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[House Report 112-305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    112-305

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     NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COMPLEX FISH STOCKING ACT

                                _______
                                

December 1, 2011.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2351]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 2351) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the North Cascades 
National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake 
Chelan National Recreation Area, 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. 2351 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the 
North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation 
Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 2351 would ensure the continued stocking of fish in 
certain alpine lakes in the North Cascades National Park 
Complex. Many of these lakes have been stocked since the late 
1800s, long before they became part of the National Park 
complex. For decades, volunteer groups, working with the State 
of Washington, have stocked fish in these lakes under carefully 
constructed management plans written by State and National Park 
Service (NPS) biologists. In addition, Congressional 
consideration of the creation of the North Cascades National 
Park clearly supported continued fish stocking of these lakes, 
and identified fishing as an important recreational use.
    In 2008, NPS prepared an Environmental Impact Statement on 
the fisheries in these mountain lakes, and the preferred 
alternative was to allow continued fish stocking in 42 lakes 
where the agency concluded there would be no adverse impact on 
native ecosystems. NPS also requested explicit authority to 
allow fish stocking to continue within the Park.
    H.R. 2351 would protect this longstanding practice of fish 
stocking in the North Cascades. Many tourists visit the Park 
for its scenic beauty as well as for its fishing opportunities, 
making fish stocking an important component of the Central 
Washington economy.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2351 was introduced on June 24, 2011, by Congressman 
Doc Hastings (R-WA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. On September 15, 
2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On October 
5, 2011, the Full Natural Resources Committee met to consider 
the bill. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and 
Public Lands was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments 
were offered, and the bill was ordered favorably reported to 
the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    This Act may be cited as the ``North Cascades National Park 
Service Complex Fish Stocking Act.''

Section 2. Definitions

    This section provides definitions of terms used in the 
legislation.

Section 3. Stocking of certain lakes in the North Cascades National 
        Park Service Complex

    Section 3 directs the Secretary of the Interior to 
authorize the stocking of fish in lakes in the North Cascades 
National Park Service Complex under certain conditions.
    This section provides that the authority is to stock fish 
in not more than 42 of the 91 lakes in the North Cascades 
National Park Service Complex that have historically been 
stocked with fish. Only fish that are native to the slope of 
the Cascade Range on which the lake to be stocked is located 
and are non-reproducing, as identified in management 
alternative B of the management plan for the area, are 
authorized to be stocked.
    The section provides that, in making fish stocking 
decisions, the Secretary shall consider relevant scientific 
information, including the plan and information gathered from 
research and monitoring. The Secretary is required to 
coordinate the stocking of fish with the State of Washington.
    Finally, the section provides that the Secretary is 
required to continue a research and monitoring program to 
monitor the impacts of fish stocking on the resources of the 
applicable unit of the North Cascades National Park Service 
Complex, and beginning five years after the enactment of the 
Act and every five years thereafter, submit to the Committee on 
Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources a report describing the results of the 
research and monitoring.

            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.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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. 2351--North Cascades National Park Service Complex Fish Stocking 
        Act

    H.R. 2351 would authorize the National Park Service to 
stock fish in lakes in three units of the National Park System 
in the state of Washington. Based on information provided by 
the Department of the Interior, CBO estimates that implementing 
H.R. 2351 would have no significant effect on the federal 
budget. Under the bill, the expense of stocking fish would be 
borne by the state or other nonfederal entities as it has been 
since the three park units were established. Enacting the 
legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; 
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    H.R. 2351 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 Martin von 
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for the Budget Analysis Division.
    2. Section 308(a) of 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. Based on 
information provided by the Department of the Interior, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 2351 would have no significant 
effect on the federal budget.
    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 direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the 
North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation 
Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
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