[Senate Report 110-164]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 362
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                    110-164

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           COLUMBIA-PACIFIC NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

               September 17, 2007.--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 H.R. 407]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 407) to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of 
establishing the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area in the 
States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the Act do pass.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of H.R. 407 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of 
designating certain coastal areas in Clatsop County, Oregon, 
and Pacific County, Washington, and a corridor along the 
Columbia River as the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    Following the completion of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 
Bicentennial Commemoration that took place in Clatsop County, 
Oregon, and Pacific County, Washington, in 2005, community 
leaders recognized the national significance of the heritage 
culture, and legacy of the region. The bicentennial celebration 
efforts greatly enhanced local community pride and resulted in 
several projects related to the heritage of the area, including 
the designation of the Lewis & Clark National Historical Park, 
construction of the ``Fort to Sea'' trail in Oregon and the 
Discovery Trail in Washington, and development of heritage 
monuments in both States.
    H.R. 407 authorizes a study to be undertaken to assess the 
feasibility of designating this area as a national heritage 
area, in furtherance of the previous efforts described above.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 407, sponsored by Representative Baird, passed the 
House of Representatives by a voice vote on May 7, 2007. 
Companion legislation, S. 257, was introduced by Senators 
Smith, Murray, Wyden, and Cantwell on January 11, 2007. The 
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 257 on 
March 20, 2007 (S. Hrg. 110-73).
    At its business meeting on July 25, 2007, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 407 favorably 
reported.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on July 25, 2007, by a voice vote of a quorum 
present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 407.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Columbia-Pacific 
National Heritage Area Study Act.''
    Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.
    Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior, in 
consultation with the managers of Federal lands within the 
study area, appropriate State and local governmental agencies, 
tribal governments, and other interested organizations, to 
conduct a study to determine the feasibility of designating the 
study area as the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area.
    Subsection (b) sets forth the requirements for the study. 
The study is to include analysis, documentation, and a 
determination whether the study area has an assemblage of 
natural, historic, and cultural resources that represent 
distinctive aspects of the heritage of the United States, in 
addition to several other criteria listed in the subsection.
    Subsection (c) requires the Secretary, in conducting the 
study, to analyze the potential impact that designation of the 
area as a national heritage area is likely to have on 
privately-owned land within the study area.
    Section 4 requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit 
a report to Congress within three fiscal years after funds are 
made available for the study, describing the findings of the 
study and any conclusions and recommendations.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

                                                     July 31, 2007.
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 H.R. 407, the Columbia-
Pacific National Heritage Area Study Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Tyler 
Kruzich.
            Sincerely,
                                                   Peter R. Orszag.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 407--Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area Study Act

    H.R. 407 would direct the Department of the Interior (DOI) 
to conduct a suitability and feasibility study of designating 
coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest as the Columbia-Pacific 
National Heritage Area. Based on information from the DOI, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 407 would cost less than 
$500,000, assuming the availability of appropriated funds. 
Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or 
revenues.
    H.R. 407 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.
    The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Tyler Kruzich 
and David Reynolds. The estimate was 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 H.R. 407. The Act is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant economic 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 H.R. 407, as ordered reported.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at 
the March 20, 2007, Subcommittee hearing on the Senate 
companion measure, S. 257, follows:

