[Senate Report 109-2]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 9
109th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 109-2
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MORMON PIONEER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT
_______
February 16, 2005.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Domenici, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 163]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 163) to establish the Mormon Pioneer
National Heritage Area in the State of Utah, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon
with amendments and an amendment to the title and recommends
that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
1. On page 1, lines 4 and 5, strike ``National Mormon
Pioneer'' and insert ``Mormon Pioneer National''.
2. One page 4, line 22, strike ``National Mormon Pioneer''
and insert ``Mormon Pioneer National''.
3. One page 5, line 8, strike ``NATIONAL MORMON PIONEER''
and insert ``MORMON PIONEER NATIONAL''.
3. One page 5, lines 9 and 10, strike ``National Mormon
Pioneer'' and insert ``Mormon Pioneer National''.
5. On page 5, line 13, strike ``that are''.
6. On page 5, line 14, insert ``that are'' before
``related''.
7. On page 6, line 10, strike ``located in'' and insert
``including''.
8. Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to establish the
Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area in the State of Utah, and
for other purposes.''.
PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE
The purpose of S. 163 is to establish the Mormon Pioneer
National Heritage Area in the State of Utah.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
S. 163 would establish the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage
Area in central Utah along Highway 89. Central Utah contains a
wealth of nationally important historical, cultural, and
natural legacies of Mormon settlement. The settlement of the
Mormon settlers opened up vast amounts of natural resources for
economic need. Mormon settlement played a significant role in
the history and progress of the development and settlement of
the Western United States. Establishment of the Mormon Pioneer
National Heritage Area will assist in the preservation and
interpretation of the area's unique and nationally significant
resources.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 163 was introduced by Senator Bennett on January 26,
2005. At a business meeting on February 9, 2005, the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 163 favorably
reported. During the 108th Congress, Senator Bennet introduced
identical legislation, S. 916, on April 11, 2003. The text of
S. 916 was identical to S. Amendment 4085 to S. 1521, which
passed the Senate on December 7, 2004. The House of
Representatives did not consider the bill prior to the sine die
adjournment of the 108th Congress.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an
open business session on February 9, 2005, by a unanimous voice
vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S.
163, if amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
During its consideration of S. 163, the Committee adopted
several clarifying amendments and an amendment to the title.
The amendments clarify that the name of the heritage area is
the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 entitles the bill ``Mormon Pioneer National
Heritage Area Act.''
Section 2 sets forth congressional findings.
Section 3 defines key terms in the Act.
Section 4 establishes the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage
Area and describes the corridors within the State of Utah to be
included in the boundary.
Section 5 defines the Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance as
the management entity and sets out its authorities and
limitations.
Section 6 requires the management entity to prepare a
management plan for the Heritage Area and sets forth the
elements of the plan.
Section 7 states that the Secretary of the Interior may
provide technical and financial assistance upon request by the
management entity for development and implementation of the
management plan. Priority will be given to actions that
facilitate conservation of significant resources and for
opportunities consistent with the resources of the heritage
area.
Section 8 states that the Act does not grant any Federal
agency regulatory authority and will have no effect on the
authority of any local, State or Federal Government to regulate
land use or environmental quality designations as provided for
by law.
Section 9 authorizes to be appropriated $10 million to
carry out this Act, with no more than $1 million authorized to
be appropriated in any given fiscal year. The Federal share may
not exceed 50 percent of the total costs of any given activity.
Section 10 terminates the authority to assist the
management entity 15 years after the date of enactment.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office.
February 14, 2005.
Hon. Pete V. Domenici,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 163, the Mormon
Pioneer National Heritage Area Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Lisa Cash
Driskill.
Sincerely,
Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
Enclosure.
S. 163--Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area Act
S. 163 would establish the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage
Area in Utah and would designate the Utah Heritage Highway 89
Alliance as the managing entity for the area. The nonprofit
corporation would be responsible for developing and
implementing a management plan for the protection, development,
and management of cultural and other area resources. Finally,
the legislation would authorize the appropriation of $10
million, not to exceed $1 million annually, for technical and
financial assistance to the Alliance over the next 15 years.
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO
estimates that implementing S. 163 would cost $10 million over
the next 10 to 15 years. Such amounts would be used to cover a
portion of the costs of planning, establishing, operating, and
interpreting the heritage area. Enacting this legislation would
have no effect on revenues or direct spending.
S. 163 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Lisa Cash
Driskill. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
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. 163.
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. 163.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
On February 9, 2005, the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of
the Interior setting forth executive views of S. 163. These
views had not been received at the time this report was filed.
When the reports become available, the Chairman will request
that they be printed in the Congressional Record for the advice
of the Senate.
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 the bill S. 163 as ordered
reported.