[House Report 117-294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


117th Congress    }                                   {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                   {     117-294

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


 
   WILDLIFE REFUGE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION FOR THE COMMUNITY ACT

                                _______
                                

 April 25, 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. 972]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 972) to establish the Western Riverside County 
Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 972 is to establish the Western 
Riverside County Wildlife Refuge.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Riverside County is located in Southern California, 
spanning from the Greater Los Angeles area to the Arizona 
Border. The county is the fourth most populated in the state, 
with 2.46 million people.\1\ As a result of this large 
population and high growth rates, the Western Riverside County 
Regional Conservation Authority was established in 2004 to 
implement the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat 
Conservation Plan (MSHCP) under Section 10 of the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA).\2\ The MSHCP framework seeks to preserve a 
half million acres of wildlife habitat to allow for future 
development and infrastructure projects necessary to 
accommodate the growing population. The MSHCP protects 146 
native species of plants, birds, and animals,\3\ and at the 
time of the MSHCP's drafting there were 32 listed and proposed 
species in the MSHCP Plan Area.\4\
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    \1\QuickFacts, Riverside County, California, U.S. Census Bureau, 
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/riversidecountycalifornia (estimate 
of July 1, 2021).
    \2\See About RCA, W. Riverside Cnty. Reg'l Conservation Auth., 
https://www.wrc-rca.org/about-rca/ (last visited Apr. 8, 2022). See 
generally Habitat Conservation Plans, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serv., 
https://www.fws.gov/service/habitat-conservation-plans (last visited 
Apr. 8, 2022).
    \3\About RCA, supra note 2.
    \4\W. Riverside Cnty. Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan 
vol. 4, 2.5 (2003), https://www.rctlma.org/Portals/0/mshcp/volume4/
02.html#2.5.
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    H.R. 972 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
establish the Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge within 
the lands and waters of the Plan Area. The purpose of this 
refuge is to conserve habitats for future generations, support 
the recovery and protection of threatened and endangered 
species, and provide the refuge with habitat connectivity and 
migratory corridors.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 972 was introduced on February 11, 2021, by 
Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA). The bill was referred solely 
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee 
to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. On July 14, 
2021, the Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. 
The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous consent. No 
amendments were offered, and the bill 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: 
full committee markup by the House Committee on Natural 
Resources held on July 14, 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. 972, the Wildlife 
Refuge Conservation and Recreation for the Community 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. 972 would direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS) to establish the Western Riverside County National 
Wildlife Refuge in California. Under the bill, federal agencies 
that manage land within the proposed boundary, including the 
Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and the Army 
Corps of Engineers, would be required to assess the suitability 
of transferring their land to USFWS to include in the refuge.
    For this estimate, CBO assumes that the bill would be 
enacted around the end of calendar year 2021. Using information 
from the affected agencies, CBO estimates that the federal 
government would incur costs totaling $3 million over the 2022-
2026 period to establish the refuge; such spending would be 
subject to the availability of appropriated funds. That amount 
includes the costs to assess federal land for inclusion, 
complete the necessary environmental studies, and conduct 
related planning. CBO estimates that the net change in costs to 
manage the land would be negligible over the 2022-2026 period.
    H.R. 972 would authorize USFWS to acquire nonfederal land 
by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or 
exchange. CBO expects that any donations, which are classified 
in the budget as offsetting receipts or reductions in direct 
spending, would be spent soon thereafter, resulting in a 
negligible effect on net direct spending.
    Any income from communication site leases, timber 
production, and special use permits on federal land is also 
classified in the budget as offsetting receipts. Under H.R. 
972, the federal government could forgo such receipts if 
federal land was transferred to the refuge because it would be 
unavailable for some of those purposes. However, CBO expects 
that federal agencies would probably not transfer land that 
generates such income; thus, CBO estimates that any reduction 
in those receipts would be insignificant over the 2022-2031 
period.
    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 establish the Western Riverside 
County Wildlife Refuge.

                           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.

        SUPPLEMENTAL, MINORITY, ADDITIONAL, OR DISSENTING VIEWS

    None.

                                  [all]