49–010 ★(Star Print) 

Calendar No. 551 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 109–308 

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK EXTENSION ACT OF 2006 

JULY 31, 2006.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. DOMENICI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 2403] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 2403) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to include in the boundaries of the Grand Teton National Park land 

and interests in land of the GT Park Subdivision, and for other 

purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 

with an amendment and an amendment to the title and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

The amendments are as follows: 

1. Strike out all after the enacting clasue and insert in lieu 

thereof the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2006’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the Grand Teton National Park. 

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

(3) SUBDIVISION.—The term ‘‘Subdivision’’ means the GT Park Subdivision, 

with an area of approximately 49.67 acres, as generally depicted on— 

(A) the plat recorded in the Office of the Teton County Clerk and Recorder on December 16, 1997, numbered 918, entitled ‘‘Final Plat GT Park 

Subdivision’’, and dated June 18, 1997; and 

(B) the map entitled ‘‘2006 Proposed Grand Teton Boundary Adjustment’’, 

numbered 136/80,198, and dated March 21, 2006, which shall be on file and 

available for inspection in appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

SEC. 3. ACQUISITION OF LAND. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may accept from any willing donor the donation 

of any land or interest in land of the Subdivision. 

(b) ADMINISTRATION.—On acquisition of land or an interest in land under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

(1) include the land or interest in the boundaries of the Park; and 


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(2) administer the land or interest as part of the Park, in accordance with 

all applicable laws (including regulations). 

(c) DEADLINE FOR ACQUISITION.—It is the intent of Congress that the acquisition 

of land or an interest in land under subsection (a) be completed not later than 1 

year after the date of enactment of this Act. 

(d) RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER.—The Secretary shall not donate, sell, exchange, or 

otherwise transfer any land acquired under this section without express authorization from Congress. 

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

2. Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘To modify the boundaries of 

Grand Teton National Park to include certain land within the GT 

Park Subdivision, and for other purposes.’’

PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

The purpose of S. 2403 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to include certain lands in the Grand Teton Park subdivision 

within the boundaries of the Grand Teton National Park. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

The Grand Teton Park subdivision is located in the Lost Creek 

drainage between Grand Teton National Park and the BridgerTeton National Forest. One lot in the 50-acre subdivision is owned 

by the Gerald Halpin family. The other seven lots were donated by 

the Halpin family to private organizations, including the National 

Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Park Foundation, and 

the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. All of these owners 

would like to donate their land to Grand Teton National Park; but, 

their parcels are currently outside the existing park boundary. The 

law that established Grand Teton National Park in September, 

1950 (64 Stat. 849), prohibited the extension of any park in Wyoming without the express authorization of Congress. S. 2403 would 

authorize the Secretary to adjust the boundary of Grand Teton National Park and accept the donation of lands within the subdivision. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 2403 was introduced by Senator Thomas on March 13, 2006. 

Senator Enzi is a cosponsor. The Subcommittee on National Parks 

held a hearing on S. 2403 on April 6, 2006. At the business meeting on May 24, 2006, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 2403, as amended, favorably reported. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on May 24, 2006, by a unanimous voice vote of a 

quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 2403, if 

amended as described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During consideration of S. 2403, the Committee adopted an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute to S. 2403. The amendment replaces the requirement that the Secretary ‘‘shall accept’’

lands in the Grand Teton subdivision with the phrase that the SecVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:06 Aug 10, 2006 Jkt 049010 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR308.XXX SR308

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retary ‘‘may accept’’ lands in the subdivision. The amendment also 

adds a provision stating that it is the intent of Congress that the 

acquisition of lands in Grand Teton subdivision be completed no 

later than one year after the enactment of this Act. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 titles the bill the ‘‘Grand Teton National Park Expansion Act of 2006.’’

Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill. 

Section 3(a) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept 

land or interest in land from any willing donor in the Grand Teton 

Park Subdivision. 

Subsection (b) requires the Secretary to include the donated land 

within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park and to manage it as part of the park. 

Subsection (c) expresses the intent of Congress that land in the 

subdivision be acquired no later than one year after the enactment 

of this Act. 

Subsection (d) prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from transferring any of the land acquired through the authority in subsection 3(a) without express authorization from Congress. 

