[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 708 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  1st Session

                               H. R. 708

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study concerning 
grazing use and open space within and adjacent to Grand Teton National 
  Park, Wyoming, and to extend temporarily certain grazing privileges.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 708

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study concerning 
grazing use and open space within and adjacent to Grand Teton National 
  Park, Wyoming, and to extend temporarily certain grazing privileges.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) open space near Grand Teton National Park continues to 
        decline;
            (2) as the population continues to grow in Teton County, 
        Wyoming, undeveloped land near the Park becomes more scarce;
            (3) the loss of open space around Teton Park has negative 
        impacts on wildlife migration routes in the area and on 
        visitors to the Park, and its repercussions can be felt 
        throughout the entire region;
            (4) a few ranches make up Teton Valley's remaining open 
        space, and the ranches depend on grazing in Grand Teton 
        National Park for summer range to maintain operations;
            (5) the Act that created Grand Teton National Park allowed 
        several permittees to continue livestock grazing in the Park 
        for the life of a designated heir in the family;
            (6) some of the last remaining heirs have died, and as a 
        result the open space around the Park will most likely be 
        subdivided and developed;
            (7) in order to develop the best solution to protect open 
        space immediately adjacent to Grand Teton National Park, the 
        Park Service should conduct a study of open space in the 
        region; and
            (8) the study should develop workable solutions that are 
        fiscally responsible and acceptable to the National Park 
        Service, the public, local government, and landowners in the 
        area.

SEC. 2. STUDY OF GRAZING USE AND OPEN SPACE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a 
study concerning grazing use and open space in Grand Teton National 
Park, Wyoming, and associated use of certain agricultural and ranch 
lands within and adjacent to the Park, including--
            (1) base land having appurtenant grazing privileges within 
        Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, remaining after January 1, 
        1990, under the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a new Grand 
        Teton National Park in the State of Wyoming, and for other 
        purposes'', approved September 14, 1950 (16 U.S.C. 406d-1 et 
        seq.); and
            (2) any ranch and agricultural land adjacent to the Park, 
        the use and disposition of which may affect accomplishment of 
        the purposes of the Act.
    (b) Purpose.--The study shall--
            (1) assess the significance of the ranching use and 
        pastoral character of the land (including open vistas, wildlife 
        habitat, and other public benefits);
            (2) assess the significance of that use and character to 
        the purposes for which the park was established and identify 
        any need for preservation of, and practicable means of, 
        preserving the land that is necessary to protect that use and 
        character;
            (3) recommend a variety of economically feasible and viable 
        tools and techniques to retain the pastoral qualities of the 
        land; and
            (4) estimate the costs of implementing any recommendations 
        made for the preservation of the land.
    (c) Participation.--In conducting the study, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall seek participation from the Governor of the State of 
Wyoming, the Teton County Commissioners, the Secretary of Agriculture, 
affected land owners, and other interested members of the public.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 3 years from the date funding is 
available for the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior 
shall submit a report to Congress that contains the findings of the 
study under subsection (a) and makes recommendations to Congress 
regarding action that may be taken with respect to the land described 
in subsection (a).

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF GRAZING PRIVILEGES.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary of the 
Interior shall reinstate and extend for the duration of the study 
described in section 2(a) and until such time as the recommendations of 
the study are implemented, the grazing privileges described in section 
2(a)(1), under the same terms and conditions as were in effect prior to 
the expiration of the privileges.
    (b) Effect of Change in Land Use.--If, during the period of the 
study or until such time as the recommendations of the study are 
implemented, any portion of the land described in section 2(a)(1) is 
disposed of in a manner that would result in the land no longer being 
used for ranching or other agricultural purposes, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall cancel the extension described in subsection (a).

            Passed the House of Representatives October 21, 1997.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.