 Statement of Daniel N. Wenk, Deputy Director, National Park Service, 
                       Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to provide the 
Department of the Interior's views on S. 257, a bill to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to 
determine the feasibility of establishing the Columbia-Pacific 
National Heritage Area in the states of Washington and Oregon.
    The Department supports enactment of S. 257 with amendments 
that are described later in this statement. These amendments 
would make the study requirements in S. 257 fully consistent 
with the criteria for National Heritage Area studies that were 
included in the Administration's proposal for National Heritage 
Area program legislation that was transmitted to Congress last 
July. Bills were introduced in the 109th Congress (S. 243, H.R. 
760 and H.R. 6287) that incorporated the majority of the 
provisions of the Administration's proposal, and S. 243 passed 
the Senate. During the 110th Congress, a similar heritage area 
program bill, S. 278, has been introduced, and we look forward 
to continuing to work with Congress on this very important 
issue.
    While the Department supports the authorization of this 
study, we also believe that any funding requested should be 
directed first toward completing previously authorized studies.
    With 37 national heritage areas designated across 27 
states, and more heritage area legislative proposals in the 
pipeline, the Administration believes it is critical at this 
juncture for Congress to enact national heritage area program 
legislation. This legislation would provide a much-needed 
framework for evaluating proposed national heritage areas, 
offering guidelines for successful planning and management, 
clarifying the roles and responsibilities of all parties, and 
standardizing timeframes and funding for designated areas. 
Program legislation also would clarify the expectation that 
heritage areas would work toward self-sufficiency by outlining 
the necessary steps, including appropriate planning, to achieve 
that shared goal.
    Where the mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, a 
unique confluence of American history unfolds. For many 
millennia, the broad, fog-shrouded, and dangerous Columbia 
River served as the home to the Chinookan people. Over the 
years, the Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wiakakum and Cathlamet 
people developed a rich and complex society based upon trade 
and the use of the abundant natural resources. These people 
continue to live and work to keep their culture alive 
throughout the region.
    The entrance yielded to 18th Century maritime and 
continental explorers after Captain Sir Francis Drake and 
Captain Cook sailed off the coast in search of the fabled 
Northwest Passage. In 1792, the first ship under United States 
command in the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia Rediviva, was the 
first non-native ship to enter the mouth of the great river of 
the west. Captain Robert Gray named the four-mile-wide river 
after his ship. Two months later, one of British Captain George 
Vancouver's ships sailed up the Columbia River and claimed both 
banks of the river for England. This created international 
tensions over disputed territory that would remain unresolved 
for over 50 years.
    International commerce flourished as American and European 
ships sought to trade with the Chinook for furs. Ships would 
travel around Cape Horn, trade for furs along the Columbia, 
then sail to China where the furs would be traded for silk, 
spices, porcelain, and other goods.
    In 1805, thirteen years after Captain Gray first entered 
the Columbia River, the Lewis and Clark Expedition made the 
first overland journey to the mouth of the Columbia, reaching 
their destination of the Pacific Ocean. The Expedition wintered 
at Fort Clatsop and successfully returned home. The Corps of 
Discovery's arrival and stay is commemorated at the sites of 
the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and at state park 
sites in Washington and Oregon, which are working in 
partnership with the National Park Service to preserve and 
interpret the Corps of Discovery story.
    In 1811, John Jacob Astor established the first permanent 
American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, in Astoria. At 
the outbreak of the War of 1812, Astoria was sold to the 
British Hudson's Bay Company and was not returned to America 
until the late 1820's. After more than 50 years of contentious 
British and American ownership, possession of the region was 
not resolved until both banks of the Columbia became undisputed 
United States territory in 1846. Today, Astoria is known for 
its Historic Districts with Victorian and Craftsman-style homes 
stacked along its steep hillsides with an active working 
waterfront.
    The natural geography of the Columbia River provided a 
ready-made homeland defense for Native Americans. At the start 
of the Civil War, the United States Army followed the example 
of the native people and constructed forts and coastal defenses 
at the mouth of the Columbia. Fort Stevens, Fort Columbia and 
Fort Canby (at Cape Disappointment) remained in continuous 
operation guarding the Columbia River entrance from the Civil 
War through the end of World War II.
    The confluence of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean has 
become known as the ``Graveyard of the Pacific.'' Hundreds of 
ships lay wrecked at the entrance and along the nearby coast. 
In order to further trade and commerce, the United States has 
worked for nearly 150 years to make navigation of the Columbia 
River safe for mariners. Today, the United States Coast Guard 
serves as the sentinels of the river, where every year they 
protect thousands of lives and millions of dollars in property.
    For the last 200 years, people from all over the world have 
settled in communities of the region to work in the industries 
in the area--fishing, canneries, ship outfitting, timber 
harvesting, milling and transportation, and international 
trade. These resource-based industries have played and will 
continue to play a significant role in the region's heritage.
    The rich history of this region is set against a backdrop 
of rugged scenic beauty. It includes the headlands at Ecola and 
Cape Disappointment State parks, old growth forests in the 
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, abundant wildlife in the 
Lewis and Clark and Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife 
Refuges, and miles of gentle beaches on the Long Beach 
Peninsula and at Seaside, Oregon.
    The study authorized by S. 257 would cover four counties 
close to the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific 
Ocean where there is a strong, broad-based local support for 
protecting and promoting these resources. It is estimated to 
cost between $200,000 and $300,000.
    S. 257 contains most, but not all, of the criteria for 
National Heritage Area studies that the National Park Service 
believes is essential for evaluating the feasibility of 
designating a National Heritage Area. The bill omits criteria 
related to the identification of a local coordinating entity 
and its roles and responsibilities. It also omits criteria 
related to development of a conceptual boundary map. We would 
be pleased to work with the committee to develop amendments 
that would address these matters.
    Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. I would be 
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the 
committee may have.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the Act H.R. 407, as 
ordered reported.

                                  
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