[Senate Report 107-193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 470
107th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     107-193

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



 
          VANCOUVER NATIONAL HISTORIC RESERVE PRESERVATION ACT

                                _______
                                

                 June 28, 2002.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1649]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 1649) to amend the Omnibus Parks and 
Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to increase the 
authorization of appropriations for the Vancouver National 
Historic Reserve and for the preservation of Vancouver 
Barracks, 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 1, line 5, strike ``2001'' and insert ``2002''.
    2. On page 4, line 15, strike: `` `$5,000,000 for 
development costs' and insert `$15,000,000 for development 
costs associated with capital projects consistent with the 
cooperative management plan, except that the Federal share of 
such development costs shall not exceed 50 percent of the total 
costs.' ''.

                                Purpose

    The purpose of S. 1649, as ordered reported, is to amend 
the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to 
authorize $10 million in additional appropriations for the 
Vancouver National Historic Reserve and for the preservation of 
the West Barracks within the Reserve.

                          Background and Need

    Overlooking the lower reaches of the Columbia River, Fort 
Vancouver became the base of regional operations for the 
Hudson's Bay Trading Company in the early 19th century. As the 
administrative headquarters and supply depot for the hundreds 
of employees at dozens of posts in the region, the Fort served 
as a linchpin for the development of the Pacific Northwest 
region.
    Dating from the location of the Northwest's administrative 
headquarters at the Fort in 1849, the U.S. Army continuously 
occupied the Vancouver Barracks for 150 years. In the 1920's, 
the Army created a small airfield for the Army Air Corps, which 
is now the site of the oldest operating airfield in the Nation, 
Pearson Airfield. In the 1930's, the Fort was used as a 
training camp for those participating in the Civilian 
Conservation Corps' reforestation program. Additionally, during 
World War II, General George C. Marshall presided over the 
Barracks and resided on Officer's Row.
    In 1996, Congress created the Vancouver National Historic 
Reserve as part of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands 
Management Act (section 502 of Public Law 104-333). The 366-
acre Reserve encompasses the Fort Vancouver National Historic 
Site, established in 1961 to protect the Hudson Bay Company 
trading post. The National Historic Site is the only portion of 
the Reserve that is managed by the Park Service, and the 
Reserve is not a unit of the National Park System. The Reserve 
also includes the West, East, and South Barracks, Officer's 
Row, Pearson Air Field, portions of the Columbia River 
waterfront, and the Water Resources Education Center.
    The 1996 legislation created a partnership for the Reserve, 
consisting of representatives of the National Park Service, the 
Historic Preservation Office of the State of Washington, the 
Department of the Army, and the city of Vancouver. The 
partnership was directed to submit a general management plan 
for the administration of the Reserve within 3 years. The 
Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust, a non-profit 
organization established in 1998, helps support the reserve and 
brings private resources into the partnership.
    Since the creation of the Reserve, in 1996, the Army has 
decided to vacate the West Barracks earlier than anticipated. 
The partnership's Cooperative Management Plan for the Reserve 
envisions reuse of the West Barracks for a variety of purposes: 
historic preservation, education, restaurants, art studios, 
offices, and overnight accommodations. The potential for 
drawing additional economic activity back to this site near the 
heart of Vancouver makes this project important for Southwest 
Washington.
    In November 2000, Congress authorized the transfer of the 
16 buildings that comprise theWest Barracks to the city of 
Vancouver, as part of the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2001. The legal process of transferring the West barracks to the city 
has begun and could be complete later this year.
    The 2000 Vancouver Barracks Adaptive Re-use & Economic 
Analysis estimates that the rehabilitation and adaptation of 
the Barracks will cost approximately $40 million, provided that 
the work can be done in 4 years. The 1996 legislation creating 
the Reserve authorized Federal expenditures of $5 million in 
development costs, and $400,000 in annual operating costs. The 
$5 million in development costs has already been appropriated 
for various planning and development costs within the Reserve. 
S. 1649 would raise the authorized ceiling on development costs 
to $15 million in order to incorporate a $10 million Federal 
contribution for updating the West Barracks.

                          Legislative History

    S. 1649 was introduced by Senators Cantwell and Murray on 
November 7, 2001. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a 
hearing on the bill on February 14, 2002. The Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources adopted amendments to S. 1649 at 
its business meeting on May 15, 2002, and ordered the bill as 
amended favorably reported at its business meeting on June 5, 
2002.

