29–010 

Calendar No. 50 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 113–19 

DENALI NATIONAL PARK IMPROVEMENT ACT 

APRIL 22, 2013.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. WYDEN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 157] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 157) to provide for certain improvements to the 

Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska, and for 

other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorable 

thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE

The purposes of S. 157 are to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue right-of-way permits for a natural gas transmission 

pipeline in non-wilderness areas within the boundary of Denali National Park; to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for a micro hydroelectric project in non-wilderness areas within the boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve; to exchange land managed by Denali National Park and Preserve with 

land from Doyon Tourism, Inc., which is located within the park; 

and to rename the Talkeetna Ranger Station in Talkeetna, Alaska, 

in honor of Walter Harper. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Gas pipeline right-of-way 

Currently, electricity in south-central Alaska is largely generated 

by burning natural gas produced from the gas fields in Cook Inlet, 

south of Anchorage, although production from Cook Inlet has been 

declining. There are concerns regarding the region’s ability to 

produce sufficient gas to support the area’s population. Plans for a 

large-volume natural gas pipeline to run from the Prudhoe Bay oil 

fields to the Lower 48 States may not be finished in time to provide 


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needed gas to south-central Alaska. Therefore, Alaska is considering investing in a smaller pipeline to meet medium-term demand. 

The in-state pipeline would run from Alaska’s North Slope region, past Fairbanks, through the Nenana River Canyon and 

Denali National Park and Preserve following the existing highway, 

7 miles of which pass through the park. The proposed pipeline 

makes use of the existing highway right-of-way, and comes near, 

but does not cross the wilderness boundary in the park. 

S. 157 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to permit a pipeline to run through a small portion of the park, along an existing 

highway right-of-way, subject to appropriate analysis under the 

National Environmental Policy Act and National Park System 

laws. The Park Service has preliminarily indicated that running 

the pipeline along the existing highway right-of-way would be better for the park than constructing a new right-of-way through a 

scenic vista just outside the park’s boundary. 

Micro hydroelectric projects 

The Kantishna Roadhouse (The Roadhouse) is owned by Doyon 

Tourism, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Alaska Native Corporation 

Doyon, Ltd. It is a full-service lodge located 92 miles inside Denali 

National Park and Preserve at the end of the Denali Park Road. 

The original roadhouse at Kantishna was built in the early 1900s, 

serving as a private residence, a community center, post office, and 

an informal hotel accommodations for those who came visiting 

Kantishna in Denali Park. 

The Roadhouse, like many structures within Denali National 

Park, is entirely off the grid and generates all of its electricity 

needs with a diesel generator. As a result, diesel must be trucked 

using Denali Park Road. The construction of this micro hydroelectric project would allow the Roadhouse to reduce its diesel use 

and transport by approximately 50 percent. This would result in 

less air and sound pollution in this remote area as well as reducing 

the risk of accident or spill, allowing for greater protection of visitors to the park, wildlife, and other resources in the park. 

The proposed microhydro generator would be supplied by Eureka 

Creek, a 4-mile-long stream. Some water from the creek would be 

diverted through an at-grade water intake with a conduit to carry 

water downhill to the generator housed in one of Doyon Tourism’s 

buildings. The generator is capable of producing approximately 100 

kilowatts of power. An electrical distribution line would carry the 

electricity to the lodge, about 600 feet from the microhydro generator. A battery bank would store surplus electricity to accommodate peak power demands and maintenance shut-downs of the generator. Water diverted from Eureka Creek through the microhydro 

generator would be piped to Moose Creek, less than 100 feet downstream from the mouth of Eureka Creek. 

Other lodge operators in the park and the Eielson Visitor Center 

have successfully used a microhydro generator system to power 

their respective structures. S. 157 will allow the National Park 

Service to issue permits to the Kantishna Roadhouse for a similar 

power generation arrangement. In addition, S. 157 would authorize 

the Secretary to issue permits for other microhydro projects for in 


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the Kantishna Hills area subject to applicable National Park Service terms and conditions. 

