BILL |
- Except as otherwise
expressly provided, whenever in this title an
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an
amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to
be made to a section or other provision of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16
U.S.C. 460l-4 et seq.)
|
|
`APPROPRIATIONS
|
`ALLOCATION OF FUNDS
- `SEC. 5. Of the
amounts made available for each fiscal year to
carry out this Act--
- `(1) 50
percent shall be available for Federal
purposes authorized (in this Act referred
to as the `Federal portion'); and
- `(2) 50
percent shall be available for grants to
States.'.
|
- `(d) USE OF FEDERAL
PORTION-
- `(1)
APPROVAL BY CONGRESS REQUIRED- The
Federal portion (as that term is defined
in section 5(1)) may not be obligated or
expended by the Secretary of the Interior
or the Secretary of Agriculture for any
acquisition except for a project that is
specifically referred to, and approved by
the Congress, in an Act making
appropriations for the Department of the
Interior or the Department of
Agriculture, respectively, for such
fiscal year.
- `(2)
WILLING SELLER REQUIREMENT- The Federal
portion may not be used to acquire any
property unless--
- `(A)
the owner of the property concurs
in the acquisition; or
- `(B)
acquisition of that property is
specifically approved by an Act
of Congress.
- `(e) LIST OF
PROPOSED FEDERAL ACQUISITIONS-
- `(1)
RESTRICTION ON USE- The Federal portion
for a fiscal year may not be obligated or
expended to acquire any interest in lands
or water unless the lands or water were
included in a list of acquisitions that
is approved by the Congress.
- `(2)
TRANSMISSION OF LIST- (A) The Secretary
of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture shall jointly transmit to the
Congress for each fiscal year, by no
later than the submission of the budget
for the fiscal year under section 1105 of
title 31, United States Code, a list of
the acquisitions of interests in lands
and water proposed to be made with the
Federal portion for the fiscal year.
- `(B) In
preparing each list, the Secretary
shall--
- `(i)
seek to consolidate Federal
landholdings in States with
checkerboard Federal land
ownership patterns;
- `(ii)
consider the use of equal value
land exchanges, where feasible
and suitable, as an alternative
means of land acquisition;
- `(iii)
consider the use of permanent
conservation easements, where
feasible and suitable, as an
alternative means of acquisition;
- `(iv)
identify those properties that
are proposed to be acquired from
willing sellers and specify any
for which adverse condemnation is
requested; and
- `(v)
establish priorities based on
such factors as important or
special resource attributes,
threats to resource integrity,
timely availability, owner
hardship, cost escalation, public
recreation use values, and
similar considerations.
- `(3)
INFORMATION REGARDING PROPOSED
ACQUISITIONS- Each list shall include,
for each proposed acquisition included in
the list--
- `(A)
citation of the statutory
authority for the acquisition, if
such authority exists; and
- `(B)
an explanation of why the
particular interest proposed to
be acquired was selected.
- `(f) NOTIFICATION
TO AFFECTED AREAS REQUIRED- The Federal portion
for a fiscal year may not be used to acquire any
interest in land unless the Secretary
administering the acquisition, by not later than
30 days after the date the Secretaries submit the
list under subsection (e) for the fiscal year,
provides notice of the proposed acquisition--
- `(1) in
writing to each Member of and each
Delegate and Resident Commissioner to the
Congress elected to represent any area in
which is located--
- `(B)
any part of any federally
designated unit that includes the
land;
- `(2) in
writing to the Governor of the State in
which the land is located;
- `(3) in
writing to each State political
subdivision having jurisdiction over the
land; and
- `(4) by
publication of a notice in a newspaper
that is widely distributed in the area
under the jurisdiction of each such State
political subdivision, that includes a
clear statement that the Federal
Government intends to acquire an interest
in land.
- `(g) COMPLIANCE
WITH REQUIREMENTS UNDER FEDERAL LAWS-
- `(1) IN
GENERAL- The Federal portion for a fiscal
year may not be used to acquire any
interest in land or water unless the
following have occurred:
- `(A)
All actions required under
Federal law with respect to the
acquisition have been complied
with.
