[House Report 117-272]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
117th Congress } { Rept. 117-272
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { Part 1
======================================================================
MODERNIZING ACCESS TO OUR PUBLIC LAND ACT
_______
March 15, 2022.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Grijalva, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3113]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 3113) to require the Secretary of the Interior,
the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant Secretary of
the Army for Civil Works to digitize and make publicly
available geographic information system mapping data relating
to public access to Federal land and waters for outdoor
recreation, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that
the bill as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Access to our Public Land
Act'', or ``MAPLand Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means any land
or water managed by a Federal land management agency.
(2) Federal land management agency.--The term ``Federal land
management agency'' means--
(A) the Bureau of Reclamation;
(B) the National Park Service;
(C) the Bureau of Land Management;
(D) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
(E) the Forest Service; and
(F) the Corps of Engineers.
(3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(B) the Secretary of the Interior; and
(C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY DATA STANDARDIZATION.
Not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretaries shall jointly develop and adopt interagency standards to
ensure compatibility and interoperability among applicable Federal
databases with respect to the collection and dissemination of outdoor
recreation data relating to Federal land.
SEC. 4. DATA CONSOLIDATION, DIGITIZATION, AND PUBLICATION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, each of the Secretaries, to the maximum extent
practicable, shall digitize and make publicly available on the website
of the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Corps of
Engineers, as applicable, geographic information system mapping data
that includes, with respect to the Federal land administered by the
relevant Secretary--
(1) all Federal interests, including easements, reservations,
and rights-of-way, in private land--
(A) to which the Federal Government does not have a
fee title interest; and
(B) that are open to public recreational use;
(2) status information with respect to whether Roads and
Trails on the Federal land are open or closed;
(3) the dates on which Roads and Trails on the Federal land
are seasonally opened and closed;
(4) the types of vehicles and recreational uses that are
allowed on each segment of the Roads and Trails on the Federal
land, including the permissibility of--
(A) non-mechanized transportation;
(B) off-highway vehicles;
(C) motorcycles;
(D) non-motorized bicycles;
(E) electric bicycles; and
(F) passing vehicles;
(5) the boundaries of areas where hunting, weapon discharge,
or recreational shooting is regulated or closed on the Federal
land; and
(6) the boundaries of any portion of a body of water on the
Federal land that--
(A) is closed to entry;
(B) is closed to watercraft;
(C) has horsepower limitations or gasoline motor
restrictions for watercraft; or
(D) nothing in this subpart requires the Federal land
management agency to collect and compile information on
watercraft restrictions imposed by other entities.
(b) Updates.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall biennially update the
data described in subsection (a).
(2) Public evaluation of accuracy.--The Secretaries shall
include on each website referred to in subsection (a), as
applicable, a point of contact to allow members of the public
to confirm or dispute the accuracy of the information described
in that subsection.
(3) Effect.--Geographic information system data made publicly
available pursuant to this section should not disclose
information regarding the location, character, and ownership of
historic resources and the nature and location of
archaeological resources, consistent with the National Historic
Preservation Act, (54 U.S.C. 307103), and the Archaeological
Resources Protection Act, (16 U.S.C. 470hh).
SEC. 5. REPORTS.
On an annual basis--
(1) each of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Agriculture shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report on the
progress made by the Secretary of the Interior and the
Secretary of Agriculture, respectively, toward meeting the
requirements of section 5; and
(2) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, shall submit to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives a report on the progress made by the Secretary
of the Army, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Civil Works, toward meeting the requirements of section 5.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated--
(1) to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this Act--
(A) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
(B) $5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023, 2024,
and 2025;
(2) to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out this Act--
(A) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
(B) $5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023, 2024,
and 2025; and
(3) to the Secretary of the Army to carry out this Act--
(A) $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
(B) $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 and
2024.
SEC. 7. SAVINGS.
