[Senate Report 118-66]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 140
118th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 118-66
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CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL PARK DESIGNATION
_______
July 19, 2023.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Manchin, from the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 736]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 736), to establish the Chiricahua
National Park in the State of Arizona as a unit of the National
Park System, and for other purposes, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 736 is to redesignate the Chiricahua
National Monument in the State of Arizona as Chiricahua
National Park.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Established by Presidential Proclamation issued by
President Coolidge in 1924 under the authority of the
Antiquities Act, the Chiricahua National Monument protects
approximately 12,000 acres of unique natural and cultural
heritage in Cochise County, Arizona. The national monument is
primarily known for its unique ``standing rock'' formations
eroded from rhyolitic tuff, but also includes a varied
biological landscape due to its location at the crossroads of
four biogeographical regions.
The national monument's cultural landscape includes the
homeland of the Chiricahua Apache Indians and their ancestors,
19th century homesteads, Buffalo Soldier history, an early 20th
century guest ranch, and a depression-era Civilian Conservation
Corps camp. In 1976, Congress designated the majority of the
national monument as wilderness.
S. 736 redesignates the national monument as a national
park, but does not change the National Park Service management
of the area.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 736 was introduced by Senators Kelly and Sinema on March
9, 2023. Similar legislation, S. 1320, was introduced in the
117th Congress by Senators Kelly and Sinema. The Subcommittee
on National Parks held a hearing on S. 1320 on June 23, 2021.
The Committee ordered S. 1320 reported favorably with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute on November 18, 2021
(S. Rept. 117-88). A related bill in the 117th Congress, H.R.
6451, was introduced in the House by Representative Kirkpatrick
on January 20, 2022. The Subcommittee on National Parks,
Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing on the bill on
February 3.
In the 116th Congress, Senators McSally and Sinema
introduced similar legislation, S. 3121. Senator Kelly later
joined as a cosponsor. The Subcommittee on National Parks held
a hearing on that bill on March 4, 2020, but no further action
was taken on the bill.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on May 17, 2023, by a majority voice vote
of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 736.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 provides the short title, the ``Chiricahua
National Park Act.''
Section 2(a) redesignates the 12,305-acre Chiricahua
National Monument as Chiricahua National Park. The subsection
provides that the boundaries of the national park shall be the
boundaries of Chiricahua National Monument and any reference to
the monument shall be considered to be a reference to the
national park. The bill also clarifies that any funding made
available to the monument shall be available to the national
park.
Subsection (b) provides that the national park shall be
administered in accordance with the presidential proclamations
establishing and expanding the national monument and other laws
generally applicable to units of the National Park System.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The Committee has requested, but has not yet received, the
Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the cost of S. 736 as
ordered reported. When the Congressional Budget Office
completes its cost estimate, it will be posted on the Internet
at www.cbo.gov.
On November 21, 2022, the Congressional Budget Office
provided a table entitled ``Summary Estimates of Legislation
Ordered Reported'' by the Committee during the 117th Congress.
The table included a cost estimate for similar legislation in
the 117th Congress, S. 1320. The table is posted at
www.cbo.gov.
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. 736. 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. 736, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 736, as ordered 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 Department of the Interior at
the June 23, 2021, hearing on S. 1320, similar legislation that
was filed during the 117th Congress, follows:
Statement of Michael Caldwell, Acting Associate Director, Park
Planning, Facilities, and Lands, National Park Service, U.S. Department
of the Interior
Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines and members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the
views of the Department of the Interior on S. 1320, to
establish the Chiricahua National Park in the State of Arizona
as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
The Department supports S. 1320.
Chiricahua National Monument was established on April 18,
1924, by President Calvin Coolidge by presidential
proclamation. The monument is located in Cochise County,
approximately 37 miles southeast of Willcox, Arizona. It is
located at the intersection of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran
deserts, the southern Rocky Mountains, and the northern Sierra
Madre.
Chiricahua National Monument is known as a ``Wonderland of
Rocks'' because of its distinctive pinnacle formations. These
formations are the result of powerful volcanic events combined
with geologic erosive forces over time creating the rhyolitic
rock formations in the monument. The Madrean Sky Island
ecosystem of the Monument protects a great diversity of flora
and fauna as well as critical habitat for threatened,
endangered and endemic species.
Chiricahua National Monument also preserves evidence of
diverse human history spanning thousands of years, including
prehistoric indigenous peoples, Chiricahua Apaches, Buffalo
Soldiers, European American pioneers and ranchers, and the
1930's Civilian Conservation Corps. The monument's Faraway
Ranch Historic District includes structures, resources and
landscapes associated with the former pioneer homestead and
working cattle ranch. Stories and evidence of struggle,
perseverance, stewardship and connection to the land unite the
experiences of each of these groups which left a lasting legacy
on the land and our country.
Re-designating the monument as Chiricahua National Park is
consistent with the nomenclature patterns of the National Park
System. Units designated as national parks generally contain a
variety of resources and encompass a large land or water area
to help provide adequate protection of the resources. With its
wealth of both natural and cultural resources over a large land
mass of approximately 12,025 acres, it is appropriate to
designate this unit as a national park.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
Subcommittee 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. 736 as ordered reported