49–006 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 109–619 

ICE AGE FLOODS NATIONAL GEOLOGIC ROUTE 

DESIGNATION ACT OF 2006 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2006.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. POMBO, from the Committee on Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 383] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 

(H.R. 383) to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, 

and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as 

amended do pass. 

The amendments are as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route Designation 

Act of 2006’’. 

SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

The purpose of this Act is to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route 

in the States of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, enabling the public to 

view, experience, and learn about the Ice Age Floods’ features and story through the 

collaborative efforts of public and private entities. 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

As used in this Act: 

(1) ROUTE.—The term ‘‘Route’’ means the Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Route designated in section 4. 

(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior. 

(3) FLOODS.—The term ‘‘Ice Age Floods’’ or ‘‘floods’’ means the cataclysmic 

floods that occurred in what is now the northwestern United States during the 

last Ice Age primarily from massive, rapid and recurring drainage of Glacial 

Lake Missoula. 

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF THE ICE AGE FLOODS NATIONAL GEOLOGIC ROUTE. 

(a) DESIGNATION.—In order to provide for the public appreciation, education, understanding, and enjoyment, through a coordinated interpretive program of certain 

nationally significant natural and cultural sites associated with Ice Age Floods that 


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are accessible generally by public roads, the Secretary, acting through the Director 

of the National Park Service, with the concurrence of the agency having jurisdiction 

over such roads, is authorized to designate, by publication of a map or other description thereof in the Federal Register, a vehicular tour route along existing public 

roads linking such natural and cultural sites. Such route shall be known as the ‘‘Ice 

Age Floods National Geologic Route’’. 

(b) LOCATION.—The location of the Route shall generally follow public roads and 

highways from the vicinity of Missoula in western Montana, across northern Idaho, 

through eastern and southern sections of Washington, and across northern Oregon 

in the vicinity of the Willamette Valley and the Columbia River to the Pacific 

Ocean, as generally depicted on the map titled ‘‘Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Trial’’, numbered P43/80,000, and dated June 2004. 

(c) MAPS.—

(1) REVISIONS.—The Secretary may revise the map by publication in the Federal Register of a notice of availability of a new map, as needed, in cooperation 

with Federal, State, local, or tribal governments, and other public or private entities. 

(2) AVAILABILITY.—Any map referred to in paragraph (1) shall be on file and 

available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park 

Service. 

(d) DESCRIPTION OF SITES; PLAN; INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM.—

(1) DESCRIPTION OF SITES; PLAN.—Not later than 3 years after the date that 

funds become available for this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a description 

of sites along the Route and general plan which shall include the location and 

description of each of the following: 

(A) Unique geographic or geologic features and significant landforms. 

(B) Important cultural resources. 

(2) INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM.—The general plan shall include proposals for a 

comprehensive interpretive program of the Route. 

(3) TRANSMISSION TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall transmit the description of sites and general plan to the Committee on Resources of the United 

States House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate. 

(4) CONSULTATION.—The description of sites and plan shall be prepared in 

consultation with other Federal agencies, the State of Montana, the State of 

Idaho, the State of Washington, and the State of Oregon, units of local governments, tribal governments, interested private citizens, and nonprofit organizations, and the Ice Age Floods Institute. 

SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park 

Service, shall administer a program to interpret the Route in accordance with this 

Act. 

(b) PUBLIC EDUCATION.—With respect to sites linked by segments of the Route 

which are administered by other Federal, State, tribal, and local nonprofit or private 

entities, the Secretary is authorized to provide technical assistance in the development of interpretive devices and materials pursuant to cooperative agreements with 

such entities. The Secretary, in cooperation with Federal, State, tribal, or local governments or nonprofit or private entities, shall prepare and distribute information 

for the public appreciation of sites along the Route. 

(c) MARKERS.—The Secretary shall ensure that the Route is marked with appropriate markers to guide the public. With the concurrence and assistance of the 

State, tribal, or local entity having jurisdiction over the roads designated as part 

of the Route, the Secretary may erect thereon signs and other informational devices 

displaying the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route marker. The Secretary is authorized to accept the donation of suitable signs and other informational devices for 

placement at appropriate locations. 

(d) PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require 

any private property owner to allow public access (including Federal, State or local 

government access) to such private property or to modify any provision of Federal, 

State or local law with regard to public access to or use of private lands. 

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $250,000 for each fiscal 

year to carry out this Act. 

Amend the title so as to read: 

A bill to designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route, and for other 

purposes. 


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PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 383, as ordered reported, is to designate the 

Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route, and for other purposes. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Between 1.8 million and 10,000 years ago, North America was 

repeatedly glaciated. During the last Ice Age, a series of floods in 

the Pacific Northwest dramatically altered the geologic landscape 

of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Glacial Lake Missoula was created, and when an ice dam failed periodically, floods 

rushed down the Columbia River creating the Columbia River 

Gorge and washing over Oregon’s Willamette Valley and into the 

Pacific Ocean. The floods carved out miles of earth and created 

Grand Coulee, Dry Falls, Palouse Falls, the Missoula and Spokane 

ground-water resources, and the Willamette Valley and Quincy 

Basin. 

In 2001, the National Park Service completed a Special Resource 

Study, which proposed that the Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Trail be established. The bill requires that the Geologic Trail be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, but the Trail would not be a 

unit of the National Park System. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 383 was introduced on January 26, 2005, by Congressman 

Doc Hastings (R–WA). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on National Parks. On July 13, 2006, the Subcommittee held a hearing 

on the bill. On July 19, 2006, the Full Resources Committee met 

to consider the bill, at which time the Subcommittee on National 

Parks was discharged from further consideration of the bill by 

unanimous consent. Congressman Stevan Pearce (R–NM) offered 

an amendment in the nature of a substitute to refine the purpose 

and execution of the bill. The amendment clarified that H.R. 383 

does not create a new unit, or entity, within the National Park System. The Park Service will be charged with administering only a 

program of education and interpretation. There will be no authority 

to acquire or manage public and private land. Also, the amendment 

reduced the authorization of appropriations from $500,000 to 

$250,000 annually. Finally, the name of the designation will be the 

‘‘Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route’’ to conform with a similar 

program that currently exists and is administered by the National 

Park Service. The amendment in the nature of a substitute was 

adopted by unanimous consent. The bill, as amended, was ordered 

favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 

consent. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Article I, section 8, clause 3 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 compariVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:20 Sep 08, 2006 Jkt 049006 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR619.XXX HR619

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son 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 designate the Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Trail, and for other purposes. 

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: 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

H.R. 383—Ice Age Floods National Geologic Route Designation Act 

of 2006 

H.R. 383 would establish the Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Route. The route would be primarily an auto route along existing 

highways and roads between Missoula, Montana, and the Pacific 

Ocean in the Pacific Northwest, following the path of the Ice Age 

floods approximately 17,000 years ago. H.R. 383 would authorize 

the appropriation of $250,000 annually for the National Park Service (NPS) to identify the route with signs and markers, develop an 

interpretive program, and report to the Congress. 

Assuming appropriation of the specified amount each year, CBO estimates that the NPS would spend $1.25 million over the 2007– 2011 period to develop and maintain the Ice Age Floods National 

Geologic Route. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues or direct spending. 

H.R. 383 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. 

On October 5, 2005, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 206, 

the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Designation Act, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources on September 28, 2005. Both pieces of legislation would 

establish an auto route along the path of the Ice Age floods but 

have different provisions. The Senate version would authorize the 

appropriation of $12 million for developing the trail; the House 

version would authorize the appropriation of $250,000 annually. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew Pickford. The 

estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 


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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 to existing law. 

Æ 


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