[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2255 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2255

 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to desginate certain segments 
  of the Lamprey River in New Hampshire as components of the National 
         Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 4, 1995

  Mr. Zeliff introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to desginate certain segments 
  of the Lamprey River in New Hampshire as components of the National 
         Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
    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 ``Lamprey Wild and Scenic River Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) Public Law 102-214 authorized the study of a segment of 
        the Lamprey River in New Hampshire for potential inclusion in 
        the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System;
            (2) the study determined that the segment of river from the 
        Bunker Pond Dam in Epping, New Hampshire, to the confluence 
        with the Piscassic River near the Durham-Newmarket town line is 
        eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
        System based upon its free-flowing condition and outstanding 
        ecological, anadromous fish, and historical values;
            (3) during the study, the Lamprey River Advisory Committee, 
        with assistance from the National Park Service and the New 
        Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, prepared a 
        comprehensive management plan for the studied river segment 
        (the ``Lamprey River Management Plan'', dated January 10, 
        1995), which establishes objectives, standards, and action 
        programs that will ensure long-term protection of the river's 
        outstanding values and compatible management of its land and 
        water resources, without Federal management of affected lands 
        not owned by the United States;
            (4) the Lamprey River Advisory Committee has unanimously 
        voted in favor of Wild and Scenic River designation for the 
        river, and has included this recommendation as an integral part 
        of the Lamprey River Management Plan;
            (5) the governing bodies of the towns of Newmarket, Durham, 
        and Lee have voted to endorse the Lamprey River Management Plan 
        and to seek designation as a component of the National Wild and 
        Scenic Rivers System; the upstream town of Epping, which 
        participated in the study on an informal basis, has chosen not 
        to vote on the management plan or designation at this time.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION.

    Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) 
is amended by adding the following new paragraph at the end thereof:
            ``( ) Lamprey river, new hampshire.--The 11.5-mile segment 
        extending from the southern Lee town line to the confluence 
        with the Piscassic River in the vicinity of the Durham-
        Newmarket town line (hereinafter in this paragraph referred to 
        as the `segment') as a recreational river. The segment shall be 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior through 
        cooperative agreements between the Secretary and the State of 
        New Hampshire and its relevant political subdivisions, namely 
        the towns of Durham, Lee, and Newmarket, pursuant to section 
        10(e) of this Act. The segment shall be managed in accordance 
        with the Lamprey River Management Plan dated January 10, 1995, 
        and such amendments thereto as the Secretary of the Interior 
        determines are consistent with this Act. Such plan shall be 
        deemed to satisfy the requirements for a comprehensive 
        management plan pursuant to section 3(d) of this Act.''.

SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT.

    (a) Committee.--The Secretary of the Interior shall coordinate his 
management responsibilities under this Act with respect to the segment 
designated by section 3 with the Lamprey River Advisory Committee 
established pursuant to New Hampshire RSA 483.
    (b) Land Management.--The zoning ordinances duly adopted by the 
towns of Durham, Lee, and Newmarket, New Hampshire, including 
provisions for conservation of shorelands, floodplains, and wetlands 
associated with the segment, shall be deemed to satisfy the standards 
and requirements of section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and 
the provisions of that section, which prohibit Federal acquisition of 
lands by condemnation, shall apply to the segment designated by section 
3 of this Act. The authority of the Secretary to acquire lands for the 
purposes of this paragraph shall be limited to acquisition by donation 
or acquisition with the consent of the owner thereof, and shall be 
subject to the additional criteria set forth in the Lamprey River 
Management Plan.

SEC. 5. UPSTREAM SEGMENT.

    Upon request by the town of Epping, which abuts an additional 12 
miles of river found eligible for designation as a recreational river, 
the Secretary of the Interior shall offer assistance regarding 
continued involvement of the town of Epping in the implementation of 
the Lamprey River Management Plan and in consideration of potential 
future addition of that portion of the river within Epping as a 
component of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

SEC. 6. FUNDING AUTHORIZATION.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
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