Land exchange 

S. 157 also authorizes a land exchange between Denali National 

Park and Doyon Tourism, Inc., for the purpose of consolidating 

land holdings for both the park and Doyon. 

Walter Harper Talkeenta Ranger Station 

The Talkeetna Ranger Station is located in southcentral Alaska. 

The Ranger Station is approximately 100 miles from the south entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve and is the headquarters for the Park’s mountaineering rangers. All climbing expeditions to Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker obtain permits and mountain orientation at this Ranger Station. Denali National Park and 

Preserve visitors can also obtain general park information at the 

Ranger Station. 

Renaming the Talkeetna Ranger Station will honor Walter Harper, an Alaskan Native of Athabascan Indian and Scottish descent. 

Nearly 100 years ago, Mr. Harper along with Hudson Stuck set out 

to reach the summit of Mount McKinley in the Alaskan Range. 

After an arduous three month trek from Fairbanks, Walter Harper 

became the first person to set foot on top of North America’s tallest 

peak on June 7, 1913. The bill is needed to rename the Talkeetna 

Ranger Station to the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station in 

honor of Mr. Harper’s achievements and the upcoming 100 year anniversary of the historic summit of Denali. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 157 was introduced by Senators Murkowski and Begich on 

January 28, 2013. At its business meeting on March 14, 2013, the 

Committee ordered S. 157 favorably reported. 

S. 157 combines elements from three bills considered by the 

Committee in the 112th Congress: S. 302, H.R. 441, and S. 2273. 

S. 302, also sponsored by Senators Murkowski and Begich, was introduced on February 8, 2011. The Subcommittee on National 

Parks held a hearing on the bill on May 11, 2011 (S. Hrg. 112– 

124). The Committee ordered S. 302 favorably reported without 

amendment at its business meeting on January 13, 2012 (S. Rpt. 

112–107). S. 302 passed the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent on January 1, 2013. 

H.R. 441 was introduced by Representative Don Young on January 25, 2011. Senator Murkowski introduced identical legislation, 

S. 313, on February 10, 2011. H.R. 441 passed the House of Representatives by voice vote agreed to on October 24, 2011. The ordered H.R. 441 reported without amendment on January 13, 2012 

(S. Rpt. 112–129). 

S. 2273 was introduced by Senator Murkowski on March 29, 

2012. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on June 

27, 2012 (S. Hrg. 112–578). 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on March 14, 2013, by voice vote of a quorum present, 

recommends that the Senate pass S. 157. 


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SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 provides for the short title, the ‘‘Denali National Park 

Improvement Act’’. 

Section 2(a) defines key terms used in the bill. 

Section 2(b) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) 

to issue permits for microhydro projects in the Kantishna Hills 

area of Denali National Park and Preserve. 

Subsection (b)(2) directs that each permit be in accordance with 

terms and conditions generally applicable to units of the National 

Park System and subject to such other terms and conditions as the 

Secretary determines to be necessary. 

Subsection (b)(3) requires completion of any environmental analysis required by National Environment Policy Act within 180 days 

of submission of the application for issuance of the permit. 

Subsection (c) authorizes an exchange of land managed by Denali 

National Park and Preserve that is near the microhydro projects to 

Doyon Tourism, Inc., in exchange for approximately 18 acres owned 

by Doyon Tourism, Inc., within the Galena patented mining claim. 

The purpose of the land exchange is to consolidate lands managed 

by the park and those owned by Doyon Tourism, Inc. 

Subsection (c)(2) directs that the map be available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

Subsection (c)(3) provides that the Secretary seek to complete the 

land exchange no later than February 15, 2015. 

Subsection (c)(4) requires the land exchange be subject to the 

laws and policies applicable to land managed by the National Park 

Service and to such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems 

necessary. 

Subsection (c)(5) authorizes an equalization of values of the lands 

to be exchanged by adjusting the acreage should the parcels being 

exchanged be determined to not be of equal value. 

