19–006 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 112–532 

AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO ADJUST THE 

BOUNDARY OF THE STEPHEN MATHER WILDERNESS AND THE NORTH 

CASCADES NATIONAL PARK IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE REBUILDING OF 

A ROAD OUTSIDE OF THE FLOODPLAIN WHILE ENSURING THAT THERE 

IS NO NET LOSS OF ACREAGE TO THE PARK OR THE WILDERNESS, AND 

FOR OTHER PURPOSES 

JUNE 15, 2012.—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 

together with 

ADDITIONAL VIEWS 

[To accompany H.R. 2352] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 2352) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust 

the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North 

Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road 

outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no net loss 

of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, and for other purposes, 

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. 2352 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness 

and the North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that 

there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Stephen Mather Wilderness was designated in 1988 as part 

of the Washington Park Wilderness Act (Public Law 100–668). Excluded from the wilderness area was a 100-foot corridor for a preVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:55 Jun 16, 2012 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR532.XXX HR532

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existing dirt road that followed the Stehekin River for 23 miles 

from Lake Chelan into the wilderness, providing limited vehicle access to trails and campgrounds in that portion of the wilderness. 

The road dead-ended at a campground and trailhead to a scenic 

basin and pass. The action to ensure continuance of the road in 

this legislation was careful and deliberate, and was taken to ensure 

public access in an area that would have more limited access options due to the wilderness designation. 

Until 2003, the park provided shuttle service along the road for 

hikers and campers, who could only reach the road by passenger 

ferry or floatplane. Local residents, who retained property and 

small businesses inside the park and the adjoining Lake Chelan 

National Recreation Area, also used the road for recreation. 

Damage to the road from a 1995 flood was repaired, except for 

a 2.5 mile section at the very end of the road, but in 2003 and 

again in 2006 major flooding along the river washed out significant 

portions of the road in the upper valley. Since these floods, the 

road has been impassible for vehicles above what used to be the 

halfway point. The public access specifically provided for and protected by the 1988 law has been voided by the destruction of the 

road. 

Due to the wilderness designation, the Secretary of the Interior 

says that the U.S. Park Service is unable to rebuild the road. H.R. 

2352 is necessary to simply allow the Secretary of the Interior the 

ability to rebuild an adequate road that can be successfully maintained, thereby upholding the promise made in 1988. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 2352 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. Congressman Rau ́l Grijalva (D– 

AZ) offered amendment designated .977; the amendment was withdrawn. The bill was then ordered favorably reported to the House 

of Representatives by voice vote. 

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 secVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:55 Jun 16, 2012 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR532.XXX HR532

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tion 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. 2352—A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust 

the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North 

Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a 

road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no 

net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, and for other 

purposes 

H.R. 2352 would allow the Secretary of the Interior to redraw the 

boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness (which makes up more 

than 90 percent of the North Cascades National Park in Washington) to exclude a 100-foot wide corridor. The National Park 

Service (NPS) would use the corridor (which would remain in the 

park) to reroute a flood-damaged portion of the Stehekin Valley 

Road. 

Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that completing 

the rerouting project would cost about $3 million over the next five 

years. Of this amount, about $500,000 would be spent to conduct 

an environmental impact study of the boundary change and the 

construction project. About $2.5 million would be spent to build the 

new road segment and restore the remaining portion of the existing 

road. Enacting H.R. 2352 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

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

not affect the budgets of 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 Budget Analysis. 

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 credit authority, or an increase 

or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. Based on information 

provided by the National Park Service and assuming appropriation 

of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that completing the rerouting project would cost about $3 million over the next five years. 

Of this amount, about $500,000 would be spent to conduct an environmental impact study of the boundary change and the construction project. About $2.5 million would be spent to build the new 

road segment and restore the remaining portion of the existing 

road. 

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 authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust the 

boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no net loss of 

acreage to the Park or the Wilderness. 


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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 MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is printed in italic 

and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in 

roman): 

WASHINGTON PARK WILDERNESS ACT OF 1988 

* * * * * * * 

TITLE II—NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL 

PARK SERVICE COMPLEX WILDERNESS 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 207. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS FOR ROAD. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may adjust the boundaries of the 

North Cascades National Park and the Stephen Mather Wilderness 

in order to provide a 100-foot-wide corridor along which the 

Stehekin Valley Road may be rebuilt— 

(1) outside of the floodplain between milepost 12.9 and milepost 22.8; 

(2) within the boundaries of the North Cascades National 

Park; and 

(3) outside of the boundaries of the Stephen Mather Wilderness. 

(b) NO NET LOSS OF LANDS.—The boundary adjustments made 

under this section shall be such that equal acreage amounts are exchanged between the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North 

Cascades National Park, resulting in no net loss of acreage to either 

the Stephen Mather Wilderness or the North Cascades National 

Park. 

* * * * * * * 


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ADDITIONAL VIEWS 

H.R. 2352 is a limited bill that allows for continued public access 

to the North Cascades National Park from the community of 

Stehekin, Washington. 

