[Senate Report 110-314]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 666
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-314
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COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE MEMORIAL STUDY ACT
_______
April 10, 2008.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 807]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the Act (H.R. 807) to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the
feasibility and suitability of establishing a memorial to the
space shuttle Columbia in the State of Texas and for its
inclusion as a unit of the National Park System, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without
amendment and recommends that the Act do pass.
PURPOSE
The purpose of H.R. 807 is to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the
feasibility and suitability of establishing a memorial to the
space shuttle Columbia in the State of Texas and for its
inclusion as a unit of the National Park System.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
The space shuttle Columbia (STS-107) mission lifted off on
January 16, 2003, for a 17-day science mission featuring
numerous microgravity experiments. Upon reentering the
atmosphere on February 1, 2003, the Columbia suffered a
catastrophic failure while flying over Texas, only 15 minutes
before the scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. The cause of the explosion was later determined to
have been caused by a breach that occurred during launch, when
falling foam from the external fuel tank struck the reinforced
carbon panels on the underside of the left wing. The Columbia's
explosion killed its seven crew members, Rick D. Husband,
William C. McCool, David Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Clark,
Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, and Kalpana Chawla.
H.R. 807 would direct the Secretary to conduct a study to
determine the feasibility and suitability of establishing a
memorial as a unit of the National Park System to the space
shuttle Columbia on land in the State of Texas. The study would
cover at least three sites on which large debris from the
Columbia was removed.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
H.R. 807, sponsored by Representative Gohmert, passed the
House of Representatives by voice vote on March 5, 2007. The
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on H.R. 807 on
September 11, 2007. (S. Hrg. 110-213.) During the 109th
Congress, the Committee reported a similar bill (S. 242; Rpt.
109-145) and the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent on
November 16, 2005 although no further action was taken in the
House. At its business meeting on January 30, 2008, the
Committee ordered H.R. 807 favorably reported, without
amendment.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on January 30, 2008, by a voice vote of a
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 807.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Columbia Space
Shuttle Memorial Study Act.''
Section 2 provides the definitions of ``Memorial'' and
``Secretary.''
Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability
and feasibility of establishing a memorial honoring the space
shuttle Columbia. The study is to be completed within three
years after the date funds are made available.
Subsection (b) provides a description of the parcels of
lands in four areas within the State of Texas, on which debris
from the shuttle was recovered, as possible sites for the
memorial.
Subsection (c) provides that the Secretary may recommend to
Congress additional sites in the State of Texas for
establishment of memorials related to the Columbia Space
Shuttle.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
H.R. 807--Columbia Space Shuttle Memorial Study Act
H.R. 807 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of
establishing a memorial to the Columbia space shuttle in Texas
and incorporating that memorial into the National Park System.
Based on information provided by the National Park Service and
assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates
that carrying out the proposed study would cost less than
$500,000 over the 2008-2011 period. Enacting H.R. 807 would not
affect direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 807 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 contacts for this estimate are Deborah Reis
and Daniel Hoople. This estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo,
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 H.R. 807. 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 H.R. 807, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
H.R. 807, as 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 National Park Service at the
September 11, 2007 subcommittee hearing on H.R. 807 follows:
Statement of Daniel N. Wenk, Deputy Director, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to appear before you today to present the
Department of the Interior's views on H.R. 807, a bill to
direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study to determine the feasibility and suitability of
establishing a memorial to the space shuttle Columbia in the
State of Texas and for its inclusion as a unit of the National
Park System.
The Department supports enactment of H.R. 807. The
Department testified on April 28, 2005, that we could not
support S. 242, a similar bill in the 109th Congress that would
have designated the areas covered in this bill as units of the
National Park System. At that time we recommended to the
subcommittee that the bill be amended to authorize the
Secretary to study the sites to determine if they are suitable
and feasible as additions to the National Park System.
We appreciate that H.R. 807 would authorize such a study. A
study would provide the opportunity to consult with other
agencies and organizations, including the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA), to determine what other
commemorative efforts have been undertaken to memorialize the
space shuttle Columbia as well as taking into account the
wishes and desires of the crew's families regarding how they
would like their loved ones remembered. A study also would look
at a variety of alternatives that could include National Park
Service (NPS) management or could focus on administering the
site through State or local governments or private
organizations.
Studies of this type typically take approximately three
years to complete after funds are made available and cost
between $300,000 and $500,000. Also, priority should be given
to the 37 previously authorized studies for potential units of
the National Park System, potential new National Heritage
Areas, and potential additions to the National Trails System
and National Wild and Scenic River System that have not yet
been transmitted to the Congress.
H.R. 807 would direct the Secretary to study areas in the
Texas cities of Nacogdoches, Hemphill, Lufkin and San
Augustine. Large amounts of debris from the Columbia were found
on the parcels specified in the bill, a combination of public
and private land, and the Lufkin civic center served as NASA's
command center for retrieval efforts. As a part of the study,
the Secretary is also authorized to recommend additional sites
in Texas for establishment of memorials to Columbia.
Columbia, the first space shuttle to orbit the earth, was
NASA's oldest shuttle. On the morning of February 1, 2003,
after a three-week mission devoted to scientific and medical
experiments, the Columbia began its return to earth. As re-
entry into the earth's atmosphere continued over the Pacific,
problems were noticed by NASA, contact with the shuttle was
lost, and it began to break apart. Debris from the shuttle was
observed from California to Louisiana; however, the remains of
the seven astronauts and the most significant parts of the
shuttle were found in several communities across Texas. Soon
after the crash, an independent accident investigation board
was established and the first volume of the board's findings
was issued in August 2003, identifying the factors that led to
the shuttle disaster and making recommendations for future
actions.
Many memorials and remembrances have been established in
honor of Columbia's crew, including a memorial at Arlington
Cemetery and on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic.
Asteroids have been named for members of the crew, as has a
highway in Washington and an elementary school in California.
On May 12, 2004, NASA dedicated its new ``Altix'' supercomputer
to the memory of Kalpana ``KC'' Chawla, flight engineer and
mission specialist on the Columbia.
An NPS suitability and feasibility study would determine
how, or if, this proposal would complement or add to those
already established memorials.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my remarks, and I would be
happy to answer any questions that 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 the bill H.R. 807, as
ordered reported.