[House Report 110-667]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-667

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



 
      CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS NETWORK CONTINUING 
                           AUTHORIZATION ACT

                                _______
                                

  May 22, 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. 5540]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 5540) to amend the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act 
of 1998 to provide for the continuing authorization of the 
Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, 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. 5540 is to amend the Chesapeake Bay 
Initiative Act of 1998 to provide for the continuing 
authorization of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails 
Network.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network was 
established in 1998 (Title V of Public Law 105-312) to 
identify, conserve, restore and interpret the natural, 
historical, cultural and recreational resources within the 
Chesapeake Bay watershed.
    The network provides grants to parks, volunteer groups, 
wildlife refuges, historic sites, museums, and watertrails 
throughout the watershed. In the ten years since its creation, 
this network has grown to include 156 gateway sites in six 
states and the District of Columbia, with more than 1500 miles 
of established and developing watertrails.
    The goal of the network is to educate residents of the 
Chesapeake Bay watershed about important sites throughout their 
region, and to show residents how their communities relate 
directly to the health of the bay, the nation's largest 
estuary.
    P.L. 105-312 authorized $3 million annually for the network 
in fiscal years 1999 through 2003. In 2002, P.L. 107-308 
reauthorized the program through 2008 with no increase in 
funding level. In a 2004 special resources study, the National 
Park Service recommended permanent authorization for the 
program. H.R. 5540 would provide that permanent authorization.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 5540 was introduced by Representative John Sarbanes 
(D-MD) on March 5, 2008. The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. The 
Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on the bill on April 
24, 2008.
    At an April 24 hearing on the bill, a representative of the 
Interior Department testified that while the Department 
supports authorization of continued technical assistance to the 
network for its bay cleanup mission, the Administration did not 
request grant funding for the program. The Department's 
testimony noted that the network was recognized by the White 
House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in 2005 as a 
cooperative conservation success story.
    On April 30, 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. 5540. An amendment offered by 
Representative Sali (R-ID) to reauthorize the program only 
through the end of fiscal year 2013 was not agreed to by voice 
vote. The bill was then ordered favorably reported to the House 
of Representatives by voice vote.

            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 amend the Chesapeake Bay 
Initiative Act of 1998 to provide for the continuing 
authorization of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails 
Network.
    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. 5540--Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Continuing 
        Authorization Act

    Summary: H.R. 5540 would reauthorize funding for the 
Chesapeake Bay Initiative, a program carried out by the 
National Park Service (NPS) and other federal agencies to 
conserve resources in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Assuming 
appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that 
implementing this legislation would cost the NPS about $5 
million over the 2009-2013 period and $1 million a year 
thereafter. Enacting H.R. 5540 would not affect direct spending 
or revenues.
    H.R. 5540 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.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of H.R. 5540 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--
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                                                                   2008    2009    2010    2011    2012    2013
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Spending Under Current Law:
    Budget Authority\1\.........................................       1       0       0       0       0       0
    Estimated Outlays...........................................       1       0       0       0       0       0
Proposed Changes:
    Estimated Authorization Level...............................       0       1       1       1       1       1
    Estimated Outlays...........................................       0       1       1       1       1       1
Spending Under H.R. 5540:
    Estimated Authorization Level\1\............................       1       1       1       1       1       1
    Estimated Outlays...........................................       1       1       1       1       1      1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\The 2008 level is the amount appropriated for that year.

    Basis of estimate: H.R. 5540 would authorize (indefinitely) 
the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for 
programs carried out under the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 
1998. Based on recent appropriations for those programs, CBO 
estimates that the NPS would spend about $1 million annually 
under the bill, mostly for grants to nonfederal entities. The 
current authorization of appropriations for the program, which 
will expire at the end of fiscal year 2008, is $3 million 
annually, but appropriations have generally been about one 
third of that amount each year ($1 million).
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 5540 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
tribal governments. State and local governments could benefit 
from grants authorized by the bill.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Deborah Reis; Impact 
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Burke Doherty; Impact 
on the Private Sector: Amy Petz.
    Estimate 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. 5540 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 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 502 OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY INITIATIVE ACT OF 1998

SEC. 502. CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS.

  (a)  * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  [(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 1999 through 2008.]
  (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to 
be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this 
section.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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