Stehekin, located at the western end of Lake Chelan, is the gateway to the North Cascades National Park and is accessible only by 

boat, floatplane, or a multi-day hike. From the town of Stehekin, 

the Stehekin Valley Road has long allowed residents and visitors 

to access some of the most beautiful scenery in the North Cascades 

in what is now the Park’s Stephen Mather Wilderness. 

At a July 30, 2009 hearing before the Subcommittee on National 

Parks, Forests and Public Lands, the Subcommittee heard testimony from local officials on how flood damage to the upper 

Stehekin Road has limited public recreational access to the North 

Cascades National Park Complex. This reduced access has been 

particularly painful for the small, tourist-dependent community of 

Stehekin which serves as the gateway to the Park. 

Recognizing its value to Park visitors and local residents, the 

Road was specifically protected when the Park and Wilderness 

areas were created. Stehekin Road has for many years been maintained and run by Park officials, but following extreme flooding and 

subsequent changes in the course of the river, much of the Road 

bed is now under water. Because the Road occupies a narrow corridor within the borders of the Wilderness Area, congressional approval is required to modify the corridor prior to the Park Service 

rebuilding the road. 

During legislative consideration of the Park’s creation in 1988, 

Congress determined that Stehekin Road would remain exempt 

from the restrictions of other wilderness areas. Otherwise, no cars, 

mountain bikes or other mechanized vehicles would have been allowed to transport area residents or Park visitors to the wilderness 

areas north of the Stehekin community. Former U.S. Senator and 

Washington Governor Dan Evans, the author of the 1988 Act creating the Park, submitted written testimony to the 2009 Subcommittee hearing that it was Congress’ intent to allow for continued road access into the Park. 

As the Stehekin River has shifted and damaged the road, the 

Park Service has been unable to rebuild the road out of the path 

of the river because of the narrow road corridor in the original 

Park designation. H.R. 2352 would simply allow the Secretary limited authority to adjust the road corridor out of the path of the 

Stehekin River, with no net loss of land to either the Park or the 

Stephen Mather Wilderness. These changes and road rebuilding 

would still be subject to review and comment under the National 

Environmental Policy Act. 

Approval of H.R. 2352 will serve as a reminder to the Park Service that ensuring public access to the National Park System reVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:55 Jun 16, 2012 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6604 E:\HR\OC\HR532.XXX HR532

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mains a high priority and it will ensure that we keep our nation’s 

commitment to the residents of Stehekin. Moreover, H.R. 2352 accomplishes these goals without any net loss to the Park or the Wilderness, and ensures adequate public and environmental review 

before any changes take place. Promises made during the creation 

of wilderness areas must be upheld, or the possible designation of 

new wilderness will become all the more difficult. 

DOC HASTINGS. 

SEATTLE, WA, July 7, 2009. 

Hon. RAU ́ L M. GRIJALVA, Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public 

Land, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I am pleased to write in favor of H.R. 2806 

sponsored by Representative Doc Hastings of the state of Washington. I believe his proposal for reconstruction of the Upper 

Stehekin road is both desirable and vital for appropriate access to 

portions of the North Cascade National Park. 

Before speaking on the particulars of the road reconstruction let 

me establish my credentials for testifying on this measure. I served 

as United States Senator for the state of Washington from 1983 to 

1989. During that time I served as a member of the Energy and 

Natural Resources Committee of the Senate, which has jurisdiction 

over our National Park system. While on the committee I initiated 

and became prime sponsor of a bill to create wilderness areas within the three national parks of Washington state, Olympic, Rainier, 

and North Cascades. It was my intent to ensure that undue development would not occur within those national parks. I also recognized that access to trails and vistas within those parks was vital 

and carefully excluded those road rights-of-way from wilderness 

boundaries. Normally, road reconstruction and minor relocation 

would be accommodated within these 100 foot right of ways but on 

rare occasions natural catastrophes could require modification of 

wilderness boundaries to allow road relocations. 

For almost 70 years I have hiked and climbed in the National 

Parks of Washington state and have a strong and continuing desire 

to maintain their integrity. I am very familiar with the area in 

question and have ridden the road from Stehekin to trailheads 

where I have embarked on extensive hiking and climbing trips. If 

this road is not rebuilt, access to extraordinary wilderness experiences will be substantially more difficult. Almost a full days’ hike 

will be necessary to reach what once were trailheads giving mountain access. 

I believe very strongly that continued protection of our wilderness National Parks depends on the active support of visitors, 

hikers, and climbers who act as champions for our National Parks. 

If we make access substantially more difficult we reduce the number of visitors and ultimately the numbers of citizens and taxpayers who know enough about these parks to want to protect 

them. 

It was my intent when I sponsored the Park Wilderness Bill of 

1988 to protect the unique features of these splendid Parks but not 


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to make access more difficult for those seeking the unusual experience of a wilderness Park. I believe that in this instance an alternative route along the Old Wagon Road would maintain the appropriate access and that portions of the current road could revert to 

wilderness category with no net loss of wilderness area. I strongly 

urge the passage of H.R. 2806 and believe it is compatible with the 

original bill I sponsored in 1988. 

I thank you for your attention to this matter and hope that it can 

be resolved promptly and successfully. 

Sincerely, 

DANIEL J. EVANS, U.S. Senator 1983–1989. 

Æ 


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