[House Report 111-528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
111th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 111-528
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ROTA CULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES STUDY ACT
_______
July 13, 2010.--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. 4686]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 4686) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
study the suitability and feasibility of designating
prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the
National Park System, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill
as amended do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Rota Cultural and
Natural Resources Study Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) The island of Rota was the only major island in the
Mariana Islands to be spared the destruction and large scale
land use changes brought about by World War II.
(2) The island of Rota has been described by professional
archeologists as having the most numerous, most intact, and
generally the most unique prehistoric sites of any of the
islands of the Mariana Archipelago.
(3) The island of Rota contains remaining examples of what is
known as the Latte Phase of the cultural tradition of the
indigenous Chamorro people of the Mariana Islands. Latte stone
houses are remnants of the ancient Chamorro culture.
(4) Four prehistoric sites are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places: Monchon Archeological District
(also known locally as Monchon Latte Stone Village), Taga Latte
Stone Quarry, the Dugi Archeological Site that contains, latte
stone structures, and the Chugai Pictograph Cave that contains
examples of ancient Chamorro rock art. Alaguan Bay Ancient
Village is another latte stone prehistoric site that is
surrounded by tall-canopy limestone forest.
(5) In addition to prehistoric sites, the island of Rota
boasts historic sites remaining from the Japanese period (1914-
1945). Several of these sites are on the National Register of
Historic Places: Nanyo Kohatsu Kabushiki Kaisha Sugar Mill,
Japanese Coastal Defense Gun, and the Japanese Hospital.
(6) The island of Rota's natural resources are significant
because of the extent and intact condition of its native
limestone forest that provides habitat for several federally
endangered listed species, the Mariana crow, and the Rota
bridled white-eye birds, that are also native to the island of
Rota. Three endangered plant species are also found on Rota and
two are endemic to the island.
(7) Because of the significant cultural and natural resources
listed above, on September 2005, the National Park Service,
Pacific West Region, completed a preliminary resource
assessment on the island of Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, which determined that the ``establishment of a
unit of the national park system appear[ed] to be the best way
to ensure the long term protection of Rota's most important
cultural resources and its best examples of its native
limestone forest.''.
SEC. 2. NPS STUDY OF SITES ON THE ISLAND OF ROTA, COMMONWEALTH OF THE
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall--
(1) carry out a study regarding the suitability and
feasibility of designating prehistoric, historic, and limestone
forest sites on the island of Rota, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the National Park
System; and
(2) consider management alternatives for the island of Rota,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(b) Study Process and Completion.--Except as provided by subsection
(c) of this section, section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-
5(c)) shall apply to the conduct and completion of the study required
by this section.
(c) Submission of Study Results.--Not later than 3 years after the
date that funds are made available for this section, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of
the Senate a report describing the results of the study.
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study
the suitability and feasibility of designating prehistoric,
historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota, Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the National Park
System.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 4686 is to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of
designating prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites
on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a
unit of the National Park System.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
At 21,000 acres, Rota is the fourth-largest island in the
Marianas Archipelago. Like the rest of the islands in the
southern half of the chain, Rota is volcanic in origin, covered
by uplifted limestone from ancient coral reefs. The island was
one of the few in the Mariana Islands to be spared the
destruction and large-scale land use changes brought about by
World War II. For that reason, Rota retains large intact tracts
of native limestone forest--the best remaining example in the
island chain--as well as the most striking and well preserved
examples of the three-thousand-year-old Chamorro culture.
Fringed by narrow coral reefs and reef platforms, as well
as limestone cliffs, Rota limestone forests provide habitat for
rare species, including birds such as the Mariana crow, the
Rota bridled white-eye and the Mariana common moorhen, all
federally listed as endangered species; the Mariana fruit bat,
a threatened species; as well as three endangered plants (two
trees and a perennial herb).
According to a September 2005 preliminary resource
assessment by the National Park Service (NPS), Rota possesses
the most numerous, intact, and unique prehistoric sites of any
of the islands of the Archipelago, including stone houses that
are the remnants of what is known as the Latte Phase of the
cultural tradition of the indigenous Chamorro people (latte
refers to a structure consisting of a stone pillar capped by a
separate rock, and is distinctive to the Chamorro culture).
Four of these prehistoric sites are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places: Monchon Archeological District
(also known locally as Monchon Latte Stone Village), Taga Latte
Stone Quarry, the Dugi Archeological Site that contains latte
structures, and the Chugai Pictograph Cave that contains
examples of ancient Chamorro rock art. Alaguan Bay Ancient
Village is another latte stone prehistoric site that is
surrounded by tall-canopy limestone forest.
In addition to prehistoric sites, the island of Rota boasts
historic sites remaining from the Japanese period (1914-1945).
Several of these sites are also on the National Register of
Historic Places: Nanyo Kohatsu Kabushiki Kaisha Sugar Mill,
Japanese Coastal Defense Gun, and the Japanese Hospital.
The NPS preliminary resource assessment determined that,
based on the natural and cultural resources of the island,
``establishment of a unit of the National Park System appear[s]
to be the best way to ensure the long term protection of Rota's
most important cultural resources and its best examples of its
native limestone forest.'' The special resource study
authorized by H.R. 4686 will include a formal public comment
process, and will provide more detailed information about the
cultural and natural resources on Rota.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 4686 was introduced February 24, 2010, by Congressman
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI). The bill was referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee
to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public
Lands. At an April 27, 2010, hearing before the Subcommittee, a
representative of the Department of the Interior testified that
the Department would support the bill with an amendment to
require completion of the study within three years after funds
are appropriated for the purpose, rather than within 18 months,
as was required by the bill as introduced.
On June 16, 2010, the Subcommittee on National Parks,
Forests and Public Lands was discharged from further
consideration of H.R. 4686 and the full Natural Resources
Committee met to consider the bill. Subcommittee Chairman Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ) offered an amendment in the nature of a
substitute to change the deadline for the study from 18 months
to three years from the time funding is made available. The
amendment was adopted by voice vote. The bill, as amended, 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, and Article IV, section 3, 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, as ordered
reported, is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
study the suitability and feasibility of designating
prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the
National Park 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. 4686--Rota Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act
H.R. 4686 would require the National Park Service (NPS) to
conduct a study of the island of Rota, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, to determine the suitability and
feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park
System. The NPS would have three years to complete the study
and report to the Congress on its results.
Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming the
availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that carrying
out the study required by H.R. 4686 would cost about $200,000
over the next three years. Enacting the legislation would not
affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go
procedures would not apply.
H.R. 4686 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined
in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs
on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
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. 4686 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9 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.