- `(B)
A copy of each final
environmental impact statement or
environmental assessment required
by law, and a summary of all
public comments regarding the
acquisition that have been
received by the agency making the
acquisition, are submitted to the
Committee on Resources of the
House of Representatives, the
Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate, and the
Committees on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and
of the Senate.
- `(C)
A notice of the availability of
such statement or assessment and
of such summary is provided to--
- `(i) each
Member of and each
Delegate and Resident
Commissioner to the
Congress elected to
represent the area in
which the land is
located;
- `(ii) the
Governor of the State in
which the land is
located; and
- `(iii)
each State political
subdivision having
jurisdiction over the
land.
- `(2)
LIMITATION ON APPLICATION- Paragraph (1)
shall not apply to any acquisition that
is specifically authorized by a Federal
law.'.
|
- `(b) DISTRIBUTION
AMONG THE STATES- (1) Sums in the Fund available
each fiscal year for State purposes shall be
apportioned among the several States by the
Secretary, in accordance with this subsection.
The determination of the apportionment by the
Secretary shall be final.
- `(2) Subject to
paragraph (3), of sums in the Fund available each
fiscal year for State purposes--
- `(A) 30
percent shall be apportioned equally
among the several States; and
- `(B) 70
percent shall be apportioned so that the
ratio that the amount apportioned to each
State under this subparagraph bears to
the total amount apportioned under this
subparagraph for the fiscal year is equal
to the ratio that the population of the
State bears to the total population of
all States.
- `(3) The total
allocation to an individual State for a fiscal
year under paragraph (2) shall not exceed 10
percent of the total amount allocated to the
several States under paragraph (2) for that
fiscal year.
- `(4) The Secretary
shall notify each State of its apportionment, and
the amounts thereof shall be available thereafter
to the State for planning, acquisition, or
development projects as hereafter described. Any
amount of any apportionment under this subsection
that has not been paid or obligated by the
Secretary during the fiscal year in which such
notification is given and the two fiscal years
thereafter shall be reapportioned by the
Secretary in accordance with paragraph (2), but
without regard to the 10 percent limitation to an
individual State specified in paragraph (3).
- `(5)(A) For the
purposes of paragraph (2)(A)--
- `(i) the
District of Columbia shall be treated as
a State; and
- `(ii)
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin
Islands, Guam, and American Samoa--
- `(I)
shall be treated collectively as
one State; and
- `(II)
shall each be allocated an equal
share of any amount distributed
to them pursuant to clause (i).
- `(B) Each of the
areas referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be
treated as a State for all other purposes of this
Act.'.
- (1) By
inserting `(A)' after `(5)'.
- (2) By
adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
- `(B)
For the purposes of paragraph
(1), all federally recognized
Indian tribes and Alaska Native
Village Corporations (as defined
in section 3(j) of the Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act (43
U.S.C. 1602(j)), shall be
eligible to receive shares of the
apportionment under paragraph (1)
in accordance with a competitive
grant program established by the
Secretary by rule. The total
apportionment available to such
tribes and village corporations
shall be equivalent to the amount
available to a single State. No
single tribe or village
corporation shall receive a grant
that constitutes more than 10
percent of the total amount made
available to all tribes and
village corporations pursuant to
the apportionment under paragraph
(1). Funds received by a tribe or
village corporation under this
subparagraph may be expended only
for the purposes specified in
paragraphs (1) and (3) of
subsection (a).'.
