[House Report 113-69]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress  }                                             {    Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session    }                                             {   113-69

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AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO ADJUST THE BOUNDARY OF THE 
STEPHEN MATHER WILDERNESS AND THE NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK IN ORDER 
   TO ALLOW THE REBUILDING OF A ROAD OUTSIDE OF THE FLOODPLAIN WHILE 
   ENSURING THAT THERE IS NO NET LOSS OF ACREAGE TO THE PARK OR THE 
                   WILDERNESS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

  May 17, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1156]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1156) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 
to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the 
North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding 
of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there 
is no net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, and 
for other purposes, 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. 1156 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather 
Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to 
allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while 
ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or 
the Wilderness.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The Stephen Mather Wilderness was designated in 1988 as 
part of the Washington Park Wilderness Act (Public Law 100-
668). Excluded from the wilderness area was a 100-foot corridor 
for a pre-existing dirt road that followed the Stehekin River 
for 23 miles from Lake Chelan into the wilderness, providing 
limited vehicle access to trails and campgrounds in that 
portion of the wilderness. The road dead-ended at a campground 
and trailhead to a scenic basin and pass. The action to ensure 
continuance of the road was careful and deliberate, and was 
taken to ensure public access in an area that would have more 
limited access options due to the wilderness designation.
    Until 2003, the Park provided shuttle service along the 
road for hikers and campers, who could only reach the road by 
passenger ferry or floatplane. Local residents, who retained 
property and small businesses inside the park and the adjoining 
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, also used the road for 
recreation.
    Damage to the road from a 1995 flood was repaired, except 
for a 2.5 mile section at the very end of the road, but in 2003 
and again in 2006 major flooding along the river washed out 
significant portions of the road in the upper valley. Since 
these floods, the road has been impassible for vehicles above 
what used to be the halfway point. The public access 
specifically provided for and protected by the 1988 law has 
been voided by the destruction of the road.
    Due to the wilderness designation, the Secretary of the 
Interior says that the National Park Service is unable to 
rebuild the road. H.R. 1156 is necessary to simply allow the 
Secretary of the Interior the ability to rebuild an adequate 
road that can be successfully maintained, thereby upholding the 
promise made in 1988.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 1156 was introduced on March 14, 2013, by Congressman 
Doc Hastings (R-WA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On April 24, 
2013, the Full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the 
bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental 
Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments 
were offered, and the bill was then adopted and ordered 
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 
consent.

            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.

                    Compliance With House Rule XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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. 1156--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust 
        the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North 
        Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a 
        road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no 
        net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, and for 
        other purposes

    H.R. 1156 would allow the Secretary of the Interior to 
redraw the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness (which 
makes up more than 90 percent of the North Cascades National 
Park in Washington) to exclude a 100-foot wide corridor. The 
National Park Service (NPS) would use the corridor (which would 
remain part of the park) to reroute a flood-damaged portion of 
the Stehekin Valley Road.
    Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming 
appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that 
completing the rerouting project would cost about $3 million 
over the next five years. Of this amount, about $500,000 would 
be spent to conduct an environmental impact study of the 
boundary change and the construction project. About $2.5 
million would be spent to build the new road segment and 
restore the remaining portion of the existing road. Enacting 
H.R. 1156 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von 
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. Section 308(a) of 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, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures. Based on information provided by 
the National Park Service and assuming appropriation of the 
necessary amounts, CBO estimates that completing the rerouting 
project would cost about $3 million over the next five years.
    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 authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather 
Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to 
allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while 
ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or 
the Wilderness.

                           Earmark Statement

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    Compliance With Public Law 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                       Compliance With H. Res. 5

    Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that 
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any 
specific rule-making proceedings.
    Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not 
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government 
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was 
not included in any report from the Government Accountability 
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program 
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 
98-169) as relating to other programs.

                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 (new matter is 
printed in italics and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

WASHINGTON PARK WILDERNESS ACT OF 1988

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TITLE II--NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COMPLEX WILDERNESS

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SEC. 207. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROAD.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary may adjust the boundaries of 
the North Cascades National Park and the Stephen Mather 
Wilderness in order to provide a 100-foot-wide corridor along 
which the Stehekin Valley Road may be rebuilt--
          (1) outside of the floodplain between milepost 12.9 
        and milepost 22.8;
          (2) within the boundaries of the North Cascades 
        National Park; and
          (3) outside of the boundaries of the Stephen Mather 
        Wilderness.
  (b) No Net Loss of Lands.--The boundary adjustments made 
under this section shall be such that equal acreage amounts are 
exchanged between the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North 
Cascades National Park, resulting in no net loss of acreage to 
either the Stephen Mather Wilderness or the North Cascades 
National Park.

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