[House Report 114-229]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress    }                                      {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                      {     114-229

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



 
 SAWTOOTH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA AND JERRY PEAK WILDERNESS ADDITIONS 
                                  ACT

                                _______
                                

 July 27, 2015.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted 
                             the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1138]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1138) to establish certain wilderness areas in 
central Idaho and to authorize various land conveyances 
involving National Forest System land and Bureau of Land 
Management land in central Idaho, 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. 1138 is to establish certain wilderness 
areas in central Idaho and to authorize various land 
conveyances involving National Forest System land and Bureau of 
Land Management land in central Idaho.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    H.R. 1138 would create three new Wilderness areas totaling 
275,655 acres on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) lands, would release four Wilderness Study 
Areas (WSA) totaling 153,883 federal acres back to multiple-
use, and transfer 12 parcels of federal land totaling 913 acres 
to local counties and cities in central Idaho. The areas 
subject to this bill attract a number of outdoor 
recreationists, including snowmobilers, hunters, backpackers, 
hikers, mountain bikers, outfitters, campers and others.
    There is strong local opposition to these or other areas in 
Idaho being designated as a national monument by the President 
under the Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 U.S.C. 431 et seq.). In 
response to this threat, Congressman Michael K. Simpson (R-ID) 
has developed and introduced several bills over the last decade 
that would designate new Wilderness, release WSAs back into 
multiple-use, and transfer federal lands to local cities and 
counties. Congressman Simpson first introduced the Central 
Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (CIEDRA) in 2004. 
That bill would have designated 332,000 acres as new Wilderness 
and released 131,000 acres from existing WSAs. The bill was 
passed by the House in 2006 during the 109th Congress, but was 
not taken up in the Senate.
    Congressman Simpson introduced the bill in subsequent 
Congressional sessions, but revamped the proposal in the 114th 
Congress and introduced the newly-titled bill in February 2015. 
The revamped bill increases the acreage released from WSAs and 
decreases the amount of acreage designated as Wilderness so 
that no motorized roads or trails will be closed and 
snowmobiling areas will be left open.
    The areas designated as Wilderness include the Hemingway-
Boulders Wilderness, White Clouds Wilderness, and the Jim 
McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness. The WSAs that would be released 
include the Jerry Peak WSA, Jerry Peak West WSA, Corral-Horse 
Basin WSA, and Boulder Creek WSA. The bill requires the 
conveyance or transfer of 12 parcels of BLM and USFS land to 
Blaine and Custer Counties and several cities in central Idaho. 
This land will be used for a variety of public purposes, 
including housing for seasonal workers, fire protection, waste 
transfer, cemeteries, and other local needs.
    The bill features a number of other special provisions. 
Grazing permittees with allotments within certain areas 
designated as Wilderness would be allowed to voluntarily retire 
their permits and be eligible for compensation from a third 
party conservation group. Any retired permits would be 
permanently closed to future grazing. No roads that are 
currently open to vehicles or trails that are currently open to 
two wheeled motorized-use would be closed. The legislation does 
not restrict or preclude low-level overflights of military 
aircraft, flight testing, or the designation of new special-use 
airspace over the Wilderness areas. The bill does not include 
any protective perimeter or buffer zone around the Wilderness 
areas and does not restrict activities or the use of lands 
outside the Wilderness areas that can be seen or heard within 
the area.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 1138 was introduced on February 26, 2015, by 
Congressman Michael K. Simpson (R-ID). The bill was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to 
the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. The Subcommittee held a 
hearing on the bill on June 16, 2015. On July 8, 2015, the 
Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments 
were offered and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the 
House of Representatives by unanimous consent on July 9, 2015.

            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. 1138--Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness 
        Additions Act

    H.R. 1138 would require federal agencies to manage 276,000 
acres of federal land located in Idaho for conservation 
purposes. The bill also would require the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) and the Forest Service to convey parcels of 
federal land totaling roughly 700 acres to various local 
governments in Idaho. Based on information provided by the 
affected agencies and assuming appropriation of the necessary 
amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost 
less than $500,000 over the 2016-2020 period. Because enacting 
H.R. 1138 would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-
you-go procedures do not apply.
    The bill would designate 276,000 acres of federal land 
administered by the Forest Service and BLM as components of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System. Based on information 
provided by the affected agencies, CBO estimates that they 
would spend less than $250,000 over the next five years to 
develop new management plans and install new signs, assuming 
appropriation of the necessary amounts.
    The legislation also would require BLM and the Forest 
Service to convey parcels totaling roughly 700 acres of federal 
land in Idaho to various county and city governments. Based on 
information regarding the cost of carrying out similar; 
activities, CBO estimates that completing the conveyances and 
removing a barn from one of the parcels, as required under the 
bill, would cost less than $250,000, assuming appropriation of 
the necessary amounts. Because the affected lands are not 
expected to generate any offsetting receipts over the next 10 
years, CBO estimates that completing the conveyances would not 
affect direct spending.
    H.R. 1138 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The 
bill would benefit Blaine and Custer Counties and the cities of 
Challis, Clayton, and Stanley in Idaho. Any costs incurred by 
those entities resulting from the land conveyances would be 
incurred voluntarily as conditions of receiving federal 
assistance.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The 
estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase 
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. According to the 
Congressional Budget Office, implementing the bill would cost 
less than $500,000 over 2016-2020, assuming appropriation of 
the necessary amounts.
    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 establish certain wilderness areas 
in central Idaho and to authorize various land conveyances 
involving National Forest System land and Bureau of Land 
Management land in central Idaho.

                           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 (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets and 
existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman):

                         ACT OF AUGUST 22, 1972


                          (Public Law 92-400)

AN ACT To establish the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in the State 
 of Idaho, to temporarily withdraw certain national forest land in the 
State of Idaho from the operation of the United States mining laws, and 
for other purposes.

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  [Sec. 5. The Secretary shall, as soon as practicable after 
the enactment of this Act, review the undeveloped and 
unimproved portion or portions of the recreation area as to 
suitability or nonsuitability for preservation as a part of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System. In conducting his 
review, the Secretary shall comply with the provisions of 
subsection 3(d) of the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 (78 
Stat. 892), relating to public notice, public hearings, and 
review by State and other agencies, and shall advise the Senate 
and House of Representatives of his recommendations with 
respect to the designation as wilderness of the area or areas 
reviewed.]

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