[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1801 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1801

 To authorize the United States Man and the Biosphere Program, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 1997

  Mr. Brown of California (for himself and Mr. Miller of California) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the United States Man and the Biosphere Program, 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. AUTHORITY.

    The President is authorized to carry out the United States Man and 
the Biosphere Program, and to designate a lead agency for the Program. 
In collaboration with the lead agency, other Federal agencies may 
participate in the United States Man and the Biosphere Program.

SEC. 2. ACTIVITIES.

    The activities of the United States Man and the Biosphere Program 
shall include--
            (1) promotion of interagency cooperation to develop 
        scientific information pertaining to the relationship between 
        human activities and the biosphere;
            (2) funding of scientific research, with particular focus 
        on interdisciplinary methodologies, pertaining to the 
        relationship between human activities and the biosphere;
            (3) promotion of public and private partnerships and 
        linkages that sponsor and promote scientific study, education, 
        and information exchange on options for prudent management of 
        natural resources and the relationship between the environment 
        and human health; and
            (4) coordination of the United States Biosphere Reserve 
        Network to facilitate the study of biological diversity and 
        encourage the sustainable use of natural resources.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES.

    (a) Requirements.--The lead agency designated under section 1 for 
the United States Man and the Biosphere Program may designate as 
additions to the United States Biosphere Reserve Network only areas--
            (1) that are determined by the lead agency to include--
                    (A) little-disturbed areas of natural habitat that 
                are reasonably expected to remain so because of 
                protection or management under Federal, State, or local 
                law or regulation in effect before designation under 
                this section; and
                    (B) managed use areas;
            (2) that are suitable to serve as models of outstanding 
        stewardship fostering a harmonious relationship between human 
        activities and the conservation of natural resources;
            (3) that have been nominated for designation by the party 
        or parties holding title to the site, or in the case of public 
        lands, by the governmental authority administering the site, 
        after local public comment has been obtained and considered; 
        and
            (4) with respect to which the State in which they are 
        located has concurred in designation under this section.
    (b) Publication.--The lead agency shall use appropriate means to 
publicize nationally the nomination of an area for designation under 
this section.
    (c) Limitation.--Designation of an area as a United States 
Biosphere Reserve shall not convey any additional protections or use 
restrictions to included areas or impose any obligations upon third 
parties, including private parties, nor does it convey any restrictions 
or requirements upon private rights or private property land uses 
within the area or adjacent to the area. Recognition as a United States 
Biosphere Reserve in no way affects United States sovereignty over such 
area.
    (d) Reporting.--Upon receiving a nomination for designation of an 
area under this section, the lead agency shall transmit to the Congress 
the information received with respect to the nomination. No area shall 
be designated under this section until at least 90 days have passed 
after the transmittal of information under this subsection.

SEC. 4. FUNDING AUTHORITY.

    In order to support the activities of the United States Man and the 
Biosphere Program, the Department of State, the Department of the 
Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and any other Federal agency 
with authority over the management, protection, or study of natural 
resources and the environment may provide financial support or other 
resources to the United States Man and the Biosphere Program, including 
the provision of grants, contracts, interagency agreements, and 
cooperative agreements to support research, science education, 
information exchange, and scientific cooperation.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``biosphere'' means the part of the Earth and 
        its atmosphere in which living things exist;
            (2) the term ``managed use area'' means an area that is--
                    (A) adjacent to a protected area;
                    (B) useful in defining the relationship between 
                human activities and the biosphere in that protected 
                area; and
                    (C) subject to environmental protection or 
                management under Federal, State, or local law or 
                regulation in effect before designation under this 
                section;
            (3) the term ``protected area'' means an area described in 
        section 3(a)(1)(A); and
            (4) the term ``State'' means each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, 
        territory, or possession of the United States.
                                 <all>