[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 708 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.708

                       One Hundred Fifth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
 the seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven


                                 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).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.