Subsection (c)(6) requires the Secretary to manage the land acquired from Doyon Tourism, Inc., to be administered as part of 

Denali National Park and Preserve. 

Section 3(a) defines key terms used key terms in the bill. 

Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to issue right-of-way permits for a high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline and appurtenances within non-wilderness areas of Denali National Park, 

along the 7-mile segments of the George Parks highway that runs 

through the park. The Secretary would also be authorized to issue 

rights-of-way for distribution and transmission pipelines and appurtenances, if the Secretary determines they are necessary to provide a natural gas supply to the park. 

Subsection (c) provides that the Secretary may only issue a permit authorized under subsection (b): if the permit is consistent with 

the laws and regulations generally applicable to utility rights-ofway within units of the National Park System; if it is in accordance 

with section 1106 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3166(a)); and if, following appropriate analysis 

under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq.), the Secretary finds that the route of the right-of-way 

is the route through the park with the least adverse environmental 

effects for the park. The permit shall be subject to any other terms 

and conditions the Secretary determines to be necessary. 


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Section 4(a) designates the Talkeetna Ranger Station on 

Talkeetna, Alaska, as ‘‘Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station’’. 

Subsection (b) dictates any references made in section (a) are references to the ‘‘Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station’’. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 157—Denali National Park Improvement Act 

Based on information provided by the National Park Service 

(NPS), CBO estimates that implementing S. 157 would have no significant impact on the federal budget. The bill would: 

• Authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for 

microhydroelectric projects in the Kantishna Hills area of the 

Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska; 

• Authorize an exchange of land between the Department of 

the Interior and Doyon Tourism, Inc., 

• Authorize the NPS to issue permits to construct a natural 

gas pipeline in the Denali National Park; and 

• Redesignate the Talkeetna Ranger Station as the Walter 

Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station. 

Enacting S. 157 could increase offsetting receipts (from permit 

fees) and associated direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. If potential owners or operators of a pipeline seek permits from the NPS, the agency could collect a fee to recover any 

costs associated with issuing such permits. NPS would retain and 

spend those amounts to process the permit without further appropriation, and any excess receipts would be deposited in the Treasury. CBO estimates that the total collections under the bill would 

be insignificant over the 2014–2023 period, and the net effect on 

direct spending would be negligible. Enacting the legislation would 

not affect revenues. 

S. 157 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not 

affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von Gnechten. 

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 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 

S. 157. 

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. 157, as ordered reported. 


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CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 157, as ordered reported, does not contain any congressionally 

directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Executive Communications were not requested by the Senate 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the 113th Congress. The following Administration testimony references similar 

legislation introduced in the 112th Congress: 

The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the May 

11, 2011, Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S. 302 and 

S. 313; and 

The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the June 

27, 2012, Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S. 2273 follows. 

STATEMENT OF STEPHEN E. WHITESELL, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, PARK PLANNING, FACILITIES AND LANDS, NATIONAL

PARK SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

S. 302

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify 

and provide the views of the National Park Service (NPS) 

on S. 302, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to issue right-of-way permits for a natural gas transmission pipeline in nonwildemess areas within the boundary of Denali National Park, and for other purposes. 

The Department has no objection to the bill as written. 

The potential owners and operators of such a pipeline 

have not, at this time, determined whether such a line carrying natural gas to south-central Alaska is financially feasible, nor have they determined the best route for a pipeline. This legislation provides flexibility for the backers of 

a proposed pipeline, and provides assurance to the NPS 

that the National Environmental Policy Act analysis will 

be completed before any permit for work in the park would 

be issued by the Secretary. 

The legislation also provides authority for the Secretary 

to permit distribution lines and related equipment within 

the park for the purpose of providing a natural gas supply 

to the park. We support this provision, but remind the 

committee that at this time no decisions have been made 

about the financial or engineering feasibility, nor the exact 

configuration of equipment needed to facilitate tapping the 

larger line to allow local use of natural gas in or near 

Denali National Park. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify and we would 

welcome any questions you or other members may have. 