                        Committee Recommendation

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on June 5, 2002, by a voice of a quorum 
present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1649, if amended as 
described therein.

                          Committee Amendments

    During its consideration of S. 1649, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources adopted two amendments. Amendment 
#1 updates the short title. Amendment #2 authorizes $10 million 
in for additional development costs at the Vancouver National 
Historic Reserve in Washington State, for capital projects 
consistent with the Reserve's general management plan. Federal 
costs are required to be matched on at least a one-to-one basis 
with non-Federal funding. The amendment decreases the 
authorization level by $10 million from the introduced version 
of S. 1649.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Vancouver 
National Historic Reserve Preservation Act of 2002''.
    Section 2 contains congressional findings and states that 
the purpose of the Act is to increase the authorization of 
appropriations for the Vancouver National Historic Reserve and 
for the preservation of the Vancouver Barracks.
    Section 3 amends section 502(d) of the Omnibus Parks and 
Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-333; U.S.C. 
461 note) by increasing the authorization of appropriated funds 
for the Vancouver National Historic Reserve from $5 million to 
$15 million in development costs. The bill also requires that 
expenditures for development costs be associated with capital 
projects consistent with the cooperative management plan and 
that the Federal share of development costs not exceed 50 
percent of the total costs.

                   Cost and Budgetary Considerations

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

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, June 24, 2002.
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
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. 1649, the Vancouver 
National Historic Reserve Preservation Act of 2002.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

S. 1649--Vancouver National Historic Reserve Preservation Act of 2002

    Summary: S. 1649 would raise the ceiling on the 
authorization of appropriations for development of the 
Vancouver National Historic Reserve (in the state of 
Washington) from $5 million to $15 million. Assuming 
appropriation of the additional authorized amount, CBO 
estimates that implementing S. 1649 would cost the federal 
government $9 million over the 2003-2007 period. The bill would 
not affect direct spending or receipts; 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 (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments. The state of Washington and the city of Vancouver 
might incur some costs to comply with the matching requirements 
established by this bill, but these costs would be voluntary.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of S. 1649 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--
                               -----------------------------------------
                                 2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Vancouver National Historic
 Reserve Spending Under
 Current Law:
    Budget Authority 1........      2      0      0      0      0      0
    Estimated Outlays.........      2      0      0      0      0      0
Proposed Changes:
    Estimated Authorization         0      2      2      2      2      1
     Level....................
    Estimated Outlays.........      0      2      2      2      2      1
Vancouver National Historic
 Reserve Spending Under S.
 1649
    Authorization Level1......      2      2      2      2      2      1
    Estimated Outlays.........      2      2      2      2      2      1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 The 2002 level is the amount appropriated for that year. (Initial
  appropriations of $4 million were provided in previous years).

    Basis of Estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 
1649 will be enacted before fiscal year 2003 and that an 
additional $9 million will be appropriated over the next five 
years for construction projects at the reserve. Because the 
existing development ceiling of $5 million was exceeded by $1 
million in fiscal year 2002, the bill would only authorize the 
appropriation of an additional $9 million. For this estimate, 
we assume that the additional funds would be appropriated and 
spent in a manner similar to that of past funding for this 
project.
    Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: The bill 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
tribal governments. The state of Washington and the city of 
Vancouver might incur some costs to comply with the matching 
requirements established by this bill, but these costs would be 
voluntary.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Deborah Reis. Impact 
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Marjorie Miller. 
Impact on the Private Sector: Jean Talarico.
    Estimate 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. 1649. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant 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. 1649.

                        Executive Communications

    The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the 
Subcommittee hearing follows:

