59–010 

Calendar No. 251 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 110–118 

PIEDRAS BLANCAS HISTORIC LIGHT STATION 

OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA ACT OF 2007 

JUNE 28, 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 H.R. 276] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the Act (H.R. 276) to designate the Piedras Blancas Light 

Station and the surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered as a part of the National Landscape 

Conservation System, and for other purposes, having considered 

the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the Act do pass. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of H.R. 276 is to designate the Piedras Blancas 

Light Station and 18 acres of surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered by the Bureau of Land 

Management as a part of the National Landscape Conservation 

System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Piedras Blancas is located in San Luis Obisbo County on California’s central coast, just north of San Simeon (Hearst Castle), approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 

point is a Spanish name for the white rock outcropping located just 

off the end of the point. In the early 1870’s, this location was chosen to fill the gap between the lighthouses at Point Conception and 

Point Sur. 

The Piedras Blancas Lighthouse was completed in 1875. A two 

story Victorian style dwelling was completed later that year. The 

original tower was 115 feet tall and housed a first-order Fresnel 


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lens. A fog signal building and additional keeper’s dwelling were 

added in 1906. 

The Piedras Blancas lighthouse was operated by employees of 

the U.S. Lighthouse Service until 1939, when the Coast Guard assumed command. Structural damage to the tower and new technology eventually replaced many of the functions of the 

lightkeepers as the light station became automated. The Coast 

Guard subsequently relinquished control and management of the 

Piedras Blancas Light Station to the Bureau of Land Management 

on October 12, 2001. The site is listed on the National Register of 

Historic Places. 

H.R. 276 would designate the lighthouse and the surrounding 18 

acres of public land as an Outstanding Natural Area, following a 

similar 1980 designation in Oregon for the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 276, sponsored by Representative Capps, passed the House 

of Representatives by a voice vote on March 5, 2007. During the 

109th Congress, a similar measure was considered in the House, 

H.R. 3534, also sponsored by Rep. Capps. That bill passed the 

House of Representatives by a voice vote on September 25, 2006. 

However, no further action occurred in the Senate prior to the sine 

die adjournment of the 109th Congress. 

The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests held a hearing 

on H.R. 276 on May 3, 2007. At its business meeting on May 23, 

2007, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered 

H.R. 276 favorably reported, without amendment. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an 

open business session on May 23, 2007, by a unanimous voice vote 

of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 276. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1(a) provides the short title, the ‘‘Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area Act of 2007.’’

Subsection (b) defines key terms used in the Act. 

Section 2 contains congressional findings. 

Section 3(a) establishes the Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area on 18 acres of public land in San 

Luis Obispo County, California, to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior. 

Subsection (b) references the official boundary map for the Outstanding Natural Area and directs that the map be kept on file and 

available for public inspection in Bureau of Land Management offices in Washington, D.C. and California. 

Subsection (c) directs the Secretary to manage the Outstanding 

Natural Area as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, and shall allow only those uses that further the purposes of 

the Outstanding Natural Area. The area is also to be administered 

under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and other applicable laws. 


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Subsection (d) withdraws the land included within the Outstanding Natural Area from the public land laws, mining and mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws. 

Section 4(a) directs the Secretary to manage the Outstanding 

Natural Area in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances 

the unique and nationally important historical, natural, cultural, 

scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational values of the area. 

Subsection (b) directs the Secretary to allow only such uses of the 

Outstanding Natural Area that the Secretary finds are likely to 

further the purposes for which the area is established. 

Subsection (c) requires the Secretary to complete a comprehensive management plan for the area not later than three years after 

the date of enactment. The purpose of the plan is to provide longterm management guidance for the public lands within the boundary of the Outstanding Natural Area, including interpretation of, 

and public education about the historic light station. The plan is 

to be developed with full public participation, including consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local governmental agencies. 

Subsection (d) authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative 

agreements with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies to 

better implement the management plan and to continue successful 

partnerships with the Heart San Simeon State Historical Monument. 

Subsection (e) authorizes the Secretary to allow appropriate research activities consistent with the purposes for which the Outstanding Natural Area is established. 

Subsection (f) authorizes the Secretary to acquire State and private lands within the boundaries of the Outstanding Natural Area 

by donation, exchange, or purchase from a willing seller. 

