[House Report 109-125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



109th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    109-125

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             UPPER WHITE SALMON WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT

                                _______
                                

 June 14, 2005.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Pombo, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany H.R. 38]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 38) to designate a portion of the White Salmon River as a 
component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, having 
considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment 
and recommend that the bill do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 38 is to designate a portion of the 
White Salmon River as a component of the National Wild and 
Scenic Rivers System.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act directed 
the Forest Service to study the Upper White Salmon River for 
possible designation as a component of the National Wild and 
Scenic Rivers system. The study determined that the Upper White 
Salmon River and one of its tributaries, Cascade Creek, are 
eligible for inclusion. The Forest Service study found 38.4 
miles suitable for ``wild and scenic'' designation. H.R. 38 
designates 20 of those miles, but does not include 18.4 miles 
due to some controversy and private property rights concerns.
    H.R. 38 would designate four different segments of the 
Upper White Salmon River and Cascade Creek as ``wild'' or 
``scenic.'' The segments are limited to federal land, located 
in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and include 6.7 miles 
in the Mt. Adams Wilderness.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 38 was introduced on January 4, 2005, by 
Representative Brian Baird (D-WA). The bill was referred to the 
Committee on Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. On May 11, 2005, the 
Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On May 18, 2005, the 
Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee was discharged from further consideration of the 
bill by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered and the 
bill was 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. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill is to designate a portion of the White 
Salmon River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic 
Rivers System.
    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:

H.R. 38--Upper White Salmon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

    H.R. 38 would designate 20 miles of segments of the White 
Salmon River And Cascade Cork in Washington as wild and scenic 
rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. CBO estimates that 
enacting H.R. 38 would have no significant impact on the 
federal budget. The bill would not affect direct spending or 
revenues. H.R. 38 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.
    On February 14, 2005, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for 
S. 74, the Upper White Salmon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, as 
ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources on February 9, 2005. The two versions of the 
legislation are identical, as are the cost estimates.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. 
This 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 (new matter is 
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

              SECTION 3 OF THE WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT

  Sec. 3. (a) The following rivers and the land adjacent 
thereto are hereby designated as components of the national 
wild and scenic rivers system:
  (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          ( ) White salmon river, washington.--The 20 miles of 
        river segments of the main stem of the White Salmon 
        River and Cascade Creek, Washington, to be administered 
        by the Secretary of Agriculture in the following 
        classifications:
                  (A) The approximately 1.6-mile segment of the 
                main stem of the White Salmon River from the 
                headwaters on Mount Adams in section 17, 
                township 8 north, range 10 east, downstream to 
                the Mount Adams Wilderness boundary as a wild 
                river.
                  (B) The approximately 5.1-mile segment of 
                Cascade Creek from its headwaters on Mount 
                Adams in section 10, township 8 north, range 10 
                east, downstream to the Mount Adams Wilderness 
                boundary as a wild river.
                  (C) The approximately 1.5-mile segment of 
                Cascade Creek from the Mount Adams Wilderness 
                boundary downstream to its confluence with the 
                White Salmon River as a scenic river.
                  (D) The approximately 11.8-mile segment of 
                the main stem of the White Salmon River from 
                the Mount Adams Wilderness boundary downstream 
                to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest boundary 
                as a scenic river.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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