S. 313

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present 

the views of the Department of the Interior on S.313, a bill 

to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits 


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for a micro-hydro project in non-wilderness areas within 

the boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve, and 

for other purposes. 

The Department supports this legislation with amendments and recognizes improvements made from the similar 

bill introduced in the previous Congress. S. 313 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for 

micro-hydro projects in a limited area of the Kantishna 

Hills in Denali National Park. The legislation would also 

authorize a land exchange between the National Park 

Service (NPS) and Doyon Tourism, Inc. (Doyon) involving 

lands near the historic mining community of Kantishna 

that would be mutually beneficial to the NPS and Doyon. 

This legislation will reduce the use of fossil fuels in the 

park, and thus lessen the chance of fuel spills along the 

park road and at the Kantishna lodges. It will lower the 

number of non-visitor vehicle trips over the park road, 

lessen the noise and emissions from diesel generators in 

the Moose Creek valley, and support clean energy projects 

and sustainable practices while ensuring that appropriate 

review and environmental compliance protects all park resources. 

Doyon Tourism, Inc., a subsidiary of Alaska Native Corporation Doyon, Ltd., has requested permits from the NPS 

to install a micro-hydroelectric project on Eureka Creek, 

near their Kantishna Roadhouse. The NPS supports the 

intent of this project, however, neither the Secretary nor 

the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has 

the statutory authority to issue permits for portions of hydroelectric projects within national parks or monuments. 

We believe that the authorization contained in this legislation is necessary to enable the NPS to allow this micro-hydroelectric project within the park. 

The Kantishna Roadhouse, at the end of the 92-milelong Denali park road, has been in business for 28 years, 

hosts approximately 10,000 guests per summer, and currently uses an on-site 100 kilowatt (KW) diesel generator 

to provide power for the facility. The proposed hydroelectric installation would reduce use of the diesel generator at the lodge. Currently, delivery of diesel fuel to the 

lodge requires a tanker truck and trailer to be driven the 

entire length of the Denali park road. Noted for its undeveloped character, the road is unpaved for 77 miles of its 

92-mile length, crosses high mountain passes without 

guardrails, and is just one to 11⁄2 lanes wide with pullouts. 

The road is justly famous for wildlife viewing opportunities 

and in order to protect wildlife as well as the road’s scenic 

wilderness character, vehicle traffic is limited. Reducing 

the amount of diesel fuel hauled over this road in tanker 

trucks protects park resources by reducing the risk of accident or spill, and simultaneously reduces overall vehicle 

use of the road. 

Eureka Creek is a 4-mile-long stream that drains a 5- 

square-mile watershed and discharges about 15 cubic feet 

per second (cfs) during the summer. Most of the floodplain 


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has been disturbed by past placer mining, but no mining 

claims exist on the creek now and no other landowners besides Doyon and the NPS own any property near this 

floodplain. The project would include an at-grade water intake, with no impoundment, about one mile upstream of 

where Eureka Creek crosses the park road. 

Camp Denali, another lodge in the Kantishna Hills, is 

within the area addressed by this legislation. Camp Denali 

opened in 1952 and the owners installed a micro-hydro 

generator system prior to the 1978 Presidential proclamation that included Kantishna as a part of what is now 

Denali National Park. After 1978, Camp Denali became a 

private in-holding surrounded by the park, and found that 

parts of its micro-hydro power system were within the 

park, a situation that the NPS lacks the authority to permit or retain. This legislation, if amended, would allow the 

NPS and the owners of Camp Denali to work out permit 

conditions for those parts of the existing hydro project that 

are now on park land. Besides the Kantishna Roadhouse 

and Camp Denali, two other lodges in Kantishna may pursue similar projects in the future and thus would benefit 

from the authority granted in this legislation. 

