[House Report 110-127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    110-127

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



 
            GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK EXTENSION ACT OF 2007

                                _______
                                

  May 7, 2007.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Rahall, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1080]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1080) to modify the boundaries of Grand Teton 
National Park to include certain land within the GT Park 
Subdivision, and for other purposes, 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. 1080 is to modify the boundaries of 
Grand Teton National Park to include certain land located 
within the GT Park Subdivision.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 1080 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
expand the boundaries of the Grand Teton National Park to 
include approximately 50 acres that landowners in the Grand 
Teton Park Subdivision wish to donate to the park.
    The property is adjacent to the park's eastern boundary and 
is visible from the park's main road. According to the National 
Park Service, the land is similar in character and quality to 
the adjacent park lands and offers unobstructed views of the 
Teton Range across the broad valley of Jackson Hole.
    One lot in the subdivision is owned by the Gerald Halpin 
family. The remaining seven lots were donated by the Halpin 
family to private organizations, including the National Fish 
and Wildlife Foundation, the National Park Foundation, and the 
Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
    All of these owners would like to donate their land to the 
park, but the parcels lie outside the existing park boundary. 
The 1950 law creating the park includes a provision forbidding 
expansion of any national park or monument in Wyoming without 
the express authorization of Congress.
    H.R. 1080 would authorize the Secretary to accept the 
donation of lands within the subdivision and, upon acquisition, 
adjust the boundary of Grand Teton National Park. The bill 
would prohibit the future sale, donation, exchange or other 
transfer of the acquired land without congressional approval.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 1080 was introduced on February 15, 2007, by 
Representative Barbara Cubin (R-WY). The bill was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to 
the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. 
On April 19, 2007, the Subcommittee met to mark up the bill. It 
was adopted, without amendment, by voice vote. The bill was 
then forwarded to the Full Committee. On May 2, 2007 the Full 
Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The bill 
as introduced was ordered favorably reported to the House of 
Representatives by unanimous consent.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 provides that this Act may be cited as the 
``Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2007.''

Section 2. Definitions

    Section 2 defines the terms of the bill, including defining 
the area to be added to the park as approximately 49.67 acres 
within the GT Park Subdivision, as generally depicted on a plat 
recorded in the Office of the Teton County Clerk and Recorder 
on December 16, 1997.

Section 3. Acquisition of land

    Section 3 would permit the Secretary of the Interior to 
accept from any willing donor the donation of any land or 
interest in land within the defined Subdivision.
    Upon acquisition of any land or an interest in land 
acquired under subsection (a), the Secretary is directed to 
include the land or interest in land within the boundaries of 
the Grand Teton National Park; and to administer the land or 
interest as part of the Park, in accordance with all applicable 
laws and regulations.
    The section also directs that the transfer be completed 
within one (1) year of the date of enactment, and forbids the 
Secretary from donating, selling, exchanging or otherwise 
transferring any land acquired under the bill without express 
authorization from Congress.

Section 4. Authorization of appropriations

    Section 4 authorizes such sums as are necessary to carry 
out the Act.

            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 Natural 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 modify the boundaries of Grand 
Teton National Park to include certain land located within the 
GT Park Subdivision.
    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. 1080--Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2007

    H.R. 1080 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
accept the donation of about 50 acres of land in Wyoming. Once 
acquired, the property would become part of the Grand Teton 
National Park under the administration of the National Park 
Service. Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 1080 would cost less than 
$500,000, mostly for surveys and appraisals. Enacting this 
legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues.
    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.
    On February 8, 2007, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
277, the Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2007, as 
ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources on January 31, 2007. S. 277 and H.R. 1080 are 
identical, as are the cost estimates.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
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.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    H.R. 1080 does not contain any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9(d), 9(e) or (f) of rule XXI.

               PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
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