[House Report 110-667]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
110th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 110-667
======================================================================
CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS NETWORK CONTINUING
AUTHORIZATION ACT
_______
May 22, 2008.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Rahall, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5540]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 5540) to amend the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act
of 1998 to provide for the continuing authorization of the
Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, having
considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment
and recommend that the bill do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of H.R. 5540 is to amend the Chesapeake Bay
Initiative Act of 1998 to provide for the continuing
authorization of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails
Network.
Background and Need for Legislation
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network was
established in 1998 (Title V of Public Law 105-312) to
identify, conserve, restore and interpret the natural,
historical, cultural and recreational resources within the
Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The network provides grants to parks, volunteer groups,
wildlife refuges, historic sites, museums, and watertrails
throughout the watershed. In the ten years since its creation,
this network has grown to include 156 gateway sites in six
states and the District of Columbia, with more than 1500 miles
of established and developing watertrails.
The goal of the network is to educate residents of the
Chesapeake Bay watershed about important sites throughout their
region, and to show residents how their communities relate
directly to the health of the bay, the nation's largest
estuary.
P.L. 105-312 authorized $3 million annually for the network
in fiscal years 1999 through 2003. In 2002, P.L. 107-308
reauthorized the program through 2008 with no increase in
funding level. In a 2004 special resources study, the National
Park Service recommended permanent authorization for the
program. H.R. 5540 would provide that permanent authorization.
Committee Action
H.R. 5540 was introduced by Representative John Sarbanes
(D-MD) on March 5, 2008. The bill was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. The
Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on the bill on April
24, 2008.
At an April 24 hearing on the bill, a representative of the
Interior Department testified that while the Department
supports authorization of continued technical assistance to the
network for its bay cleanup mission, the Administration did not
request grant funding for the program. The Department's
testimony noted that the network was recognized by the White
House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in 2005 as a
cooperative conservation success story.
On April 30, 2008, the Full Natural Resources Committee met
to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on National Parks,
Forests and Public Lands was discharged from further
consideration of H.R. 5540. An amendment offered by
Representative Sali (R-ID) to reauthorize the program only
through the end of fiscal year 2013 was not agreed to by voice
vote. The bill was then ordered favorably reported to the House
of Representatives by voice vote.
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.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.
Compliance With House Rule XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to amend the Chesapeake Bay
Initiative Act of 1998 to provide for the continuing
authorization of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails
Network.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
H.R. 5540--Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Continuing
Authorization Act
Summary: H.R. 5540 would reauthorize funding for the
Chesapeake Bay Initiative, a program carried out by the
National Park Service (NPS) and other federal agencies to
conserve resources in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Assuming
appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that
implementing this legislation would cost the NPS about $5
million over the 2009-2013 period and $1 million a year
thereafter. Enacting H.R. 5540 would not affect direct spending
or revenues.
H.R. 5540 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of H.R. 5540 is shown in the following table.
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300
(natural resources and environment).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
-----------------------------------------------
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Spending Under Current Law:
Budget Authority\1\......................................... 1 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated Outlays........................................... 1 0 0 0 0 0
Proposed Changes:
Estimated Authorization Level............................... 0 1 1 1 1 1
Estimated Outlays........................................... 0 1 1 1 1 1
Spending Under H.R. 5540:
Estimated Authorization Level\1\............................ 1 1 1 1 1 1
Estimated Outlays........................................... 1 1 1 1 1 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\The 2008 level is the amount appropriated for that year.
Basis of estimate: H.R. 5540 would authorize (indefinitely)
the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for
programs carried out under the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of
1998. Based on recent appropriations for those programs, CBO
estimates that the NPS would spend about $1 million annually
under the bill, mostly for grants to nonfederal entities. The
current authorization of appropriations for the program, which
will expire at the end of fiscal year 2008, is $3 million
annually, but appropriations have generally been about one
third of that amount each year ($1 million).
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 5540
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or
tribal governments. State and local governments could benefit
from grants authorized by the bill.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Deborah Reis; Impact
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Burke Doherty; Impact
on the Private Sector: Amy Petz.
Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
Compliance With Public Law 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
Earmark Statement
H.R. 5540 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9(d), 9(e) or 9(f) of rule XXI.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
SECTION 502 OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY INITIATIVE ACT OF 1998
SEC. 502. CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS.
(a) * * *
* * * * * * *
[(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to
be appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 1999 through 2008.]
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this
section.
* * * * * * *