[Senate Report 113-173]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 399
113th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     113-173

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            LAKE HILL ADMINISTRATIVE SITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING

                                _______
                                

                  May 22, 2014.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Ms. Landrieu, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2337]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 2337) to provide for the conveyance of 
the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit 
County, Colorado, having considered the same, reports favorably 
thereon without amendment and recommends that the Act do pass.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of H.R. 2337 is to provide for the conveyance 
of the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site to Summit 
County, Colorado.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    According to the Forest Service, the Lake Hill 
administrative site in Summit County, Colorado, has lost its 
national forest character as it is severed from the remaining 
White Hill National Forest. Interstate 70 runs parallel on the 
northwest side and the community of Frisco borders the 
Southwestern boundary. Furthermore, a community water storage 
reservoir and utility corridors also occupy National Forest 
system lands on, or adjacent to, the parcel.
    Summit County, Colorado, would like to acquire the Lake 
Hill parcel to develop affordable local housing for municipal, 
school, hospital, and emergency services employees.
    Although the Forest Service has authority to dispose of 
isolated, undeveloped parcels which are used specifically for 
Forest Service administrative uses under the Forest Service 
Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005, there is 
uncertainty whether the Lake Hill parcel meets the technical 
requirements of that law. H.R. 2337 simply clarifies that the 
Lake Hill parcel shall be conveyed under the authority of that 
Act.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 2337, sponsored by Representative Polis, passed the 
House of Representatives on a voice vote on October 29, 2013. A 
Senate companion measure, S. 1305, was introduced by Senators 
Udall of Colorado and Bennett on July 16, 2013. The 
Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining held a hearing 
on S. 1305 on November 20, 2013. At its business meeting on 
December 19, 2013, the bill was ordered favorably reported.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on December 19, 2013, by a voice vote of 
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 2337.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Lake Hill 
Administrative Site Affordable Housing Act.''
    Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.
    Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of Agriculture, after 
receiving an offer from Summit County, Colorado, to use the 
authority provided by the Forest Service Facility Realignment 
and Enhancement Act of 2005 (16 U.S.C. 580d note) to convey to 
the county all right, title, and interest of the United States 
in and to the Forest Service Lake Hill administrative site, 
which totals approximately 40 acres. That Act authorizes 
conveyance to be made by sale, lease, exchange, or any other 
means as the Secretary of Agriculture considers appropriate.
    Subsection (b) states that the Lake Hill Administrative 
Site is considered to be an administrative site under section 
502(1)(A) of the Forest Service Facility Realignment and 
Enhancement Act of 2005 (16 U.S.C. 580d note), except that 
paragraph (1)(C) of that section does not apply. Paragraph 
(1)(C) limits the conveyances under that Act to not more than 
10 isolated, undeveloped parcels per fiscal year that were used 
for purposes of Forest Service administrative activities. 
Although the property authorized for conveyance by H.R. 2337 
was used for administrative activities, it was not formally 
classified for that use. Accordingly, this subsection simply 
clarifies that the Lake Hill parcel is appropriate for 
conveyance under the Forest Service Facility Realignment and 
Enhancement Act regardless of its technical classification 
status.
    Subsection (c) requires the County to be responsible for 
processing and transaction costs related to the direct sale 
under subsection (a).
    Subsection (d) provides that any proceeds received from the 
conveyance under subsection (a) shall be available, without 
further appropriation, for capital improvement and maintenance 
of Forest Service facilities in Region 2 of the Forest Service.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

H.R. 2337--Lake Hill Administrative Site Affordable Housing Act

    H.R. 2337 would require the Secretary of Agriculture to 
sell 40 acres of Forest Service land near Frisco, Colorado. 
Based on information provided by the agency, CBO estimates that 
enacting the legislation would increase offsetting receipts and 
associated direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures 
apply. However, CBO estimates that those changes would have no 
significant net impact on future budget deficits. Enacting H.R. 
2337 would not affect revenues.
    The act would require the Secretary to sell the affected 
lands to Summit County, Colorado, for fair market value. Based 
on information provided by the Forest Service, CBO estimates 
that proceeds from the sale of those lands would increase 
offsetting receipts by about $5 million. Under the act, the 
agency would be authorized to retain and spend those proceeds, 
without further appropriation, for capital improvement and 
maintenance of Forest Service facilities. CBO expects that the 
agency would complete the sale and spend the proceeds within 
five years, and we estimate that enacting the legislation would 
have no net impact on the federal budget over that period. In 
addition, the act would require the county to pay for any 
administrative costs associated with the sale.
    H.R. 2337 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    On July 31, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 
2337 as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural 
Resources on July 24, 2013. The two versions of the legislation 
are similar and the CBO cost estimates are the same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The 
estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 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. 2337.
    The bill 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. 2337, as ordered reported.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    H.R. 2337, as reported, does not contain any 
congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, 
or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The testimony provided by the Forest Service at the 
November 20, 2013, Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and 
Mining hearing on S. 1305, the companion measure to H.R. 2337 
follows:

   Statement of Leslie Weldon, Deputy Chief, National Forest System, 
               Forest Service, Department of Agriculture

    Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso and members of 
the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear 
before you today to provide the Department of Agriculture's 
views on S. 1305, ``A Bill to provide for the conveyance of the 
Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit County, 
Colorado.''
    The Department supports S. 1305.
    S. 1305 would provide that the approximately 40 acre Lake 
Hill site on the White River National Forest is considered to 
be an administrative site under the Forest Service Facility 
Realignment and Enhancement Act (FSFREA) of 2005 (Public Law 17 
109-54; 16 U.S.C. 580d) and conveyed to Summit County, Colorado 
under that Act. The Lake Hill parcel is undeveloped land that 
would be used by the County primarily for providing affordable 
local housing for municipal, school, hospital and emergency 
services employees. As a condition of the conveyance, the 
County would pay for all administrative costs associated with 
the conveyance and the proceeds of the conveyance will be made 
available for capital improvement and maintenance of Forest 
Service facilities.
    The Department supports the conveyance of the Lake Hill 
administrative site to Summit County Colorado. The Lake Hill 
site has lost its National Forest character. It is severed from 
the remaining White River National Forest. Interstate Highway 
70 runs parallel on the Northwest side of the parcel, Dillon 
Reservoir and the Dam Road border the Southeast side and the 
community of Frisco borders the Southwestern boundary. A 
community water storage reservoir and utility corridors also 
occupy NFS lands on, or adjacent to, the parcel.
    The conveyance will benefit both Summit County and the 
Forest Service. Summit County has identified the need to 
provide workforce housing in the area. The conveyance of the 
Lake Hill Administrative Site will provide space for this 
important county project. The Forest Service benefits by the 
opportunity to use funds generated by the legislation to 
improve the condition of Forest Service facilities within the 
Region.
    In summary, we support S. 1305 and would be glad to answer 
any questions.

                        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 H.R. 2337 as ordered 
reported.

                                  
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