Under this Act, the Secretaries shall not publicize or make available
information on unauthorized or illegal Roads and Trails.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 3113 is to require the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to digitize and make
publicly available geographic information system mapping data
relating to public access to Federal land and waters for
outdoor recreation.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
H.R. 3113 would help enhance access to the nation's outdoor
recreational opportunities by digitizing and standardizing
mapping information, such as access points and permissible
uses, of federal public lands.
Specifically, the bill directs federal land management
agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to jointly
develop and adopt interagency standards to ensure compatibility
and interoperability among federal databases for the collection
and dissemination of outdoor recreation data related to federal
lands. The bill stipulates that maps must be digitized and
published with geographic information system (GIS) mapping data
that includes:
federal interests, including easements and rights-
of-way, in private land, that are open to public recreational
use;
status information as to whether roads and trails
on federal land are open or closed;
the dates on which such roads and trails are
seasonally opened and closed;
the types of vehicles and recreational uses
allowed on each segment of such roads and trails;
the boundaries of areas on federal land where
hunting or recreational shooting is regulated or closed; and
the boundaries of any portion of a body of water
on federal land that is closed to entry, is closed to
watercraft, or has horsepower limitations for watercraft.
The bill would require biennial updates to the available
data.
Currently, more than 9.52 million acres of land in the
American West lack permanent and legal access points for public
use, and information on these lands is still kept on paper
files. H.R. 3113 would build upon the investments made in the
John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation
Act (P.L. 116-9) and the Great American Outdoors Act (P.L. 116-
152) to help ensure that hunters, anglers, and all Americans
can more easily find information and resources to help
facilitate public lands access.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 3113 was introduced on May 11, 2021, by Representative
Blake Moore (R-UT). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on
Agriculture and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure. Within the Committee on Natural Resources, the
bill was referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks,
Forests, and Public Lands and the Subcommittee on Water,
Oceans, and Wildlife. On June 8, 2021, the Subcommittee on
National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing on the
bill. On July 14, 2021, the Natural Resources Committee met to
consider the bill. The Subcommittees were discharged by
unanimous consent. Rep. Moore offered an amendment designated
Moore #1. The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent, and
the bill, as amended, was adopted and ordered favorably
reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.
HEARINGS
For the purposes of clause 3(c)(6) of House Rule XIII, the
following hearing was used to develop or consider this measure:
hearing by the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and
Public Lands held on June 8, 2021.
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, September 15, 2021.
Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,
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. 3113, the MAPLand
Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director.
Enclosure.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 3113 would authorize the appropriation of specific
amounts totaling about $45 million over the 2022-2025 period
for the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior,
and the Army Corps of Engineers to develop and adopt
interagency standards on outdoor recreation data and to make
publicly available mapping data on federal lands open for
recreation.
For this estimate, CBO assumes that the legislation will be
enacted by the end of calendar year 2021. Based on historical
spending patterns for similar activities and assuming that the
authorized amounts will be appropriated each year, CBO
estimates that implementing H.R. 3113 would cost $45 million
over the 2021-2026 period.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 3113
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
----------------------------------------------------
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-2026
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Agriculture
Authorization.......................................... 0 3 6 6 6 0 19
Estimated Outlays...................................... 0 2 5 6 6 1 19
Department of the Interior
Authorization.......................................... 0 3 6 6 6 0 19
Estimated Outlays...................................... 0 2 5 6 6 1 19
Army Corps of Engineers
Authorization.......................................... 0 2 3 3 0 0 7
Estimated Outlays...................................... 0 1 2 3 1 0 7
Total Changes
Authorization...................................... 0 7 14 14 11 0 45
Estimated Outlays.................................. 0 5 12 14 12 2 45
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goals and
objectives of this bill are to require the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to digitize and make
publicly available geographic information system mapping data
relating to public access to Federal land and waters for
outdoor recreation.
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.
UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT STATEMENT
According to CBO, this bill contains no unfunded mandates
as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of
the federal government known to be duplicative of another
program.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL LAW
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes to existing
law.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
SUPPLEMENTAL, MINORITY, ADDITIONAL, OR DISSENTING VIEWS
None.
[all]