[House Report 111-528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


111th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     111-528

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



 
             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.

                                  
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