[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 783 Reported in Senate (RS)]





                                                       Calendar No. 160

105th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                 S. 783

                          [Report No. 105-80]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To increase the accessibility of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
                  Wilderness, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           September 11, 1997

                       Reported with an amendment





                                                       Calendar No. 160
105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 783

                          [Report No. 105-80]

    To increase the accessibility of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
                  Wilderness, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 1997

   Mr. Grams introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

                           September 11, 1997

              Reported by Mr. Murkowski, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To increase the accessibility of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
                  Wilderness, and for other purposes.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness Accessibility and Fairness Act of 1997''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) it is in the national interest to protect, 
        preserve, and improve for the long term the diverse resources 
        of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the benefit of 
        the people of the United States;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a 
        unique wilderness area dedicated to appropriate public access 
        and use through historically recognized motorized and 
        nonmotorized recreational activities consistent with the 
        protections afforded by and the commitments made in the 
        Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and the Act entitled 
        ``An Act to designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
        Wilderness, to establish the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining 
        Protection Area, and for other purposes'', approved October 21, 
        1978 (Public Law 95-495; 92 Stat. 1649);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) few other units of the National Wilderness 
        Preservation System have been created from more densely 
        populated and heavily utilized regions than the Boundary Waters 
        Canoe Area Wilderness; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) the cessation of traditional motorized 
        transport on 3 portages between lakes on which the use of a 
        motorboat is permitted in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
        Wilderness unfairly restricts traditional and recognized public 
        use of the wilderness and causes unnecessary hardship to 
        individuals and families who have physical difficulty accessing 
        the area.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF ALLOWABLE USES WITHIN CERTAIN PORTIONS OF 
              THE BOUNDARY WATER CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Seagull Lake.--Section 4(c) of the Act entitled ``An 
Act to designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to 
establish the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and 
for other purposes'', approved October 21, 1978 (Public Law 95-495; 92 
Stat. 1650) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Sea Gull, that 
        portion generally east of Threemile Island, Cook County;''; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Sea Gull, Cook 
        County, that portion generally west of Threemile Island, until 
        January 1, 1999;''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Motorized Portages.--Section 4 of the Act entitled 
``An Act to designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to 
establish the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and 
for other purposes'', approved October 21, 1978 (Public Law 95-495; 92 
Stat. 1650) is amended by striking subsection (g) and inserting the 
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(g) Motorized Portages.--The Secretary shall permit the 
operation of motorized vehicles and associated equipment to transport 
boats across the portage between the Moose Lake chain and Basswood 
Lake, between Fall Lake and Basswood Lake, or between Vermilion Lake 
and Trout Lake.''.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness Accessibility and Fairness Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) it is in the national interest to protect, preserve, 
        and improve for the long term the diverse resources of the 
        Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the benefit of the 
        people of the United States;
            (2) the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a unique 
        wilderness area dedicated to appropriate public access and use 
        through historically recognized motorized and nonmotorized 
        recreational activities consistent with the protections 
        afforded by and the commitments made in the Wilderness Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and the Act entitled ``An Act to designate 
        the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to establish the 
        Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and for 
        other purposes'', approved October 21, 1978 (Public Law 95-495; 
        92 Stat. 1649);
            (3) few other units of the National Wilderness Preservation 
        System have been created from more densely populated and 
        heavily utilized regions than the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
        Wilderness; and
            (4) the cessation of traditional motorized transport on 3 
        portages between lakes on which the use of a motorboat is 
        permitted in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness unfairly 
        restricts traditional and recognized public use of the 
        wilderness and causes unnecessary hardship to individuals and 
        families who have physical difficulty accessing the area.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF ALLOWABLE USES WITHIN CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE 
              BOUNDARY WATER CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.

    (a) Seagull Lake.--Section 4(c) of the Act entitled ``An Act to 
designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to establish the 
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and for other 
purposes'', approved October 21, 1978 (Public Law 95-495; 92 Stat. 
1650) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``, that portion 
        generally east of Threemile Island,''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Sea Gull, Cook County, 
        that portion generally west of Threemile Island, until January 
        1, 1999;''.
    (b) Motorized Portages.--Section 4 of the Act entitled ``An Act to 
designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to establish the 
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and for other 
purposes'', approved October 21, 1978 (Public Law 95-495; 92 Stat. 
1650) is amended by striking subsection (g) and inserting the 
following:
    ``(g) Motorized Portages.--The Secretary shall permit the operation 
of motorized vehicles and associated equipment to transport boats 
across the portage between the Moose Lake chain and Basswood Lake, 
between Fall Lake and Basswood Lake, and between Vermilion Lake and 
Trout Lake.''.