[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2942 Received in Senate (RDS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 2942


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               August 9 (legislative day, August 8), 1994

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To designate certain lands in the Commonwealth of Virginia as the 
     George Washington National Forest Mount Pleasant Scenic Area.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``George Washington National Forest 
Mount Pleasant Scenic Area Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act with respect to the George Washington 
National Forest Mount Pleasant Scenic Area are to--
            (1) ensure appropriate protection and preservation of the 
        scenic quality, water quality, natural characteristics, and 
        water resources;
            (2) protect and manage vegetation to provide wildlife and 
        fish habitat, consistent with paragraph (1);
            (3) provide areas that may develop characteristics of old-
        growth forests; and
            (4) provide a variety of recreation opportunities that are 
        not inconsistent with the preceding purposes.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF MOUNT PLEASANT NATIONAL SCENIC AREA.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the 
        George Washington National Forest, Virginia, the George 
        Washington National Forest Mount Pleasant Scenic Area (in this 
        section referred to as the ``scenic area'').
            (2) Lands included in scenic area.--The scenic area shall 
        consist of certain lands in the George Washington National 
        Forest, Virginia, which comprise approximately seven thousand 
        five hundred and eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map 
        entitled ``Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area--Proposed'', 
        dated June 21, 1993.
            (3) Maps and descriptions.--As soon as practicable after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file 
        a map and boundary description of the scenic area with the 
        Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate 
        and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives. The map and description shall have the same 
        force and effect as if included in this Act, except that the 
        Secretary is authorized to correct clerical and typographical 
        errors in such boundary description and map. Such map and 
        boundary description shall be on file and available for public 
        inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, 
        Department of Agriculture. In the case of any discrepancy 
        between the acreage and the map described in paragraph (2), the 
        map shall control.
    (b) Administration.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture (in this 
        section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall administer the 
        scenic area in accordance with this Act and the laws and 
        regulations generally applicable to the National Forest System. 
        In the event of conflict between this Act and other laws and 
        regulations, this Act shall take precedence.
            (2) Management plan.--Within three years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a 
        management plan for the scenic area as an amendment to the Land 
        and Resource Management Plan for the George Washington National 
        Forest. Such an amendment shall conform to the provisions of 
        this Act. Nothing in this Act shall require the Secretary to 
        revise the Land and Resource Management Plan for the George 
        Washington National Forest pursuant to section 6 of the Forest 
        and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 
        U.S.C. 1604).
    (c) Roads.--After the date of the enactment of this Act, no new 
permanent roads shall be constructed within the scenic area, except 
that this prohibition shall not be construed to deny access to private 
lands or interests therein in the scenic area.
    (d) Vegetation Management.--No timber harvest shall be allowed 
within the scenic area, except as may be necessary in the control of 
fire, insects, and diseases and to provide for public safety and trail 
access. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Secretary may engage in 
vegetation manipulation practices for maintenance of existing wildlife 
clearings and visual quality. Firewood may be harvested for personal 
use along perimeter roads under such conditions as the Secretary may 
impose.
    (e) Motorized Travel.--
            (1) Authorized routes.--Motorized travel in the scenic area 
        shall be allowed on State Route 635. Subject to such conditions 
        as the Secretary may impose, motorized travel in the scenic 
        area shall also be allowed on Forest Development Road 51.
            (2) Other areas.--Other than as provided in paragraph (1), 
        motorized travel shall not be permitted within the scenic area, 
        except that the Secretary may authorize motorized travel within 
        the scenic area as necessary for administrative use in 
        furtherance of the purposes of this Act and on temporary routes 
        in support of wildlife management projects.
    (f) Fire.--Wildfires shall be suppressed in a manner consistent 
with the purposes of this Act, using such means as the Secretary 
considers appropriate.
    (g) Insects and Disease.--Insect and disease outbreaks may be 
controlled in the scenic area to maintain scenic quality, prevent tree 
mortality, reduce hazards to visitors, or protect private lands.
    (h) Water.--The scenic area shall be administered so as to maintain 
or enhance existing water quality.
    (i) Mining withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, all 
federally owned lands in the scenic area are hereby withdrawn from 
location, entry, and patent under the mining laws of the United States 
and from leasing claims under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws 
of the United States, including amendments to such laws.

            Passed the House of Representatives August 8, 1994.

            Attest:

                                           DONNALD K. ANDERSON,

                                                                 Clerk.