29–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 113–217 

DENALI NATIONAL PARK IMPROVEMENT ACT 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, from the Committee on Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 586] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 586) 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, report favorably thereon 

without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 586 is to provide for certain improvements 

to the Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 586 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue 

right-of-way permits for a natural gas transmission pipeline within 

Denali National Park, authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 

issue permits for a micro-hydroelectric project within Denali National Park and Preserve, exchange land managed by Denali National Park and Preserve with land owned by Doyon Tourism, Inc., 

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

honor of Walter Harper. 

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 electricity and home heating 

needs. 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 needed gas to south-central Alaska. Therefore, Alaska is considering investing in a pipeline to meet mediumterm in-state demand. 


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The pipeline would run from Alaska’s North Slope region, past 

Fairbanks, through the Nenana River Canyon and, as authorized 

by H.R. 586, through Denali National Park and Preserve following 

the existing highway, seven miles of which pass through the park. 

The proposed pipeline makes use of the current highway right-ofway. Using that right-of-way would prevent impacts on wildlife in 

lands immediately adjacent to the park and would provide natural 

gas for use in park facilities and vehicles, currently powered by diesel-turbine power sources. 

To further the purposes of H.R. 586, the Committee strongly 

urges that the requirement for the simultaneous filing of an application under section 1104(c) of the Alaska National Interest Lands 

Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3164(c)) apply only to the portion of 

the applicant’s high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline 

that is within the boundary of Denali National Park and Preserve. 

The Kantishna Roadhouse is owned by Doyon Tourism, Inc., a 

subsidiary of the 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 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 in using the Denali Park 

Road. H.R. 586 would authorize the permitting of a micro hydroelectric project that would allow the Roadhouse to reduce its diesel 

use and transport by approximately 50 percent. 

The proposed microhydro generator would be installed in Eureka 

Creek, a four-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. An electrical distribution line would carry the electricity to the Roadhouse, 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. H.R. 586 would authorize the Secretary to issue permits for 

other microhydro projects in the Kantishna Hills area subject to 

applicable National Park Service terms and conditions. H.R. 586 

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. 

The Talkeetna Ranger Station is located 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. H.R. 586 will 

rename the Talkeetna Ranger Station in honor of Alaskan Native 

Walter Harper. Nearly 100 years ago, Harper set out to reach the 

summit of Mount McKinley in the Alaskan Range. After a threemonth journey from Fairbanks, Walter Harper became the first 

person to set foot on top of North America’s tallest peak on June 

7, 1913. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 586 was introduced on February 6, 2013, by Congressman 

Don Young (R–AK). The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on 


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Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On May 9, 2013, the 

Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On July 24, 2013, the full 

Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and 

the bill was adopted and 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 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) 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)(2)(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. 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. 586—Denali National Park Improvement Act 

Based on information provided by the National Park Service 

(NPS), CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 586 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 H.R. 586 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 legislation 

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. 

H.R. 586 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. 


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On April 1, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 157, the 

Denali National Park Improvement Act, as ordered reported by the 

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on March 14, 

2013. On July 26, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 

157, the Denali National Park Improvement Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on July 24, 

2013. H.R. 586 is similar to both versions of S. 157, and the CBO 

cost estimates are the same. 

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

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

2. Section 308(a) of 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. Based on information provided by the National 

Park Service (NPS), CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 586 

would have no significant impact on the federal budget. 

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 certain improvements to the Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, limited 

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

9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that this 

bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any specific 

rule-making proceedings. 

Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not establish or 

reauthorize a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was not included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or identified in the 

most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act (Public Law 95–220, 

as amended by Public Law 98–169) as relating to other programs. 

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. 

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