49–006 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 109–427 

MUSCONETCONG WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT 

APRIL 25, 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. 1307] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 

(H.R. 1307) to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate 

portions of the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as 

a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and 

for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably 

there on without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1307 is to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Act to designate two portions of the Musconetcong River in the 

State of New Jersey as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Musconetcong River features a diverse array of natural and 

cultural resources. The limestone geologic features present in the 

Musconetcong River corridor are unique in the State of New Jersey. In 1992, residents of the lower Musconetcong River valley 

formed the Musconetcong Watershed Association, a not-for-profit 

organization committed to protecting the Musconetcong River. In 

1995, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Office of Natural Lands Management recommended to the National 

Park Service (NPS) that the Musconetcong River be included in the 

Nationwide Rivers Inventory of candidate rivers for wild and scenic 

designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 

et seq.). Two years later, 18 river municipalities requested that the 


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NPS study the Musconetcong River for eligibility and suitability for 

inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In June, 

2004 the NPS released the study which found portions of the river 

suitable for inclusion. These sections, totaling 24.2 miles, have 

been included in H.R. 1307. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1307 was introduced on March 15, 2005, by Congressman 

Scott Garrett (R–NJ). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on National Parks. On November 10, 2005, the Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on H.R. 1307. On March 29, 2006, the 

Committee on Resources met to consider the bill. By unanimous 

consent, the Subcommittee on National Parks was discharged from 

further consideration of the bill. No amendments were offered, and 

the bill was ordered favorably reported to the House by unanimous 

consent. 

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 Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in 

the body of this report. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Article I, section 8 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 comparison 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 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the general performance goal or objective of this bill is to 

amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate two portions of 

the Musconetcong River in the State of New Jersey as a component 

of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

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: 


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H.R. 1307—Musconetcong Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 

H.R. 1307 would designate 24.2 miles of segments of the 

Musconetcong River in New Jersey as scenic and recreational rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The bill would designate 

4.3 additional miles of that river as a recreational river if the Secretary of the Interior finds sufficient local support for such a designation. Based on information from the Department of the Interior, CBO estimates that the proposed designations would not significantly affect the agency’s administrative or land-management 

costs, which are subject to appropriation. Enacting H.R. 1307 

would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

H.R. 1307 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 November 23, 2005, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 

1096, the Musconetcong Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

on November 16, 2005. H.R. 1307 and S. 1096 are similar, and our 

cost estimates are the same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. This 

estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

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): 

WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 3. (a) The following rivers and the land adjacent thereto are 

hereby designated as components of the national wild and scenic 

rivers system: 

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(167) MUSCONETCONG RIVER, NEW JERSEY.—(A) The 24.2 miles 

of river segments in New Jersey, to be administered by the Secretary 

of the Interior, consisting of— 

(i) the segment from Saxton Falls to the Route 46 bridge (approximately 3.5 miles), as a scenic river; and 

(ii) the segment from the Kings Highway bridge to the railroad tunnels at Musconetcong Gorge (approximately 20.7 

miles), as a recreational river. 


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(B) Notwithstanding section 10(c), the river segments referred to 

in subparagraph (A) shall not be administered as part of the National Park System. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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