69–010 

Calendar No. 656 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 110–304 

ALABAMA LITTLE RIVER CANYON NATIONAL PRESERVE 

ENHANCEMENT ACT 

APRIL 10, 2008.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BINGAMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 1961] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 1961) to expand the boundaries of the Little 

River Canyon National Preserve in the State of Alabama, having 

considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment 

and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

On page 2, line 6, strike ‘‘July 31, 2007’’ and insert ‘‘December 

2007’’. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 1961 is to expand the boundaries of the Little 

River Canyon National Preserve in the State of Alabama. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Located in northeast Alabama, Lookout Mountain forms a majestic plateau above surrounding valleys. The Little River starts on 

the top of Lookout Mountain and plunges through waterfalls and 

rapids, carving a deep canyon as it descends and finally cuts 

through the eastern escarpment of the Lookout Mountain plateau 

to reach the Coosa River and Weiss Lake. 

In 1992, Congress established the Little River Canyon National 

Preserve, as a unit of the National Park System, to conserve the 

Canyon’s natural, scenic, and recreational resources. The Preserve 

offers opportunities for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, 

kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, and other forms of outdoor 


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recreation. S. 1961 would expand the boundary to include several 

areas along the eastern and western Canyon rims. 

When first established, the Preserve included lands owned by the 

State of Alabama and Alabama Power within the Preserve’s boundary. Several years ago, Alabama Power sold its lands within the 

Preserve to the National Park Service. Currently, the Park Service 

owns approximately 13,000 acres within the Preserve. 

In recent years, several landowners have built large residential 

structures on the Preserve’s eastern rim within the Canyon View 

Forest subdivision, directly across from a number of scenic overlooks including Crow Point. In response to these developments, S. 

1961 would expand the Preserve boundary by approximately 1,650 

acres to include lands in the Canyon View Forest development 

along with lands owned by Temple Inland which has recently announced its intent to liquidate its timberland holdings. The Canyon 

View Forest area includes approximately 1,216 acres and is the 

largest element of the proposed expansion. 

In addition to the Canyon View Forest, the bill would expand the 

boundary to include the following properties—115 acres of adjacent 

holdings owned by a private landowner and Alabama Power, 48 

acres owned by Jacksonville State University on the western rim, 

122 acres on the Canyon’s western rim, and 155 acres on the south 

portion of the east rim. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 1961 was introduced by Senator Sessions on August 2, 2007. 

A similar measure (H.R. 5486) was introduced in the House of Representatives on February 25, 2008. The Subcommittee on National 

Parks held a hearing on S. 1961 on November 8, 2007. The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered it favorably reported on January 30, 2008. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session, on January 30, 2008, by a voice vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1961, if amended as 

described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During its consideration of S. 1961, the Committee adopted an 

amendment that changes the map date so that the bill references 

an updated map. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

S. 1961 amends section 2 of the Little River Canyon National 

Preserve Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 698q) to expand the boundary of 

the preserve to include land depicted on the map entitled, ‘‘Little 

River Canyon National Preserve Proposed Boundary’’ and dated 

December 2007. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 


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S. 1961—A bill to expand the boundaries of the Little River Canyon 

National Preserve in the state of Alabama 

S. 1961 would expand the boundaries of the Little River Canyon 

National Preserve in Alabama. Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1961 would 

cost about $10 million over the 2008–2013 period. Enacting this 

legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

The bill 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. 

S. 1961 would add about 1,660 acres of land to the Little River 

Canyon National Preserve. Based on information provided by the 

National Park Service, CBO estimates that the federal government 

would acquire this land over a five-year period. The final cost 

would depend on future appraisals as well as how many acres 

within the new boundary are acquired. CBO estimates that expanding the boundary of the preserve would cost about $10 million 

over the 2008–2013 period. Because much of the land would be located along the edge of the canyon, we estimate that any additional 

operational costs would be insignificant. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Daniel Hoople. This 

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. 1961. 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. 1961, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING ITEMS

S. 1961, as 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

STATEMENT OF KATHERINE H. STEVENSON, ACTING ASSIST- ANT DIRECTOR, BUSINESS SERVICES, NATIONAL PARK

SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to appear before you today to 

present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 

1961, a bill to revise the boundary of the Little River Canyon National Preserve in the State of Alabama, and for 

other purposes. 