Section 4 authorizes the appropriation of such sums necessary to 

carry out the Act. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, June 8, 2006. 

Hon. PETE V. DOMENICI, 

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 S. 2403, the Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2006. 

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

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

Leigh Angres. 

Sincerely, 

DONALD B. MARRON, Acting Director. 

Enclosure. 

S. 2403—Grand Teton National Park Extension Act of 2006 

S. 2403 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to accept 

the donation of about 50 acres of land in Wyoming. Once acquired, 

the property would become part of the Grand Teton National Park 

under the administration of the National Park Service. Subject to 

the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2403 would cost less than $500,000, mostly for surveys 

and appraisals. Enacting S. 2403 would not affect revenues or direct spending. 


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

have no significant effect on the budgets of state, local, or tribal 

governments. 

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Deborah Reis and 

Leigh Angres. This estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, 

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. 2403. 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. 2403, as ordered reported. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The views of the Administration on S. 2403 were included in testimony received by the Committee at a hearing on the bill on April 

6, 2006. This testimony follows: 

STATEMENT OF SUE MASICA, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2403, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to include in the boundaries of the 

Grand Teton National Park land and interests in land of 

the GT Park Subdivision, and for other purposes. The Department supports S. 2403 with one amendment. 

S. 2403 would direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to accept, by donation, approximately 49 acres adjacent to Grand Teton National Park, and upon donation, 

adjust the park boundary to include these lands within the 

park and to administer the acquired lands in accordance 

with all applicable laws. In addition, the Secretary would 

be prohibited from selling, donating, exchanging, or otherwise transferring the acquired land without authorization 

from Congress. The lands added to the boundary would be 

donated at no cost to the federal government, and no additional costs would be associated with management or administration of the donated lands. Costs that would be associated with the conveyance of the land include closing 

and other associated costs. We estimate those costs to be 

approximately $300,000, and we currently do not have a 

funding source identified for these costs. 

The privately owned land that is the subject of S. 2403 

is located approximately one mile from the major road 

through the park and is visible from that road. The land 

consists of eight lots that total 49.67 acres and are located 


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near the Lost Creek Ranch, adjacent to the park’s eastern 

boundary. Similar in character and quality to adjacent 

park lands, the lots are primarily grassland and sagebrush 

meadow and provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife 

including elk, deer, antelope, bison, coyotes, and wolves. 

The lots offer spectacular and unobstructed views of the 

Teton Range across the broad valley of Jackson Hole. 

The National Park System includes countless examples 

of philanthropic efforts that have added immeasurably to 

the preservation of our Nation’s natural and cultural treasures. Nowhere is this more evident than at Grand Teton 

National Park, where the gift of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 

in 1949, of more than 38,000 acres, helped to ensure the 

creation of the park. Today, the spirit of philanthropy is 

very much alive at Grand Teton, and a prime example is 

the extraordinary generosity of Gerald T. Halpin and his 

family. Of the eight lots which are the subject of this bill, 

one is owned by the Halpin family, and the other seven 

were previously donated by the Halpins to several foundations with the understanding that they would ultimately 

be donated to the federal government for inclusion in 

Grand Teton National Park. These foundations include the 

National Park Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation, and the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. 

Inclusion of these lands within Grand Teton National 

Park cannot be accomplished without this legislation. 

When Congress established the park in 1950, it included 

a provision in the park’s enabling legislation that prohibited any expansion of national parks or monuments in the 

State of Wyoming without the express authorization of 

Congress. 

We recommend one amendment to the bill. Section 3(a) 

as written may imply that the Secretary shall accept the 

donation of the land regardless of any potential environmental hazards on the land or the condition of the title. 

We recommend donation language that has been used in 

other similar donation transactions and is attached to this 

testimony. 

Mr. Chairman, we wish to thank you for your efforts in 

sponsoring and introducing this legislation. It is the product of many generous and forward-looking people working 

together to continue protecting Grand Teton National Park 

for the American people. 

That concludes my statement. I would be glad to answer 

any questions that you or other members of the subcommittee might have. 

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

S. 2403, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK EXTENSION ACT OF

2006

Page 2, strike lines 18–20 and insert the following: ‘‘(a) 

The Secretary is authorized to acquire, by donation, lands 

and interests in land in the Subdivision.’’


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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 bill S. 2403, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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