Doyon owns 18 acres on the patented Galena mining 

claim in the Kantishna Hills and would like to exchange 

that acreage for park land in Kantishna of equal value 

near its other properties. The NPS would also like to pursue this exchange to consolidate land holdings in the area. 

Existing land exchange authority under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and 

other legislation is sufficient to affect this exchange. Thus, 

while we believe that this provision is unnecessary, we 

support its intent. 

Our concerns with the bill are as follows: 

(1) The bill as introduced requires the Secretary to complete National Environmental Policy Act compliance within 180 days of enactment. While the Department supports 

a speedy response to the applicant, we suggest the 180-day 

clock start upon submission of a complete application to 

the NPS. 

(2) The permitting authority provided by this bill would 

apply to several micro-hydroelectric projects in the 

Kantishna area, yet various elements of the bill as introduced appear to apply solely to a project by Doyon. Technical corrections to address this are identified in an attachment to this testimony. 

We believe that the permitting authority granted in S. 

313 would provide a tool that the Secretary could use to 

lower fossil fuel use in Denali National Park, while protecting park resources, and that a land exchange would be 

hastened through passage of this legislation. We would 

welcome the opportunity to work with the sponsor and this 

committee to address our concerns and recommendations. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be 

happy to answer any questions that you may have. 


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ATTACHMENT

The NPS suggests the following technical corrections to 

H.R. 313. 

(1) On p. 1, line 2 of the long title, strike ‘‘for a 

microhydro project in nonwilderness’’ and insert ‘‘for 

microhydro projects in nonwilderness’’. 

(2) On p. 3, line 1, strike ‘‘(i) the intake pipeline located 

on Eureka Creek, approximately 1⁄2 mile upstream from 

the Park Road, as depicted on the map;’’ and insert ‘‘(i) intake pipelines;’’ 

(3) On p. 3, line 8, strike ‘‘line’’ and insert ‘‘lines’’. 

(4) On p. 3, line 14, strike ‘‘PROJECT’’ and insert 

‘‘PROJECTS’’. 

STATEMENT OF HERBERT FROST, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, 

NATURAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP AND SCIENCE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify 

on S. 2273, which would designate the Talkeetna Ranger 

Station in Talkeetna, Alaska, as the Walter Harper 

Talkeetna Ranger Station. 

As the 100th anniversary of the 1913 summit climb of 

Walter Harper approaches, the National Park Service has 

no objection to S. 2273, which would name the Denali National Park and Preserve’s South District Ranger Station 

in Talkeetna, Alaska, as the Walter Harper Talkeetna 

Ranger Station. 

Mr. Harper grew up in Alaska, a child of Arthur Harper, 

a Scottish trader and prospector, and Jennie Harper, an 

Athabascan Indian from the Koyukuk region. As a young 

man, he served as an interpreter and guide for the farflung ministry of Hudson Stuck, an Episcopal archdeacon. 

He joined Stuck on an arduous trip in 1913 to reach the 

summit of North America’s highest peak. For nearly three 

months, the group moved slowly south from Fairbanks and 

into the high mountains of the Alaska Range. On June 7, 

1913, Walter Harper, 21, became the first man to set foot 

on the summit of Denali, the Athabascan name for the 

peak, meaning the High One. The archdeacon’s journal described their approach: ‘‘With keen excitement we pushed 

on. Walter, who had been in the lead all day, was the first 

to scramble up; a Native Alaskan, he is the first human 

being to set foot upon the top of Alaska’s greatest mountain, and he had well earned the honor.’’ 

Since 1913, thousands of climbers have aimed for the 

summit. Unlike Mr. Harper, today the vast majority begin 

their expeditions with an airplane ride out of Talkeetna on 

the south side of the Alaska Range. The National Park 

Service ranger station there serves as an orientation center for climbers and other visitors to the Denali region. 

The community is proud of its varied history as a railroad 

town, a jumping off point for miners, and in the past several decades as the take-off point for climbing expeditions. 


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Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony, and I would 

be happy to answer any questions you or other members 

may have. 

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. 157 as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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