The Department supports S. 1961. S. 1961 would expand 

the boundaries of the Little River Canyon National PreVerDate Aug 31 2005 06:34 Apr 12, 2008 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR304.XXX SR304

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serve (Preserve) to add approximately 1,656 acres that 

would be acquired by purchase from willing sellers or 

through donation. Appraisals have not been completed on 

any of the involved properties so the costs associated with 

the potential acquisitions are unknown. The Preserve currently includes 13,797 acres, and the NPS roughly estimates acquisition costs to be between $9 million and $12 

million. No funding has yet been identified for any of the 

acquisitions proposed in this bill. Funding for any of these 

acquisitions would be subject to the budget prioritization 

process of the National Park Service. 

Little River Canyon National Preserve was established 

as a unit of the National Park System by Public Law 102– 427, to protect and preserve the natural, scenic, recreational and cultural resources of the area and to provide 

for public enjoyment of those resources. The Little River 

Canyon is located in northeast Alabama between Gadsden, 

Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Birmingham, Alabama is approximately 100 miles southwest of the Preserve and Atlanta, Georgia is about 110 miles to the southeast. 

The Preserve contains an outstanding example of an Appalachian Plateau Province Canyon System and the canyon and the Little River together form one of the extraordinary natural features of Alabama. The Preserve is biologically diverse and home to a number of rare plants and 

animals. Numerous recreational pursuits are also available 

within the Preserve boundaries including a 23-mile canyon 

rim drive, which provides easy access to superlative scenic 

views. 

The Preserve also includes important scenic, natural, 

cultural, recreational, and scientific resources. Little River 

Canyon’s stream resources are excellent and the Little 

River is classified by the State of Alabama as an Outstanding National Resource Water providing an opportunity for world-class whitewater boating. Little River is 

one of a very few river systems with most of its length 

atop a mountain, in this case, Lookout Mountain. 

The Preserve lies at the southern limits of the Cumberland Plateau and Little River Canyon is the deepest 

canyon in Alabama and one of the deepest in the eastern 

United States. As such, the Preserve contains some of the 

most rugged scenery in the southeast which contributes to 

significant biological diversity including habitat for a 

unique assemblage of plants and animals. In addition, the 

Preserve includes a wide assortment of archeological resources and historic sites. 

The acquisitions proposed in S. 1961 would help the National Park Service (NPS) meet the requirements established in the Preserve’s enabling legislation, which direct 

the NPS to protect and preserve the scenic resources of 

Little River Canyon. Additionally, in the northeast portion 

of the Preserve the current boundary is narrow and many 

of the Preserve’s recreational trails cross private property 

in that area. Expanding the boundary as proposed in S. 


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1961 would allow the NPS to purchase lands from willing 

sellers and enhance recreational resources for Preserve 

visitors by ensuring that these trails no longer cross private property. 

The current western boundary of the Preserve meanders 

back and forth across state and county roads which make 

up the Preserve’s scenic drive. The boundary expansion 

proposed in S. 1961 would relocate the boundary in this 

area to the western edge of the state and county rights-ofway. In addition to including land between the roads and 

the canyon within the Preserve boundary, this adjustment 

would allow the NPS to apply for federal highway funds in 

order to improve the roads to help them meet Federal 

Highway Administration safety standards. The present 

condition of this portion of the scenic drive is characterized 

by steep hills and locations where sight distance is limited. 

As a result, the NPS has had to install signs warning drivers of motor homes and other large vehicles to avoid the 

southern two-thirds of the drive for their own safety. Including the roads and the lands between them and the current park boundary within the Preserve would also make 

it feasible to add additional scenic overlooks and bicycle 

lanes. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my formal remarks. I 

would be happy to answer any questions you or any members of the subcommittee might have. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill S. 

1961 as ordered 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): 

LITTLE RIVER CANYON NATIONAL PRESERVE ACT OF 

1991 

Public Law 102–427 

AN ACT To establish the Little River Canyon National Preserve in the State of 

Alabama 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 

United States of America in Congress assembled, 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 2(b). AREA INCLUDED.—øThe Preserve¿ (1) IN GENERAL.—

The Preserve shall consist of the lands, waters, and interests in 

lands and waters generally depicted on the boundary map entitled 

‘‘Little River Canyon National Preserve’’, numbered NA–LRNP–

80,001C, and dated March 1992. 

(2) BOUNDARY EXPANSION.—The boundary of the Preserve is 

modified to include the land depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Little 

River Canyon National Preserve Proposed Boundary’’, numbered 

152/80,004, and dated December 2007. 


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(c) øMAP¿ MAPS.—The ømap¿ maps referred to in subsection (b) 

shall—

(1) be on file and available for public inspection in the offices 

of the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior 

in Washington, District of Columbia; and 

(2) be filed with the appropriate offices of DeKalb and Cherokee Counties in the State of Alabama. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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