Calendar No. 41 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 110–16 

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK EXTENSION ACT OF 2007 

FEBRUARY 15, 2007.—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 S. 277] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 277) to modify the boundaries of Grand Teton 

National Park to include certain land within the GT Park Subdivision, 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. 277 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to add approximately 49 acres of land in the Grand Teton Park 

subdivision within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park in 

Wyoming. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

The Grand Teton Park subdivision is located in the Lost Creek 

drainage between Grand Teton National Park and the BridgerTeton National Forest. One lot in the 50-acre subdivision is owned 

by the Gerald Halpin family. The other seven lots were donated by 

the Halpin family to private organizations, including the National 

Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Park Foundation, and 

the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. All of these owners 

would like to donate their land to Grand Teton National Park, but 

their parcels are currently outside the existing park boundary. The 

law that established Grand Teton National Park in September, 

1950 (64 Stat. 849), prohibited the extension of any park in Wyoming without the express authorization of Congress. S. 277 would 

authorize the Secretary to adjust the boundary of Grand Teton NaVerDate Aug 31 2005 05:47 Feb 22, 2007 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR016.XXX SR016

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tional Park and accept the donation of lands within the subdivision. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 277 was introduced by Senators Thomas and Enzi on January 

12, 2007. During the 109th Congress, the Committee considered 

similar legislation, S. 2403, also sponsored by Senators Thomas 

and Enzi. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on 

S. 2403 on April 6, 2006 (S. Hrg. 109–447). The Committee ordered 

S. 2403 favorably reported with an amendment and an amendment 

to the title on May 24, 2006 (S. Rept. 109–308) and the bill passed 

the Senate, by unanimous consent, on December 7, 2006. No further action occurred prior the sine die adjournment of the 109th 

Congress. 

At its business meeting on January 31, 2007, the Committee on 

Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 277 favorably reported. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on January 31, 2007, by a voice vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 277. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 provides the short title, the ‘‘Grand Teton National 

Park Extension Act of 2007.’’

Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill. 

Section 3(a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept 

land or interest in land from any willing donor in the Grand Teton 

Park Subdivision. 

Subsection (b) requires the Secretary to include the donated land 

within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park and to manage it as part of the park. 

Subsection (c) expresses the intent of Congress that land in the 

subdivision be acquired no later than one year after the enactment 

of this Act. 

Subsection (d) prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from transferring any of the land acquired through the authority in subsection 3(a) without express authorization from Congress. 

Section 4 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out the Act. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 277—Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2007 

S. 277 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to accept the 

donation of about 50 acres of land in Wyoming. Once acquired, the 

property would become part of the Grand Teton National Park 

under the administration of the National Park Service. Subject to 

the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that implementing S. 277 would cost less than $500,000, mostly for surveys 

and appraisals. Enacting S. 277 would not affect revenues or direct 

spending. 


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The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

have no significant impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal 

governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. This 

estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, 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. 277. 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. 277, as ordered reported. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Because S. 277 is similar to legislation considered during the 

109th Congress, the Committee did not request Executive Agency 

views on S. 277. The testimony provided by the National Park 

Service at the Subcommittee hearing on S. 2403 in the 109th Congress follows: 

STATEMENT OF SUE MASICA, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, PARK

PLANNING, FACILITIES, AND LANDS, NATIONAL PARK

SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2403, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to include in the boundaries of the 

Grand Teton National Park land and interests in land of 

the GT Park Subdivision, and for other purposes. The Department supports S. 2403 with one amendment. 

S. 2403 would direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to accept, by donation, approximately 49 acres adjacent to Grand Teton National Park, and upon donation, 

adjust the park boundary to include these lands within the 

park and to administer the acquired lands in accordance 

with all applicable laws. In addition, the Secretary would 

be prohibited from selling, donating, exchanging, or otherwise transferring the acquired land without authorization 

from Congress. The lands added to the boundary would be 

donated at no cost to the federal government, and no additional costs would be associated with management or administration of the donated lands. Costs that would be associated with the conveyance of the land include closing 

and other associated costs. We estimate those costs to be 

approximately $300,000, and we currently do not have a 

funding source identified for these costs. 


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The privately owned land that is the subject of S. 2403 

is located approximately one mile from the major road 

through the park and is visible from that road. The land 

consists of eight lots that total 49.67 acres and are located 

near the Lost Creek Ranch, adjacent to the park’s eastern 

boundary. Similar in character and quality to adjacent 

park lands, the lots are primarily grassland and sagebrush 

meadow and provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife 

including elk, deer, antelope, bison, coyotes, and wolves. 

The lots offer spectacular and unobstructed views of the 

Teton Range across the broad valley of Jackson Hole. 

The National Park System includes countless examples 

of philanthropic efforts that have added immeasurably to 

the preservation of our Nation’s natural and cultural treasures. Nowhere is this more evident than at Grand Teton 

National Park, where the gift of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 

in 1949, of more than 38,000 acres, helped to ensure the 

creation of the park. Today, the spirit of philanthropy is 

very much alive at Grand Teton, and a prime example is 

the extraordinary generosity of Gerald T. Halpin and his 

family. Of the eight lots which are the subject of this bill, 

one is owned by the Halpin family, and the other seven 

were previously donated by the Halpins to several foundations with the understanding that they would ultimately 

be donated to the federal government for inclusion in 

Grand Teton National Park. These foundations include the 

National Park Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation, and the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. 

Inclusion of these lands within Grand Teton National 

Park cannot be accomplished without this legislation. 

When Congress established the park in 1950, it included 

a provision in the park’s enabling legislation that prohibited any expansion of national parks or monuments in the 

State of Wyoming without the express authorization of 

Congress. 

We recommend one amendment to the bill. Section 3(a) 

as written may imply that the Secretary shall accept the 

donation of the land regardless of any potential environmental hazards on the land or the condition of the title. 

We recommend donation language that has been used in 

other similar donation transactions and is attached to this 

testimony. 

Mr. Chairman, we wish to thank you for your efforts in 

sponsoring and introducing this legislation. It is the product of many generous and forward-looking people working 

together to continue protecting Grand Teton National Park 

for the American people. 

That concludes my statement. I would be glad to answer 

any questions that you or other members of the subcommittee might have. 


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PROPOSED AMENDMENT—S. 2403, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

EXTENSION ACT OF 2006

Page 2, strike lines 18–20 and insert the following: ‘‘(a) The Secretary is authorized to acquire, by donation, lands and interests in 

land in the Subdivision.’’

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. 277, as ordered reported. 


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