69–006 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 110–592 

COFFMAN COVE ADMINISTRATIVE SITE CONVEYANCE 

ACT OF 2008 

APRIL 17, 2008.—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. 831] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 831) to provide for the conveyance of certain Forest Service land to the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska, 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. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act 

of 2008’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) CITY.—The term ‘‘City’’ means the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska. 

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

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary shall convey to 

the City, without consideration and by quitclaim deed all right, title, and interest 

of the United States, except as provided in subsections (c) and (d), in and to the 

parcel of National Forest System land described in subsection (b). 

(b) DESCRIPTION OF LAND.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The parcel of National Forest System land referred to in 

subsection (a) is the approximately 12 acres of land identified in U.S. Survey 

10099, as depicted on the plat entitled ‘‘Subdivision of U.S. Survey No. 10099’’ 

and recorded as Plat 2003-1 on January 21, 2003, Petersburg Recording District, Alaska. 


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(2) EXCLUDED LAND.—The parcel of National Forest System land conveyed 

under subsection (a) does not include the portion of U.S. Survey 10099 that is 

north of the right-of-way for Forest Development Road 3030-295 and southeast 

of Tract CC-8. 

(c) RIGHT-OF-WAY.—The United States may reserve a right-of-way to provide access to the National Forest System land excluded from the conveyance to the City 

under subsection (b)(2). 

(d) REVERSION.—If any portion of the land conveyed under subsection (a) (other 

than a portion of land sold under subsection (e)) ceases to be used for public purposes, the land shall, at the option of the Secretary, revert to the United States. 

(e) CONDITIONS ON SUBSEQUENT CONVEYANCES.—If the City sells any portion of 

the land conveyed to the City under subsection (a)—

(1) the amount of consideration for the sale shall reflect fair market value, 

as determined by an appraisal; and 

(2) the City shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the gross proceeds 

of the sale, which shall be available, without further appropriation, for the 

Tongass National Forest. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 831 is to provide for the conveyance of certain Forest Service land to the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Coffman Cove is a small community of about 200 residents that 

developed around a logging camp and work site in Alaska’s 

Tongass National Forest. A 12-acre tract in the center of the town 

still belongs to the U.S. Forest Service. 

The land was used as an administrative site by the Forest Service, but declining timber sales have diminished the Service’s need 

for the site. All buildings have been removed from the property. 

H.R. 831 would direct the Forest Service to convey, subject to 

certain conditions, the former administrative site to the city free of 

charge. 

Companion legislation, S. 202, introduced by Senators Murkowski and Stevens on January 8, 2007, was reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on February 15, 

2007 (S. Rpt. 110–6). Identical legislation passed the Senate during 

the 109th Congress. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 831 was introduced February 5, 2007, by Representative 

Don Young (R–AK). 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 April 2, 2008, the Full Natural Resources Committee met to 

consider the bill. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 

and Public Lands was discharged from further consideration of 

H.R. 831. An amendment in the nature of a substitute making 

technical changes was offered by Rep. Young and was agreed to by 

voice vote. The bill, as amended, was then ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives by voice vote. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 states that the bill may be cited as the ‘‘Coffman Cove 

Administrative Site Conveyance Act of 2008’’. 


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Section 2. Definitions 

Section 2 defines the term ‘‘City’’ as the city of Coffman Cove, 

Alaska; and the term ‘‘Secretary’’ as the Secretary of Agriculture. 

Section 3. Conveyance 

Section 3(a) directs the Secretary to convey to the City all right, 

title and interest in a parcel inside the City. 

Section 3(b) describes the land to be conveyed. 

Section 3(c) allows the Forest Service to reserve a right of way 

to provide access to other Forest Service land that is not being conveyed. 

Section 3(d) requires that if any portion of the land conveyed (except land sold under Section 3(e)) ceases to be used for public purposes, the Secretary may require that the land revert to the United 

States. 

Section 3(e) allows the city to sell the land conveyed if the sale 

reflects fair market value as determined by appraisal, and if the 

City pays to the Secretary an amount equal to the gross proceeds 

of the sale, which the Secretary may use without further appropriation for the Tongass National Forest. 

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 provide for the conveyance of certain Forest Service 

land to the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska. 

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: 


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H.R. 831—Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act of 

2008 

H.R. 831 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to 

the city of Coffman Cove, Alaska, for no consideration, 12 acres of 

Forest Service land. Based on information from the Forest Service, 

CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have no 

significant impact on the federal budget. Although the property 

could be sold by the Forest Service under existing law, CBO estimates that conveying it for no consideration would have no net impact on direct spending because we expect that such a sale is unlikely. Moreover, we estimate that the loss of receipts—if any—

would be less than $500,000 and would be offset by a corresponding 

reduction in direct spending. Any discretionary administrative 

costs of completing the conveyance would be negligible. Finally, we 

estimate that enacting H.R. 831 would have no effect on revenues. 

H.R. 831 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. 

On February 7, 2007, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 

202, the Coffman Cove Administrative Site Conveyance Act of 

2007, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources on January 31, 2007. The provisions of S. 202 

and H.R. 831 are identical, and CBO’s estimates of their costs are 

the same. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Tyler Kruzich. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

H.R. 831 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e) 

or 9(f) 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

If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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