preserve located in St. Croix, Virgin
Islands.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 5097--A bill to adjust the boundaries of the Salt River Bay
National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve located in St.
Croix, Virgin Islands
H.R. 5097 would expand the boundary of the Salt River Bay
National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve by roughly 30
acres. Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO
estimates that implementing the legislation would cost the
federal government between $6 million and $8 million over the
next three or four years and about $0.3 million annually
thereafter. H.R. 5097 would not affect receipts or direct
spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
The bill 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.
CBO estimates that the National Park Service (NPS) would
spend between $2 million and $3 million in 2003 to purchase an
existing house on about nine acres of land adjacent to the
part. We expect that the remaining acreage would be donated to
the NPS, also in that year. We estimate it would cost between
$4 million and $5 million to develop the house into a
multipurpose visitor and administrative center and to improve
road access. Finally, CBO estimates that it would cost $0.3
million a year to operate the new center starting in 2005 or
2006. These estimates are based on information provided by the
NPS and assume appropriation of the necessary amounts.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
The estimate was 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 103 OF THE SALT RIVER BAY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK AND
ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE AT ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS, ACT OF 1992
SEC. 103. SALT RIVER BAY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK AND ECOLOGICAL
PRESERVE AT ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS.
(a) * * *
(b) Area Included.--[The park shall consist of
approximately 912 acres of land, waters, submerged lands, and
interests therein within the area generally depicted on the map
entitled ``Salt River Study Area--Alternative `C' '' in the
``Alternatives Study and Environmental Assessment for the
Columbus Landing Site, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands'',
prepared by the National Park Service and dated June 1990.] The
park shall consist of approximately 1015 acres of lands,
waters, and interests in lands as generally depicted on the map
entitled ``Salt River Bay National Historical Park and
Ecological Preserve, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.'', numbered 141/80002,
and dated May 2, 2002. The map shall be on file and available
for public inspection in the offices of the National Park
Service, Department of the Interior, and the Offices of the
Lieutenant Governor of St. Thomas and St. Croix, Virgin
Islands.