   Statement of Durand Jones, Deputy Director, National Park Service

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the 
views of the Department of the Interior on S. 1649, a bill to 
amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 
to increase the authorization of appropriations for the 
Vancouver National Historic Reserve and for the preservation of 
Vancouver Barracks.
    The Department recognizes and appreciates the efforts of 
our partners to cooperatively administer the Vancouver National 
Historic Reserve. This is a partnership that has worked well, 
and we look forward to continuing to work with the City of 
Vancouver, the State of Washington, and the Department of the 
Army to achieve the goals outlined in the cooperative 
management plan for the Reserve. However, in light of the 
Department's commitment to supporting the President's 
initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog in our 
national parks, we cannot support diverting limited funds away 
from the Service's own needs. We believe that funds that are 
appropriated to the National Park Service are more 
appropriately directed to reducing the long list of necessary 
but deferred construction projects that have been identified in 
our national parks.
    The Vancouver area of southwestern Washington was an 
important site of 19th-century social, economic, political, and 
military activity in the Pacific Northwest. In recognition of 
its historical significance, Congress in 1948 designated a 
portion of the area--Fort Vancouver--as a National Monument, 
and in 1961 Fort Vancouver became a National Historic Site. 
Over the next several decades, continuing efforts to preserve 
the area's other historic sites prompted Congress, in 1990, to 
pass legislation authorizing the creation of a Vancouver 
Historical Study Commission. Subsequently, the commission 
recommended the establishment of a reserve as the best 
management strategy for protection of the resources within the 
study area, and in 1996, Congress passed legislation that 
established the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The 
Reserve itself is not a unit of the National Park System, 
although the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site component is 
part of the System.
    The Reserve encompasses 366 acres along the Columbia River 
within the City of Vancouver, Washington, and includes a 
particularly rich collection of cultural resources, including 
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Officers Row, Vancouver 
Barracks, Pearson Air Museum and Air Field, portions of the 
Columbia River waterfront, and the Water Resources Education 
Center. In this nationally significant historic setting, the 
Reserve celebrates well over 200 years of history including the 
use of the area by Native Americans; the creation of the first 
multi-cultural village of its kind in the Pacific; the Hudson 
Bay Company's Fort Vancouver, which was one of the largest such 
British enterprises; and the growth of the U.S. Army in the 
Pacific Northwest as reflected in the historic Officers Row and 
Vancouver Barracks.
    The law that established the Reserve directed the 
preparation of a general management plan to be developed by a 
partnership comprised of the National Park Service, the 
Historic Preservation Office of the State of Washington, the 
Department of the Army, and the City of Vancouver, Washington. 
The plan, completed in early 2000 and approved by the Secretary 
of the Interior, envisions an active public/private partnership 
in managing the shared assets of the Reserve. The Reserve 
partners, while maintaining full authority and management 
responsibilities for their individual areas consistent with 
applicable laws, work cooperatively on all matters relating to 
the Reserve. Additional financial support comes from the 
privately based nonprofit Vancouver National Historic Reserve 
Trust. The cornerstones of the 15-year management plan are 
preservation, education, and public use.
    The plan, however, is not a budget document. While it 
identified estimated costs for recommended actions, it did not 
commit any of the agencies or other partners to specific 
funding requirements. Signature by the partners of the 
Secretaries did not commit the Department of the Interior or 
the Army to any funding requirements outside of agency budgets 
as approved by Congress.
    The law that established the reserve authorized the 
appropriation of $400,000 annually for operational costs, and a 
total of $5 million for development costs. These funds have 
been provided in the National Park Service budgets for fiscal 
years 1998 through 2002 in the construction and statutory aid 
accounts.
    The cooperative management plan for the Reserve provided a 
summary of development costs estimated at approximately $85 
million (in 1998 dollars). The plan contemplates that the costs 
will be shared by the federal government, the state, the city, 
nonprofit groups and organizations, and private investors, 
corporations, and businesses. The federal share could be 
allocated from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Army Reserve, the 
Department of Defense, or the Department of the Interior.
    The Vancouver National Historic Reserve has benefited 
greatly from the contributions made by our partners and other 
donors, who have already provided over $19 million for a wide 
variety of projects, and plan to provide approximately $20 
million more for projects that have already been identified.
    We would like to emphasize that we are committed to working 
with our partners in the Vancouver National Historic Reserve to 
find appropriate ways to meet the goals outlined in the 
cooperative management plan. We encourage our partners in the 
reserve to continue to seek funding and other solutions for the 
preservation and protection of its resources through grants and 
other programs administered by the Service, the Department, and 
other federal agencies.
    This concludes my testimony. I am glad to answer any 
questions that you or members of the Subcommittee may have.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill S. 1649, as ordered 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):

                           Public Law 104-333


AN ACT To provide for the administration of certain Presidio properties 
    at minimal cost to the Federal taxpayer, and for other purposes

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 502. VANCOUVER NATIONAL HISTORIC RESERVE.

    (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated $400,000 per year for operational costs for 
each fiscal year following enactment of this Act and 
[$5,000,000 for development costs] $15,000,000 for development 
costs associated with capital projects consistent with the 
cooperative management plan, except that the Federal share of 
such development costs shall not exceed 50 percent of the total 
costs.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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