69–010 

Calendar No. 82 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 115–64 

TO MODIFY THE BOUNDARY OF VOYAGEURS NATIONAL 

PARK IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, AND FOR OTHER 

PURPOSES 

MAY 16, 2017.—Ordered to be printed 

Ms. MURKOWSKI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 502] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 502) to modify the boundary of Voyageurs National Park in the State of Minnesota, 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. 502 is to modify the boundary of Voyageurs 

National Park in the State of Minnesota to include several parcels 

of land administered by the National Park Service (NPS). 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Voyageurs National Park (Park) was established in 1975 in 

northern Minnesota near International Falls. The name Voyageurs 

commemorates the French-Canadian fur traders who were the first 

European settlers to frequently travel through the area. The 

Kabetogama Peninsula, which lies entirely within the Park and 

makes up most of its land area, is accessible only by boat. The 

Park is notable for its outstanding water resources and is popular 

with canoeists, kayakers, other boaters, and fisherman. Park visitors can obtain information about the Park from the three visitor 

centers, and can view films, see exhibits, and learn about and expeVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:42 May 17, 2017 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR064.XXX SR064

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rience the landscape, geology, wildlife, plants, and the Park’s history. 

The BLM currently administers lands within the boundaries of 

the Park that were not transferred to the NPS when the Park was 

established. S. 502 formally transfers these BLM lands to the NPS. 

Enactment of the legislation is expected to save agency time and 

taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need for duplicative land management. 

In addition, this legislation resolves an outstanding land management issue faced by the State of Minnesota and Koochiching 

County by authorizing a land exchange between the State of Minnesota and the NPS for certain State tax-forfeited tracts within the 

boundaries of Voyageurs National Park with a NPS owned tract 

outside the Park boundary. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Senators Franken and Klobuchar introduced S. 502 on March 2, 

2017. 

On March 2, 2017, an identical bill, H.R. 1350, was introduced 

in the House by Representative Nolan. 

In the 114th Congress, similar legislation, S. 2805, was introduced by Senators Franken and Klobuchar on April 14, 2016. The 

Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the bill on June 

15, 2016. The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in 

open business session on July 13, 2016, and ordered S. 2805 favorably reported as amended (S. Rept. 114–330). 

H.R. 4944, companion legislation to S. 2805, was introduced in 

the House of Representatives by Representative Nolan on April 14, 

2016. 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open 

business session on March 30, 2017, and ordered S. 502 favorably 

reported. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 

open business session on March 30, 2017, by a majority voice vote 

of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 502. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section I. Modification of Voyageurs National Park 

Section 1(a) modifies the boundary of Voyageurs National Park 

to reflect the updates incorporated in the map entitled ‘‘Voyageurs 

National Park, Proposed Land Transfer & Boundary Adjustment,’’ 

numbered 172/80,056, and dated June 2009 (22 sheets). 

Subsection (b) amends section 201 of Public Law 91–661 to transfer administrative jurisdiction over any land currently managed by 

the BLM to the NPS, as depicted on the map, as well as any additional public land identified as appropriate for transfer by the BLM 

within the boundaries of the Park. Any land located within or adjacent to the boundaries of the park that is owned by the State of 

Minnesota (or a political subdivision of the State) may be acquired 

by the Secretary only through donation or exchange. Upon compleVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:42 May 17, 2017 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR064.XXX SR064

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tion of an acquisition from the State, the Secretary shall revise the 

boundary of the park to reflect the acquisition. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office. 

S. 502 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire and integrate new lands into the Voyageurs National Park in 

Minnesota through land exchanges with the state and local governments that own land within or adjacent to the park’s boundaries. 

(Under current law, the federal government can only acquire lands 

from state or local governments through donation.) 

