19–006

107TH CONGRESS REPORT " HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ! 2d Session 107–707

ADJUSTING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SALT RIVER BAY 

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK AND ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE LOCATED IN ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS

OCTOBER 1, 2002.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HANSEN, from the Committee on Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 5097] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 

(H.R. 5097) to adjust the boundaries of the Salt River Bay National 

Historical Park and Ecological Preserve located in St. Croix, Virgin 

Islands, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with 

an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following:

SECTION 1. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT. 

The first sentence of section 103(b) of the Salt River Bay National Historical Park 

and Ecological Preserve at St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 410tt–

1(b)) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘The park shall consist of approximately 1015 

acres of lands, waters, and interests in lands as generally depicted on the map entitled ‘Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, St. Croix, 

U.S.V.I.’, numbered 141/80002, and dated May 2, 2002.’’. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 5097 is to adjust the boundaries of the Salt 

River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve located 

in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve was established by Congress in 1992 (16 U.S.C. 410tt). Located on the north coast of the island of St. Croix, about six miles 

from Christiansted, it includes the only known place in present-day 

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U.S. territory where members of Christopher Columbus’ expedition 

landed. Among its pre-Columbian archaeological finds have been 

the only ceremonial ball court ever discovered in the Lesser Antilles. Some of its many natural and environmental treasures include 

one of the few carbonate submarine canyons in the world and the 

largest and last remaining mangrove estuarine system in the U.S. 

Virgin Islands, if not the entire Caribbean. 

To provide better service and a more rewarding experience for 

Park visitors, it is important for the National Park Service (NPS) 

to have a place where visitors can come to learn about the Park 

and receive assistance from NPS personnel. There is currently no 

such NPS facility at the Park. The NPS recently identified a twostory, 4800 square foot house at the site that can easily be converted to a visitor station, museum, and operation center that will 

house enforcement and maintenance personnel and all Park functions. Because this facility is presently outside the current Park 

boundary, H.R. 5097 was introduced to expand the boundary of the 

Park to include the site of this new facility as well as to include 

15.4 acres of land that has been offered as a donation to the park. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 5097 was introduced on July 11, 2002, by Delegate Donna 

Christensen (D–VI). The bill was referred to the Committee on Resources and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. On September 12, 

2002, the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 

Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands 

was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5097 by unanimous consent. Delegate Christensen offered an amendment in the 

nature of a substitute to correct the map title and number cited in 

the bill as well as the acreage associated with the boundary expansion. It was agreed to by unanimous consent. The bill as amended 

was then ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives 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 preVerDate Sep 04 2002 04:46 Oct 03, 2002 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR707.XXX HR707
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pared 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. This bill does not 

authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the 

Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply. 

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:

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, September 25, 2002. 

Hon. JAMES V. HANSEN, 

Chairman, Committee on Resources, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5097, a bill to adjust the 

boundaries of the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve located in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. 

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

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis. 

Sincerely, 

BARRY B. ANDERSON

(For Dan L. Crippen, Director). 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 5097—A bill to adjust the boundaries of the Salt River Bay 

National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve located in St. 

Croix, Virgin Islands 

H.R. 5097 would expand the boundary of the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve by roughly 30 acres. 

Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates 

that implementing the legislation would cost the federal government between $6 million and $8 million over the next three or four 

years and about $0.3 million annually thereafter. H.R. 5097 would 

not affect receipts or direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. 

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

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

governments. 

CBO estimates that the National Park Service (NPS) would 

spend between $2 million and $3 million in 2003 to purchase an 

existing house on about nine acres of land adjacent to the part. We 

expect that the remaining acreage would be donated to the NPS, 

also in that year. We estimate it would cost between $4 million and 

$5 million to develop the house into a multipurpose visitor and administrative center and to improve road access. Finally, CBO estiVerDate Sep 04 2002 04:46 Oct 03, 2002 Jkt 019006 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR707.XXX HR707
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mates that it would cost $0.3 million a year to operate the new center starting in 2005 or 2006. These estimates are based on information provided by the NPS and assume appropriation of the necessary amounts. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The 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 (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): 

SECTION 103 OF THE SALT RIVER BAY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK AND ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE AT ST. 

CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS, ACT OF 1992

SEC. 103. SALT RIVER BAY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK AND ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE AT ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS. 

(a) * * *

(b) AREA INCLUDED.—øThe park shall consist of approximately 

912 acres of land, waters, submerged lands, and interests therein 

within the area generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Salt River 

Study Area—Alternative ‘C’ ’’ in the ‘‘Alternatives Study and Environmental Assessment for the Columbus Landing Site, St. Croix, 

U.S. Virgin Islands’’, prepared by the National Park Service and 

dated June 1990.¿ The park shall consist of approximately 1015 

acres of lands, waters, and interests in lands as generally depicted 

on the map entitled ‘‘Salt River Bay National Historical Park and 

Ecological Preserve, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.’’, numbered 141/80002, and 

dated May 2, 2002. The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and the Offices of the Lieutenant Governor of 

St. Thomas and St. Croix, Virgin Islands.

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