Subsection (g) provides that any lands or interests therein adjacent to the Outstanding Natural Area acquired by the United 

States after the date of enactment shall be added to and administered as part of the area. 

Subsection (h) clarifies that nothing in this Act or the management plan for the Outstanding Natural Area shall be construed to 

restrict or preclude military or commercial overflights. 

Subsection (i) clarifies that nothing in this Act shall be construed 

to preclude or otherwise affect coastal border security operations or 

other law enforcement activities. 

Subsection (j) recognizes the past use of the Outstanding Natural 

Area by Indians and Indian tribes for traditional cultural and religious purposes and directs the Secretary to ensure continued access 

for such purposes. 

Subsection (k) is a savings clause that designation of the Outstanding Natural Area is not intended to create a protective perimeter or ‘‘buffer zone’’ around the area. 

Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office: 


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MAY 31, 2007. 

Hon. JEFF BINGAMAN, 

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 276, the Piedras Blancas 

Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area Act of 2007. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contacts are Deborah Reis and 

David Reynolds. 

Sincerely, 

PETER R. ORSZAG. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 276—Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area Act of 2007 

H.R. 276 would establish the Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area on 18 acres of federal land in San 

Luis Obispo County, California. The legislation would require the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop a comprehensive 

management plan for the area within three years. Based on information from the agency, CBO estimates that the cost to develop a 

plan and manage the federal land would total less than $100,000 

annually over the 2008–2012 period, assuming the availability of 

appropriated funds. 

Enacting H.R. 276 could affect direct spending by withdrawing 

the 18 acres from programs to develop natural resources. According 

to BLM, however, the land currently generates no significant receipts and is not expected to do so over the next 10 years. Therefore, we estimate that the proposed withdrawal would have an insignificant effect on offsetting receipts (a credit against direct 

spending). Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues. 

H.R. 276 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 contacts for this estimate are Deborah Reis and 

David Reynolds. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 

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 

H.R. 276. The Act 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 H.R. 276, as ordered reported. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The testimony provided by the Bureau of Land Management at 

the May 3, 2007 Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 276 follows: 


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STATEMENT OF JIM HUGHES, ACTING DIRECTOR, BUREAU

OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Thank you for inviting me to testify on H.R. 276, the 

Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area Act which would designate the Piedras Blancas 

Light Station as an Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) 

within the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). The Department supports H.R. 276. 

BACKGROUND

The 18-acre Piedras Blancas Light Station sits on the 

coastal side of California scenic route 1 (California Coastal 

Highway) near Hearst Castle halfway between Los Angles 

and San Francisco. It is an active lighthouse which began 

continuous operation in 1875 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Formerly run by the Coast Guard, 

it has been managed by the BLM since 2001. Today, in addition to its safety role, the Light Station is a beacon of 

community support and activism. 

The proposed Piedras Blancas Historical Light Station 

ONA is adjacent to the Monterey Bay National Marine 

Sanctuary, administered by NOAA. The designation of the 

Piedras Blancas Light Station would provide a compatible 

and valuable shore-based presence for this important national treasure and promote historical and educational opportunities consistent with the NLCS. 

Community partnership and an active volunteer force 

have allowed the BLM to begin the important work of restoration of the light station. Over 80 volunteers are actively involved in Piedras Blancas projects contributing 

8,000 hours of service over each of the last three years. 

With strong local community support our partners include: 

The Friends of the Piedras Blancas Light Station, Hearst 

San Simeon Historic Monument, California State Parks, 

the Central Coast Maritime Museum, the Cambria Historical Society and a wide-range of other federal, state and 

local government agencies. In addition, monthly tours of 

the light station are being conducted in conjunction with 

Hearst Castle. 

H.R. 276

H.R. 276 recognizes both the historical significance of 

the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the community support for its preservation. By designating the light station 

as an Outstanding Natural Area, the bill follows in the 

footsteps of the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area 

Along the Oregon coast established by Congress in 1980. 

In order to safeguard the buildings and public lands immediately surrounding them the bill provides protections for 

the area while encouraging and enabling active community 

support and involvement. In addition, the bill recognizes 

the importance of administering this area for educational, 

scientific uses as well as for traditional Native American 

purposes. 


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Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of 

H.R. 276. I will be happy to answer any questions. 

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 Act H.R. 276, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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