CBO expects that the properties to be exchanged under S. 502 

would be roughly equal in value. If the appraisals indicate that the 

parcels’ values are different, however, existing law requires that 

the party receiving the more valuable land provide a cash equalization payment. If the NPS were to acquire land of a higher value 

than the federal land exchanged, CBO expects that the NPS would 

make a cash payment. Based on information provided by the NPS, 

CBO expects that any costs to make any cash payment and to administer lands affected by the bill would not exceed $500,000 in 

any year; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 

Enacting S. 502 could affect direct spending; therefore; pay-asyou-go procedures apply. Under the legislation, if the NPS were to 

acquire land of a lower value than the federal land exchanged, the 

NPS would receive a cash payment to equalize the values; any such 

payments would be recorded as offsetting receipts, which are treated as reductions in direct spending. Based on information from the 

NPS, however, CBO estimates that any such payment would not 

exceed $500,000 in any year. Enacting S. 502 would not affect revenues. 

CBO estimates that enacting S. 502 would not increase net direct 

spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10- 

year periods beginning in 2028. 

S. 502 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 Jon Sperl. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 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. 502. 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. 502, as ordered reported. 


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CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 502, 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

Because S. 502 is similar to legislation considered by the Committee in the 114th Congress, the Committee did not request Executive Agency views. The testimony provided by the National Park 

Service at the hearing before the Subcommittee on National Parks 

hearing on June 16, 2016, follows: 

STATEMENT OF STEPHANIE TOOTHMAN, ASSOCIATE DIREC- TOR, CULTURAL RESOUCES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND SCIENCE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE IN- TERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on a bill to authorize the Secretary of 

the Interior to modify the boundary of Voyageurs National 

Park (Voyageurs) in the State of Minnesota. 

The Department supports S. 2805. 

This bill would allow for the transfer of administrative 

jurisdiction of lands between the National Park Service 

(NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It 

would also authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands owned by the State of Minnesota by donation 

or exchange. 

Voyageurs National Park is a 218,200-acre national park 

located on the northern edge of Minnesota’s border, 15 

miles east of International Falls, Minnesota. Fifty-five 

miles of the park meanders along the Canadian border 

with the province of Ontario. The park lies in the southern 

part of the Canadian Shield, representing some of the oldest exposed rock formations in the world. The surrounding 

waterways once served as the route for the French-Canadian voyageurs. 

The NPS seeks to transfer to the State of Minnesota a 

32.79 acre parcel of NPS managed lands which is outside 

the park boundary. In exchange, Minnesota will transfer 

to the NPS, 48.87 acres of State lands within the boundary 

of the park. Additionally the NPS would like to acquire 

five more parcels of land totaling 91 acres owned by the 

State of Minnesota that are within the boundary of the 

park. This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 

acquire by donation or exchange any land within or adjacent to the boundary of the park that is owned by the 

State of Minnesota, or a political subdivision of the State. 

There have been incidences of activities on some of these 

tracts of state-owned land that are inconsistent with park 

purposes. 

Sixty one (61) BLM land tracts encompassing forty-nine 

(49) acres were not transferred to the National Park Service when Voyageurs National Park was established. WithVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:42 May 17, 2017 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR064.XXX SR064

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out specific language directing BLM to transfer ownership 

of its lands to the NPS, the BLM is limited to its existing 

authority under the Federal Land Management Policy Act 

(FLMPA). FLMPA authorizes BLM to transfer management authority over the lands to the National Park Service 

for no more than a twenty-year period and permanent 

transfer of the management of these lands requires Congressional action. Transfer of these parcels to the NPS 

would facilitate ease of management for both agencies and 

eliminate any future concerns related to ownership, and 

other administrative issues. 

The cost of managing these boundary revisions and any 

future acquisitions is minimal as there are no structures 

on any of the lands. The park would absorb the minimal 

cost of producing new maps and brochures and signage. 