- `(6) Absent some
compelling and annually documented reason to the
contrary acceptable to the Secretary of the
Interior, each State (other than an area treated
as a State under paragraph (5)) shall make
available as grants to local governments, at
least 50 percent of the annual State
apportionment, or an equivalent amount made
available from other sources.'.
|
- (a) STATE ACTION
AGENDA REQUIRED-
- `(d) STATE ACTION
AGENDA REQUIRED- (1) Each State may define its
own priorities and criteria for selection of
outdoor conservation and recreation acquisition
and development projects eligible for grants
under this Act so long as it provides for public
involvement in this process and publishes an
accurate and current State Action Agenda for
Community Conservation and Recreation (in this
Act referred to as the `State Action Agenda')
indicating the needs it has identified and the
priorities and criteria it has established. In
order to assess its needs and establish its
overall priorities, each State, in partnership
with its local governments and Federal agencies,
and in consultation with its citizens, shall
develop, within 5 years after the enactment of
the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999, a
State Action Agenda that meets the following
requirements:
- `(A) The
agenda must be strategic, originating in
broad-based and long-term needs, but
focused on actions that can be funded
over the next 4 years.
- `(B) The
agenda must be updated at least once
every 4 years and certified by the
Governor that the State Action Agenda
conclusions and proposed actions have
been considered in an active public
involvement process.
- `(2) State Action
Agendas shall take into account all providers of
conservation and recreation lands within each
State, including Federal, regional, and local
government resources and shall be correlated
whenever possible with other State, regional, and
local plans for parks, recreation, open space,
and wetlands conservation. Recovery action
programs developed by urban localities under
section 1007 of the Urban Park and Recreation
Recovery Act of 1978 shall be used by a State as
a guide to the conclusions, priorities, and
action schedules contained in State Action
Agenda. Each State shall assure that any
requirements for local outdoor conservation and
recreation planning, promulgated as conditions
for grants, minimize redundancy of local efforts
by allowing, wherever possible, use of the
findings, priorities, and implementation
schedules of recovery action programs to meet
such requirements.'.
- (2)
EXISTING STATE PLANS- Comprehensive State
Plans developed by any State under section 6(d) of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965
before the date that is 5 years after the
enactment of this Act shall remain in
effect in that State until a State Action
Agenda has been adopted pursuant to the
amendment made by this subsection, but no
later than 5 years after the enactment of
this Act.
- (1) In the
matter preceding paragraph (1) by
striking `State comprehensive plan' and
inserting `State Action Agenda'.
- (2) In
paragraph (1) by striking `comprehensive
plan' and inserting `State Action
Agenda'.
|
- (1) in
subsection (e)(1) by striking `, but not
including incidental costs relating to
acquisition'; and
- (2) in
subsection (e)(2) by inserting before the
period at the end the following: `or to
enhance public safety within a designated
park or recreation area.'.
|
- (1) by
inserting `(A)' before `No property'; and
- (2) by
striking the second sentence and
inserting the following:
- `(B) The Secretary
shall approve such conversion only if the State
demonstrates no prudent or feasible alternative
exists with the exception of those properties
that no longer meet the criteria within the State
Plan or Agenda as an outdoor conservation and
recreation facility due to changes in
demographics or that must be abandoned because of
environmental contamination which endangers
public health and safety. Any conversion must
satisfy such conditions as the Secretary deems
necessary to assure the substitution of other
conservation and recreation properties of at
least equal fair market value and reasonably
equivalent usefulness and location and which are
consistent with the existing State Plan or
Agenda; except that wetland areas and interests
therein as identified in the wetlands provisions
of the action agenda and proposed to be acquired
as suitable replacement property within that same
State that is otherwise acceptable to the
Secretary shall be considered to be of reasonably
equivalent usefulness with the property proposed
for conversion.'.
|
- Title I is amended
by adding at the end the following:
`WATER RIGHTS
- `SEC. 14. Nothing
in this title--
- `(1)
invalidates or preempts State or Federal
water law or an interstate compact
governing water;
- `(2) alters
the rights of any State to any
appropriated share of the waters of any
body of surface or ground water, whether
determined by past or future interstate
compacts or by past or future legislative
or final judicial allocations;
- `(3)
preempts or modifies any Federal or State
law, or interstate compact, dealing with
water quality or disposal; or
- `(4)
confers on any non-Federal entity the
ability to exercise any Federal right to
the waters of any stream or to any ground
water resource.'.
|