[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3405 Introduced in House (IH)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 3405

To designate a portion of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers as a 
        component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 1996

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate a portion of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers as a 
        component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

    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 ``Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Wild 
and Scenic Rivers Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Title VII of Public Law 101-628--
                    (A) designated a 29 mile segment of the Sudbury, 
                Assabet, and Concord Rivers for study of potential 
                addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, 
                and
                    (B) directed the Secretary of the Interior to 
                establish the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord River Study 
                Committee (in this Act referred to as the ``Study 
                Committee'') to advise the Secretary of the Interior in 
                conducting the study and concerning management 
                alternatives should the river be included in the 
                National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
            (2) The study determined that all three segments of these 
        rivers are eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and 
        Scenic Rivers System based upon their free-flowing condition 
        and outstanding scenic, recreation, wildlife, literary, and 
        historic values.
            (3) The towns that directly abut the segments, including 
        Framingham, Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln, Concord, Bedford, 
        Carlisle, and Billerica, Massachusetts, have each demonstrated 
        their desire for National Wild and Scenic River Designation 
        through town meeting votes endorsing designation.
            (4) During the study, the Study Committee and the National 
        Park Service prepared a comprehensive management plan for the 
        segment, entitled ``Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Wild and 
        Scenic River Study, River Conservation Plan'', dated March 16, 
        1995, which establishes objectives, standards, and action 
        programs that will ensure long-term protection of the rivers' 
        outstanding values and compatible management of their land and 
        water resources.
            (5) The Study Committee voted unanimously on February 23, 
        1995, to recommend that the Congress include these segments in 
        the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System for management in 
        accordance with the River Conservation Plan.

SEC. 3. WILD, SCENIC, AND RECREATIONAL RIVER DESIGNATION.

    Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``( ) Sudbury, assabet and concord rivers, massachusetts.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The 29 miles of river segments 
                in Massachusetts consisting of the Sudbury River from 
                the Danforth Street Bridge in Framingham downstream to 
                its confluence with the Assabet River at Egg Rock; the 
                Assabet River from a point 1,000 feet downstream of the 
                Damondale Dam in Concord to its confluence with the 
                Sudbury River at Egg Rock; and the Concord River from 
                its origin at Egg Rock in Concord downstream to the 
                Route 3 bridge in Billerica (in this paragraph referred 
                to as the `segments'), as scenic and recreational river 
                segments. The segments shall be administered by the 
                SUASCO River Stewardship Council established under 
                subparagraph (B) in cooperation with the Secretary of 
                the Interior, through cooperative agreements under 
                section 10(e) between the Secretary and the 
                Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its relevant 
                political subdivisions (including the towns of 
                Framingham, Wayland, Sudbury, Lincoln, Concord, 
                Carlisle, Bedford, and Billerica), and shall be managed 
                in accordance with the plan entitled ``Sudbury, Assabet 
                and Concord Wild and Scenic River Study, River 
                Conservation Plan'' dated March 16, 1995 (in this 
                paragraph referred to as the `Plan'). The amount 
                expended by the Federal Government for any activity 
                implementing the Plan may not exceed 50 percent of the 
                cost of the activity. For purposes of the preceding 
                sentence, the cost of an activity includes the value of 
in-kind contributions used to carry out the activity. The Plan is 
deemed to satisfy the requirement for a comprehensive management plan 
under section 3(d).
                    ``(B) Management committee.--To assist in the long-
                term protection of the segments and the implementation 
                of this paragraph and the Plan, the Secretary of the 
                Interior shall establish the SUASCO River Stewardship 
                Council (in this paragraph referred to as the 
                `Council') within 90 days after the date of enactment 
                of this paragraph. The membership, functions, 
                responsibilities, and administrative procedures of the 
                Council shall be as set forth in the Plan. The Council 
                shall not be considered to be a Federal advisory 
                committee, and shall not be subject to the provisions 
                of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
                    ``(C) Federal role.--(i) The Director of the 
                National Park Service (in this paragraph referred to as 
                the `Director') or his or her designee shall represent 
                the Secretary in the implementation of the Plan and the 
                provisions of this Act with respect to the segments, 
                including the review of proposed federally assisted 
                water resources projects which could have a direct and 
                adverse effect on the values for which the segment is 
                established, as authorized under section 7(a).
                    ``(ii) Pursuant to section 10(e) and section 
                11(b)(1), the Director shall offer to enter into 
                cooperative agreements with the Commonwealth of 
                Massachusetts, its relevant political subdivisions, the 
                Sudbury Valley Trustees, and the Organization for the 
                Assabet River. Such cooperative agreements shall be 
                consistent with the Plan and may include provisions for 
                financial or other assistance from the United States to 
                facilitate the long-term protection, conservation and 
                enhancement of the segment.
                    ``(iii) The Director may provide technical 
                assistance, staff support, and funding to assist in the 
                implementation of the Plan, except that the total cost 
                to the Federal Government of activities to implement 
                the Plan may not exceed $100,000 each fiscal year.
                    ``(iv) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 
                10(c), any portion of the segments not already within 
                the National Park System shall not under this 
                paragraph--
                            ``(I) become a part of the National Park 
                        System;
                            ``(II) be managed by the National Park 
                        System; or
                            ``(III) be subject to regulations which 
                        govern the National Park System.
                    ``(D) Water resources projects.--(i) In determining 
                whether a proposed water resources project would have a 
                direct and adverse effect on the values for which the 
                segments were included in the National Wild and Scenic 
                Rivers System, the Secretary shall specifically 
                consider the extent to which the project is consistent 
                with the Plan.
                    ``(ii) The Plan, including the detailed Water 
                Resources Study incorporated by reference therein and 
                such additional analysis as may be incorporated in the 
                future, shall serve as the primary source of 
                information regarding the flows needed to maintain 
                instream resources and potential compatibility between 
                resource protection and possible additional water 
                withdrawals.
                    ``(E) Land management.--(i) The zoning bylaws of 
                the towns of Framingham, Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln, 
                Concord, Carlisle, Bedford, and Billerica, 
                Massachusetts, as in effect on the date of enactment of 
                this paragraph, are deemed to satisfy the standards and 
                requirements under section 6(c). For the purpose of 
                section 6(c), the towns are deemed to be `villages' and 
                the provisions of that section which prohibit Federal 
                acquisition of lands shall apply.
                    ``(ii) The United States Government shall not 
                acquire by any means title to land, easements, or other 
                interests in land along the segments or their 
                tributaries for the purposes of designation of the 
                segments under this paragraph. Nothing in this Act 
                shall prohibit Federal acquisition of interests in land 
                along the segments under other laws for other purposes.
                    ``(F) Distinct lateral boundaries.--Notwithstanding 
                anything in section 3(b) of this Act to the contrary, 
                no distinct lateral boundary shall be established for 
                the segments, as set forth in the Plan.
                    ``(G) Funding.--There are authorized to be 
                appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
                paragraph not to exceed $100,000 for each fiscal 
                year.''.
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