The BLM, the State of Minnesota and adjacent land 

owners support the boundary modifications in this bill. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be 

happy 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, changes in existing law made by the original 

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): 

PUBLIC LAW 91–661 

* * * * * * * 

ESTABLISHMENT 

SEC. 102. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, 

the park shall include the lands and waters within the boundaries 

as generally depicted on øthe drawing entitled ‘‘A Proposed Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota,’’ numbered LNPMW–VOYA–1001, 

dated February 1969¿ the map entitled ‘Voyageurs National Park, 

Proposed Land Transfer & Boundary Adjustment’, numbered 172/ 

80,056, and dated June 2009 (22 sheets), which shall be on file and 

available for public inspection in the offices of the National Park 

Service, Department of the Interior. Within one year after acquisition of the lands owned by the State of Minnesota and its political 

subdivisions within the boundaries of the park the Secretary shall 

affix to such ødrawing¿ map an exact legal description of said 

boundaries. The Secretary may revise the boundaries of the park 

from time to time by publishing in the Federal Register a revised 

ødrawing¿ map or other boundary description, but such revisions 

shall not increase the land acreage within the park by more than 

one thousand acres. 

(b)(1) In addition to such revisions as the Secretary may make 

in the boundaries of the park * * * 

(2) The Secretary may not delete or convey the lands referred to in paragraph (1)(E) unless, prior to or simultaneously 


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with such deletion or conveyance and in consideration of such 

conveyance, the State of Minnesota— 

(A) tenders a conveyance of the lands described in øparagraph (1)(C) and (D)¿ subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (1) to the United States by such instrument and in 

such manner as are satisfactory to the Secretary, including 

but not limited to lease or easement: Provided, That if the 

interest conveyed is a lease or easement, the State of Minnesota shall substitute therefore a transfer of all right, 

title, and interest in the land by June 30, 1987: Provided 

further, That if the State does not transfer all right, title, 

and interest in such lands by June 30, 1987, the land described in øparagraph 1(E)¿ paragraph (1)(E) shall revert 

to the United States for administration by the Secretary as 

part of the park; and 

* * * * * * * 

øLAND ACQUISITION 

øSEC. 201. (a) The Secretary¿SEC 201. LAND ACQUISITIONS. 

(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may acquire lands or interests therein within the boundaries of the park by donation, 

purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange. 

øWhen any tract of land is only partly within such boundaries¿ 

(2) CERTAIN PORTIONS OF TRACTS.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—In any case in which only a portion of 

a tract of land is within the boundaries of the park, the 

Secretary may acquire all or any portion of the land outside of such boundaries in order to minimize the payment 

of severance costs. øLand so acquired¿ 

(B) EXCHANGE.— 

(i) IN GENERAL.—Any land acquired pursuant to subparagraph (A) outside of the park boundaries may be 

exchanged by the Secretary for non-Federal lands 

within the park boundaries. øAny portion¿ 

(ii) PORTIONS NOT EXCHANGED.—Any portion of land 

acquired outside the park boundaries and not utilized 

for exchange shall be reported to the General Services 

Administration for disposal under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (63 Stat. 

377), as amended. øAny Federal property¿ 

(C) TRANSFERS OF FEDERAL PROPERTY.—Any Federal 

property located within the boundaries of the park may be 

transferred without consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary for the purposes of the park. 

øLands within the boundaries of the park owned by the 

State of Minnesota, or any political subdivision thereof, 

may be acquired only by donation.¿ 

(D) ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION.—Effective beginning 

on the date of enactment of this subparagraph, there is 

transferred to the National Park Service administrative jurisdiction over— 


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(i) any land managed by the Bureau of Land Management within the boundaries of the park, as depicted 

on the map described in section 102(a); and 

(ii) any additional public land identified by the Bureau of Land Management as appropriate for transfer 

within the boundaries of the park. 

(E) LAND OWNED BY STATE.— (i) DONATIONS AND EXCHANGES.—Any land located 

within or adjacent to the boundaries of the park that 

is owned by the State of Minnesota (or a political subdivision of the State) may be acquired by the Secretary 

only through donation or exchange. 

(ii) REVISION.—On completion of an acquisition from 

the State under clause (i), the Secretary shall revise the 

boundaries of the park to reflect the acquisition. 

ø(b) In exercising his¿ (b) OFFERS BY INDIVIDUALS.—In exercising 

the authority to acquire property under this section, the Secretary 

shall give immediate and careful consideration to any offer made 

by any individual owning property within the park area to sell 

such property to the Secretary. In considering such offer, the Secretary shall take into consideration any hardship to the owner 

which might result from any undue delay in acquiring his property. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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