[House Report 115-833]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress     }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session        }                                    {      115-833

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

 
   TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TO MAINTAIN OR REPLACE 
CERTAIN FACILITIES AND STRUCTURES FOR COMMERCIAL RECREATION SERVICES AT 
              SMITH GULCH IN IDAHO, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

 July 17, 2018.--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. 1482]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1482) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture 
to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for 
commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in 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. 1482 is to authorize the Secretary of 
Agriculture to maintain or replace certain facilities and 
structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in 
Idaho.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Smith Gulch is a ravine located along the Salmon River 
corridor in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in 
Idaho. The Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1979\1\ designated 
2.4 million acres of land in the area surrounding Smith Gulch 
as the River of No Return Wilderness to be managed in 
accordance with the Wilderness Act.\2\ The legislation also 
designated 79 miles of the Salmon River as a wild river to be 
managed in accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Public Law 96-312.
    \2\16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.
    \3\16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In 2004, Congress amended the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to 
authorize the continued established use and occupancy of three 
commercial recreation facilities and related services at Smith 
Gulch.\4\ However, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) does not 
interpret current law as authorizing the improvements or 
replacements to the facilities and structures at Smith Gulch 
that require the use of certain mechanized equipment.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\Public Law 108-447.
    \5\Based on information provided to the Committee on Natural 
Resources by the bill's sponsor.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 1482 would authorize USFS to make improvements to the 
commercial recreation facilities and structures at Smith Gulch, 
including hydroelectric generators, water pumps, electric 
lights, solar energy systems, battery power and other similarly 
appropriate improvements.
    In the 113th Congress, Congressman Simpson sponsored 
similar legislation (H.R. 4283), which passed the House of 
Representatives by a vote of 398 to 1.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\http://www.lis.gov/cgi-lis/query/D?r113:2:./temp/r113rpIHMQ:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 1482 was introduced on March 9, 2017, 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. On July 11, 2018, 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.

            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 AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT

    1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. 
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the 
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 13, 2018.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1482, a bill to 
authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain or replace 
certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation 
services at Smith Gulch in Idaho, and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jeff LaFave.
            Sincerely,
                                             Mark P. Hadley
                                        (For Keith Hall, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1482--A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain 
        or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial 
        recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho, and for other 
        purposes

    H.R. 1482 would authorize the Forest Service to allow three 
providers of commercial recreation services in the Salmon-
Challis National Forest in Idaho to construct or improve 
certain facilities. Those recreation services currently operate 
under special use permits that do not allow those types of 
projects. Under the bill, if the operators of those recreation 
services request authorization to undertake those projects, the 
agency would be required to conduct environmental reviews. Any 
costs to carry out those reviews would be covered by cost-
recovery fees assessed on the recreation services.
    Using information provided by the Forest Service, CBO 
estimates that enacting the bill would increase offsetting 
receipts from cost-recovery fees and associated direct 
spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, 
CBO estimates that any net effect on direct spending would be 
negligible. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1482 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    H.R. 1482 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    On April 7, 2017, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
590, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to 
maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for 
commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho, and for 
other purposes, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources on March 30, 2017. The two bills 
are similar, and CBO's estimates of the budgetary effects are 
the same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The 
estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. 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 
Agriculture to maintain or replace certain facilities and 
structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in 
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. This bill does not contain any 
directed rule makings.
    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

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  [all]