[House Report 110-592]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-592

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



 
        COFFMAN COVE ADMINISTRATIVE SITE CONVEYANCE ACT OF 2008

                                _______
                                

 April 17, 2008.--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. 831]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 831) to provide for the conveyance of certain Forest 
Service land to the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska, 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. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Coffman Cove Administrative Site 
Conveyance Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

  In this Act:
          (1) City.--The term ``City'' means the city of Coffman Cove, 
        Alaska.
          (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Agriculture.

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE.

  (a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary 
shall convey to the City, without consideration and by quitclaim deed 
all right, title, and interest of the United States, except as provided 
in subsections (c) and (d), in and to the parcel of National Forest 
System land described in subsection (b).
  (b) Description of Land.--
          (1) In general.--The parcel of National Forest System land 
        referred to in subsection (a) is the approximately 12 acres of 
        land identified in U.S. Survey 10099, as depicted on the plat 
        entitled ``Subdivision of U.S. Survey No. 10099'' and recorded 
        as Plat 2003-1 on January 21, 2003, Petersburg Recording 
        District, Alaska.
          (2) Excluded land.--The parcel of National Forest System land 
        conveyed under subsection (a) does not include the portion of 
        U.S. Survey 10099 that is north of the right-of-way for Forest 
        Development Road 3030-295 and southeast of Tract CC-8.
  (c) Right-of-Way.--The United States may reserve a right-of-way to 
provide access to the National Forest System land excluded from the 
conveyance to the City under subsection (b)(2).
  (d) Reversion.--If any portion of the land conveyed under subsection 
(a) (other than a portion of land sold under subsection (e)) ceases to 
be used for public purposes, the land shall, at the option of the 
Secretary, revert to the United States.
  (e) Conditions on Subsequent Conveyances.--If the City sells any 
portion of the land conveyed to the City under subsection (a)--
          (1) the amount of consideration for the sale shall reflect 
        fair market value, as determined by an appraisal; and
          (2) the City shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to 
        the gross proceeds of the sale, which shall be available, 
        without further appropriation, for the Tongass National Forest.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 831 is to provide for the conveyance of 
certain Forest Service land to the city of Coffman Cove, 
Alaska.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Coffman Cove is a small community of about 200 residents 
that developed around a logging camp and work site in Alaska's 
Tongass National Forest. A 12-acre tract in the center of the 
town still belongs to the U.S. Forest Service.
    The land was used as an administrative site by the Forest 
Service, but declining timber sales have diminished the 
Service's need for the site. All buildings have been removed 
from the property.
    H.R. 831 would direct the Forest Service to convey, subject 
to certain conditions, the former administrative site to the 
city free of charge.
    Companion legislation, S. 202, introduced by Senators 
Murkowski and Stevens on January 8, 2007, was reported by the 
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on February 15, 
2007 (S. Rpt. 110-6). Identical legislation passed the Senate 
during the 109th Congress.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 831 was introduced February 5, 2007, by Representative 
Don Young (R-AK). 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 2, 2008, the Full Natural Resources Committee met 
to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on National Parks, 
Forests and Public Lands was discharged from further 
consideration of H.R. 831. An amendment in the nature of a 
substitute making technical changes was offered by Rep. Young 
and was agreed to by voice vote. The bill, as amended, was then 
ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by 
voice vote.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 states that the bill may be cited as the 
``Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act of 2008''.

Section 2. Definitions

    Section 2 defines the term ``City'' as the city of Coffman 
Cove, Alaska; and the term ``Secretary'' as the Secretary of 
Agriculture.

Section 3. Conveyance

    Section 3(a) directs the Secretary to convey to the City 
all right, title and interest in a parcel inside the City.
    Section 3(b) describes the land to be conveyed.
    Section 3(c) allows the Forest Service to reserve a right 
of way to provide access to other Forest Service land that is 
not being conveyed.
    Section 3(d) requires that if any portion of the land 
conveyed (except land sold under Section 3(e)) ceases to be 
used for public purposes, the Secretary may require that the 
land revert to the United States.
    Section 3(e) allows the city to sell the land conveyed if 
the sale reflects fair market value as determined by appraisal, 
and if the City pays to the Secretary an amount equal to the 
gross proceeds of the sale, which the Secretary may use without 
further appropriation for the Tongass National Forest.

            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 provide for the conveyance of 
certain Forest Service land to the city of Coffman Cove, 
Alaska.
    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. 831--Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act of 2008

    H.R. 831 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to 
convey to the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska, for no 
consideration, 12 acres of Forest Service land. Based on 
information from the Forest Service, CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would have no significant impact 
on the federal budget. Although the property could be sold by 
the Forest Service under existing law, CBO estimates that 
conveying it for no consideration would have no net impact on 
direct spending because we expect that such a sale is unlikely. 
Moreover, we estimate that the loss of receipts--if any--would 
be less than $500,000 and would be offset by a corresponding 
reduction in direct spending. Any discretionary administrative 
costs of completing the conveyance would be negligible. 
Finally, we estimate that enacting H.R. 831 would have no 
effect on revenues.
    H.R. 831 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    On February 7, 2007, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
202, the Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act of 
2007, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources on January 31, 2007. The provisions of S. 202 
and H.R. 831 are identical, and CBO's estimates of their costs 
are the same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Tyler Kruzich. 
The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    H.R. 831 does not contain any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9(d), 9(e) or 9(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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