89–006 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 111–292 

CASCADIA MARINE TRAIL STUDY ACT 

OCTOBER 8, 2009.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. RAHALL, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1641] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 1641) to amend the National Trails System Act to provide 

for a study of the Cascadia Marine Trail, 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. DESIGNATION OF TRAIL FOR STUDY. 

(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the ‘‘Cascadia Marine Trail Study 

Act’’. 

(b) DESIGNATION OF TRAIL FOR STUDY.—Section 5(c) of the National Trails System 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(ll) Cascadia Marine Trail, a series of water trail routes encompassing approximately 2,300 miles of shoreline in the State of Washington, extending from 

Point Roberts near the Canadian border to the southern reach of Puget Sound 

near Olympia. In conducting the study, the Secretary shall coordinate with appropriate Federal, State, local, tribal, and private entities, and may evaluate 

sites of recreational, scenic, or historic significance near the Cascadia Marine 

Trail for potential inclusion in the Trail. The Secretary shall also consider what 

activities may be limited by the designation, including existing activities, hunting, boating, or proposed infrastructure improvements.’’. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 1641 is to amend the National Trails System 

Act to provide for a study of the Cascadia Marine Trail. 


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BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 1641 amends the National Trail System Act to authorize a 

study of the Cascadia Marine Trail, a system of water routes in the 

Puget Sound region of Washington State, for possible inclusion in 

the National Trails System. 

The 150-mile long trail was established in 1993 by the Washington Water Trails Association. Designed for human and sail powered boaters, the trail has 54 designated campsites between Olympia, Washington and the Canadian border. It was designated a National Recreational Trail in 1994. 

The Puget Sound is an area of great natural beauty and cultural 

history. This saltwater trail introduces paddlers and sailors to historic and commercial coastal routes, in voyages of discovery along 

the shores of the native peoples’ Salish Sea. Orca, salmon, bald 

eagle, heron, and puffins are just a few of the wildlife species found 

among the forested islands of the sound. 

Proponents of the legislation believe that changing the designation of the trail from a National Recreation Trail to a National Scenic or National Historic Trail would improve public awareness of 

the route, which proponents see as a key component of larger Puget 

Sound restoration and protection efforts. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 1641 was introduced on March 19, 2009 by Representative 

Jay Inslee (D–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 May 14, 2009, the 

Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. The National Park Service testified in favor of the bill with a request for a minor technical 

amendment ensuring that area tribes and other federal agencies 

are consulted during the study. 

On July 29, 2009, the full Natural Resources Committee met to 

consider the bill. The subcommittee was discharged from further 

consideration of H.R. 1641. Representative Inslee (D–WA) offered 

an amendment in the nature of a substitute to simplify the bill and 

add federal agencies and tribes to the list of entities to be consulted 

during the study. Representative Paul Broun (R–GA) offered an 

amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute that 

would require the written consent of private property owners for 

inclusion in the study. The amendment was not adopted by a roll 

call vote of 18 yeas to 22 nays, as follows: 


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Representative Rob Bishop (R–UT) offered an amendment to the 

amendment in the nature of a substitute that would require the 

agency to include in the study the impacts of a potential inclusion 

of the trail in the National Trail System upon existing recreational 

activities, hunting, boating, or proposed infrastructure improvements. The amendment was adopted by voice vote. 

The amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, was 

then adopted by voice vote. The bill, as amended, 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. 

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, the general performance goal or objective 

of this bill is to amend the National Trails System Act to provide 

for a study of the Cascadia Marine Trail. 

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: 

H.R. 1641—Cascadia Marine Trail Study Act 

H.R. 1641 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to study 

the possibility of including the Cascadia Marine Trail in the state 

of Washington in the National Trails System. The proposed trail 

would encompass over 2,000 miles of shoreline extending from 

Point Roberts (near the Canadian border) to the southern reach of 

Puget Sound near Olympia. 

Based on information provided by the NPS and assuming the 

availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates that completing 

the required study would cost $400,000 over the next three years. 


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Enacting this legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

H.R. 1641 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 contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Assistant Director for 

Budget Analysis. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4 

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

H.R. 1641 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule 

XXI. 

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): 

NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT 

* * * * * * * 

NATIONAL SCENIC AND NATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAILS

SEC. 5. (a) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(c) The following routes shall be studied in accordance with the 

objectives outlined in subsection (b) of this section: 

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(ll) Cascadia Marine Trail, a series of water trail 

routes encompassing approximately 2,300 miles of shoreline 

in the State of Washington, extending from Point Roberts 

near the Canadian border to the southern reach of Puget 

Sound near Olympia. In conducting the study, the Secretary shall coordinate with appropriate Federal, State, 

local, tribal, and private entities, and may evaluate sites of 

recreational, scenic, or historic significance near the 

Cascadia Marine Trail for potential inclusion in the Trail. 

The Secretary shall also consider what activities may be 


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limited by the designation, including existing activities, 

hunting, boating, or proposed infrastructure improvements. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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