[Senate Report 117-154]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 497
117th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 117-154
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CASA GRANDE NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY MODIFICATION
_______
September 21, 2022.--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. 1321]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 1321), to modify the boundary of the Casa
Grande Ruins National Monument, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
AMENDMENT
SEC. 4. DON YOUNG LEGACY NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL STUDY.
Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C.
1244(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(48) Don young legacy trail.--
``(A) In general.--The Don Young Legacy
Trail, extending approximately 500 miles from
Seward, Alaska, to Fairbanks, Alaska.
``(B) Requirement.--The Secretary of the
Interior, acting through the Director of the
Bureau of Land Management (referred to in this
paragraph as the `Secretary'), shall study the
feasibility of designating the trail described
in subparagraph (A), including evaluating the
potential impacts of the trail on rights-of-
way, existing rights, or other recreational
uses of the land proposed to be used for the
trail.
``(C) Consultation.--The Secretary shall
conduct the study under this paragraph in
consultation with--
``(i) the Secretary of Agriculture,
acting through the Chief of the Forest
Service;
``(ii) the State of Alaska;
``(iii) units of local government in
the State of Alaska;
``(iv) Alaska Native Corporations;
and
``(v) representatives of the private
sector, including any entity that holds
a permit issued by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission.''.
PURPOSE
The purposes of S. 1321, as ordered reported, are to expand
the boundary of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in
Arizona, and to authorize the study of the Don Young Legacy
Trail in Alaska.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is a prehistoric
compound constructed by the Sonoran Desert people native to the
area. It is estimated to have been abandoned around 1450 AD,
but first written accounts from European explorers trace back
to 1694. Casa Grande Ruins has the distinction of being the
first archaeological preserve in the country. The national
monument, located in Coolidge, Arizona, was first set aside as
a prehistoric and cultural reserve by executive order by
President Harrison in 1892, and subsequently designated as a
National Monument by President Wilson on August 3, 1918 (40
Stat. 1818).
S. 1321 would expand the boundary of the monument and
facilitate Federal land transfers between the National Park
Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Land
Management. Currently, Federal parcels of land near the
national monument are split jurisdictionally between several
federal agencies, with the remainder of nearby land owned by
the State of Arizona and private landowners.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Senators Kelly and Sinema introduced S. 1321 on April 22,
2021. The Senate Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing
on this bill on June 23, 2021.
Senator McSally introduced similar legislation in the 116th
Congress, S. 3119, on December 19, 2019. The Subcommittee on
National Parks held a hearing on the bill on March 4, 2020 (S.
Hrg. 116-367). No further action was taken on S. 3119.
Representative O'Halleran introduced similar legislation in
the 116th Congress, H.R. 4840, on October 23, 2019. The House
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Lands held a
hearing on H.R. 4840 on July 13, 2020, and the bill was
reported by the House Natural Resources Committee on December
15, 2020 (H. Rept. 116-152). No further action was taken on the
bill.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an
open business session on May 3, 2022, by a majority voice vote
of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 321, if
amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
During the consideration of S. 1321, the Committee adopted
an amendment authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a study to assess the feasibility of designating the
500-mile Don Young Legacy Trail in Alaska as a national scenic
trail.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 provides the short title of the bill, the ``Casa
Grande Ruins National Monument Boundary Modification Act of
2021.''
Sec. 2. Findings
Section 2 contains Congressional findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions
Section 3 defines key terms used in the bill.
Sec. 4. Acquisition and transfer of administrative jurisdiction over
certain land
Section 4(a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to
acquire lands depicted on the referenced map by donation,
exchange, or purchase with donated or appropriated funds from
willing sellers for addition to the Casa Grande Ruins National
Monument.
Subsection (b) withdraws the Federal lands depicted on the
referenced from the public land laws and from mineral
development, and provides for the transfer of administrative
jurisdiction among the referenced federal parcels administered
by the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the
Bureau of Land Management.
Subsection (c) states that land acquired for or transferred
to the national monument shall be managed as part of the
national monument in accordance with laws generally applicable
to units of the National Park System.
Subsection (d) requires the map referenced in the bill to
be on file and available for public inspection in the
appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
Subsection (e) requires the Secretary to pay fair market
value for lands acquired for the national monument, or convey
Federal land of equal value to the State or private landowner.
Sec. 5. Administration of State land
Section 5 authorizes the Secretary to enter into a
cooperative management agreement with the State for the
approximately 200 acres of State land, as depicted on the map.
Sec. 6. Don Young National Scenic Trail study
Section 6 authorizes the Secretary to study the feasibility
of designating the 500-mile route from Seward, Alaska to
Fairbanks, Alaska as the Don Young Legacy Trail.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The Committee has requested, but has not yet received, the
Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the cost of S. 1321
as ordered reported. When the Congressional Budget Office
completes its cost estimate, it will be posted on the Internet
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. 1321. 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. 1321, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 1321, 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. 1321 follows:
Statement of Michael A. 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. 1321, a bill to
modify the boundary of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument,
and for other purposes.
The Department supports S. 1321.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, located in Coolidge,
Arizona, was set aside as the first Federal archaeological
reservation in the United States on June 22, 1892, by President
Benjamin Harrison, and was established as a national monument
on August 3, 1918, by President Woodrow Wilson by presidential
proclamation. It consists of approximately 473 acres of land
that contain numerous resources closely associated with the
Hohokam culture, including the remnants of the Casa Grande, the
great house, constructed in the 14th Century.
S. 1321 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
acquire from willing sellers approximately 406 acres of land
for addition to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
Approximately 146 of those acres are owned by private
landowners along the monument's western boundary and include a
prehistoric canal and other archaeological sites identified by
affiliated tribes. An additional 60 acres, to the east of the
monument, are owned by the Archeological Conservancy.
The remaining 200 acres are non-contiguous State of Arizona
trust lands that contain above-ground prehistoric standing
ruins as well as a prehistoric ball court. Given the excellent
preservation of archaeological resources, the state site is an
ideal location for visitor use and interpretation. As an
alternative to acquiring the State lands, the Secretary would
be authorized to enter into an agreement with the State to
cooperatively manage the State land.
In addition, S. 1321 would provide for several relatively
small land transfers among three Departmental bureaus for more
efficient and effective administration of land in the vicinity
of the monument. The bill would transfer approximately 7.41
acres of land from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and
approximately 3.8 acres of land from the Bureau of Land
Management to the National Park Service. This transfer would
provide broader opportunities to interpret the significant
resources. And, 3.5 acres of land from the National Park
Service and 3.7 acres of land from the Bureau of Land
Management along the monument's southern boundary would be
transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which would allow
the Bureau of Indian Affairs to widen and pave part of the Pima
Lateral Canal and rationalize boundaries among the three
bureaus.
Lands transferred to the monument by this legislation and
any lands acquired pursuant to this legislation would be
administered as part of the monument, and the boundary of the
monument would be adjusted accordingly.
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 the bill as ordered
reported.
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