[Senate Report 113-93]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 171
113th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 113-93
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DESIGNATION OF DENALI IN THE STATE OF ALASKA
_______
September 10, 2013.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Wyden, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 155]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 155) to designate a mountain in the State
of Alaska as Denali, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the
bill do pass.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 155 is to rename Mount McKinley in the
State of Alaska as ``Denali.''
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Denali is the Alaskan Native name for Mount McKinley,
meaning ``the high one.'' The mountain, which is the highest in
North America, with a summit of 20,320 feet, is a destination
for climbers from around the world. The name Mount McKinley was
originally published in an article in the New York Sun on
January 24, 1897, by William A. Dickey, a prospector, who
wrote, ``We named our great peak Mount McKinley, after William
McKinley of Ohio, who had been nominated for the presidency,
and that fact was the first news we received on our way out of
that wonderful wilderness.'' Senator McKinley was later elected
the 25th President of the United States.
Mount McKinley National Park was established as a game
refuge on February 26, 1917. In 1980 the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA; Public Law 96-487)
expanded Mount McKinley National Park and renamed it as Denali
National Park and Preserve; however the name of Mount McKinley
was not changed. The State of Alaska changed the name of the
mountain to Denali in 1975, although the U.S. Board on
Geographic Names has continued to use the name Mount McKinley.
Today most Alaskans refer to Mount McKinley as Denali. The bill
is necessary to ensure consistent reference to the mountain as
``Denali.''
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Senator Murkowski introduced S. 155 on January 28, 2013.
Senator Begich is a cosponsor. The Subcommittee on National
Parks held a hearing on S. 155 on April 23, 2013. At its
business meeting on June 18, 2013, the Committee ordered S. 155
favorably reported.
During the 112th Congress, Senator Murkowski introduced
similar legislation, S. 2272. The Subcommittee on National
Parks held a hearing on S. 2272 on June 27, 2012 (S. Hrg. 112-
578).
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on May 16, 2013, by a voice vote of a
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 155. Senator
Portman asked to be recorded as voting no.
SUMMARY OF THE MEASURE
S. 155 provides that the mountain located at 63+04,12,,, by
151+00,18,, in the State of Alaska shall be known and
designated as ``Denali'' and that any reference in law, map,
regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United
States to the mountain be deemed a reference to ``Denali.''
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
June 21, 2013.
Hon. Ron Wyden,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
reviewed S. 155, a bill to designate a mountain in the state of
Alaska as Denali, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources on June 18, 2013.
CBO estimates that enacting this legislation to name a peak
in Alaska would have no significant impact on the federal
budget and would not affect direct spending or revenues;
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. S. 155
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.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jeff LaFave.
Sincerely,
Douglas W. Elmendorf.
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 S. 155.
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 S. 155, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 155, 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 National Park Service at the
April 23, 2013, Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S.
155 follows:
Statement of Peggy O'Dell, Deputy Director for Operations, National
Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 155, a bill to
designate a mountain in the State of Alaska as Denali.
The National Park Service appreciates the long history and
public interest for both the name Mount McKinley and the
traditional Athabascan name, Denali. The Department respects
the choice made by this legislation, and does not object to S.
155.
Located in what is now Denali National Park and Preserve,
the highest peak in North America has been known by many names.
The National Park Service's administrative history of the park
notes that, ``The Koyukon called it Deenaalee, the Lower Tanana
named it Deenaadheet or Deennadhee, the Dena'ina called it
Dghelay Ka'a, and at least six other Native groups had their
own names for it.
``In the late 18th century various Europeans came calling,
and virtually everyone who passed by was moved to comment on
it. The Russians called it Bulshaia or Tenada, and though
explorers from other nations were less specific, even the most
hard-bitten adventurers were in awe of its height and majesty.
``No American gave it a name until Densmore's Mountain
appeared in the late 1880s, and the name that eventually
stuck--Mount McKinley--was not applied until the waning days of
the nineteenth century,'' a gesture of support to then-
President William McKinley.
In 1975, the State of Alaska officially recognized Denali
as the name of the peak, and requested action by the U.S. Board
on Geographic Names to do the same.
In 1980, Congress changed the name of Mount McKinley
National Park to Denali National Park and Preserve (P.L. 96-
487, Section 202), but did not act on the name change for the
mountain.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony, and I would be
happy to answer any questions you or other members 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 S. 155, as ordered
reported.