[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2140 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2140

    To improve protection and management of the Chattahoochee River 
           National Recreation Area in the State of Georgia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 1999

    Mr. Deal of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Collins, and Mr. Lewis of 
   Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To improve protection and management of the Chattahoochee River 
           National Recreation Area in the State of Georgia.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in the 
        State of Georgia is a nationally significant resource;
            (2) the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has 
        been adversely affected by land use changes occurring inside 
        and outside the recreation area;
            (3) the population of the metropolitan Atlanta area 
        continues to expand northward, leaving dwindling opportunities 
        to protect the scenic, recreational, natural, and historical 
        values of the 2,000-foot-wide corridor adjacent to each bank of 
        the Chattahoochee River and its impoundments in the 48-mile 
        segment known as the ``area of national concern'';
            (4) the State of Georgia has enacted the Metropolitan River 
        Protection Act to ensure protection of the corridor located 
        within 2,000 feet of each bank of the Chattahoochee River, or 
        the corridor located within the 100-year floodplain, whichever 
        is larger;
            (5) the corridor located within the 100-year floodplain 
        includes the area of national concern;
            (6) since establishment of the Chattahoochee River National 
        Recreation Area, visitor use of the recreation area has shifted 
        dramatically from waterborne to water-related and land-based 
        activities;
            (7) the State of Georgia and political subdivisions of the 
        State along the Chattahoochee River have indicated willingness 
        to join in a cooperative effort with the United States to link 
        existing units of the recreation area through a series of 
        linear corridors to be established within the area of national 
        concern and elsewhere on the river; and
            (8) if Congress appropriates funds in support of the 
        cooperative effort described in paragraph (7), funding from the 
        State, political subdivisions of the State, private 
        foundations, corporate entities, private individuals, and other 
        sources will be available to fund more than half the estimated 
        cost of the cooperative effort.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to increase the level of protection of the open spaces 
        within the area of national concern along the Chattahoochee 
        River and to enhance visitor enjoyment of the open spaces by 
        adding land-based linear corridors to link existing units of 
        the recreation area;
            (2) to ensure that the Chattahoochee River National 
        Recreation Area is managed to standardize acquisition, 
        planning, design, construction, and operation of the linear 
        corridors; and
            (3) to authorize the appropriation of Federal funds to 
        cover a portion of the costs of the Federal, State, local, and 
        private cooperative effort to add additional areas to the 
        recreation area so as to establish a series of linear corridors 
        linking existing units of the recreation area and to protect 
        other open spaces of the Chattahoochee River corridor.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NATIONAL RECREATION AREA ACT.

    (a) Boundaries.--Section 101 of the Act entitled ``An Act to 
authorize the establishment of the Chattahoochee River National 
Recreation Area in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes'', 
approved August 15, 1978 (16 U.S.C. 460ii), is amended--
            (1) in the third sentence, by inserting after ``numbered 
        CHAT-20,003, and dated September 1984,'' the following: ``and 
        on the maps entitled `Chattahoochee River National Recreation 
        Area Interim Boundary Map #1', `Chattahoochee River National 
        Recreation Area Interim Boundary Map #2', and `Chattahoochee 
        River National Recreation Area Interim Boundary Map #3', and 
        dated August 6, 1998,'';
            (2) by striking the fourth sentence and inserting the 
        following: ``No sooner than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this sentence, the Secretary of the Interior 
        (hereinafter referred to as the `Secretary') may modify the 
        boundaries of the recreation area to include other land within 
        the Chattahoochee River corridor by submitting a revised map or 
other boundary description to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on Resources of 
the United States House of Representatives. The revised map or other 
boundary description shall be prepared by the Secretary after 
consultation with affected landowners, the State of Georgia, and 
affected political subdivisions of the State. The revised boundaries 
shall take effect 180 days after the date of submission unless, within 
the 180-day period, Congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving the 
revised boundaries.''; and
            (3) in the next-to-last sentence, by striking ``may not 
        exceed approximately 6,800 acres.'' and inserting ``may not 
        exceed 10,000 acres.''.
    (b) Acquisition of Property.--Section 102 of the Act entitled ``An 
Act to authorize the establishment of the Chattahoochee River National 
Recreation Area in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes'', 
approved August 15, 1978 (16 U.S.C. 460ii-1), is amended by striking 
subsection (f).
    (c) Cooperative Agreements.--Section 103 of the Act entitled ``An 
Act to authorize the establishment of the Chattahoochee River National 
Recreation Area in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes'', 
approved August 15, 1978 (16 U.S.C. 460ii-2), is amended by striking 
subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into 
cooperative agreements with the State of Georgia, political 
subdivisions of the State, and other entities to ensure standardized 
acquisition, planning, design, construction, and operation of the 
recreation area.''.
    (d) Funding.--Section 105 of the Act entitled ``An Act to authorize 
the establishment of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area 
in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes'', approved August 15, 
1978 (16 U.S.C. 460ii-4), is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
    ``(a) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to 
        funding and the donation of land and interests in land by the 
        State of Georgia, local government authorities, private 
        foundations, corporate entities, and individuals, and funding 
        that may be made available as a result of the settlement of 
        litigation, there is authorized to be appropriated for land 
        acquisition for the recreation area $25,000,000 for fiscal 
        years after fiscal year 1998.
            ``(2) Donations.--The Secretary may accept a donation of 
        funds or land or an interest in land to carry out this 
        title.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as 
                subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively, and 
                indenting appropriately;
                    (B) by striking ``(c) Within'' and inserting the 
                following:
    ``(c) General Management Plan.--
            ``(1) Initial plan.--Within'';
                    (C) in paragraph (1) (as designated by subparagraph 
                (B)), by striking ``transmit to'' and all that follows 
                through ``Representatives'' and inserting ``transmit to 
                the Committee on Resources of the House of 
                Representatives''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Revised plan.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Within 3 years after the date 
                funds are made available, the Secretary shall submit to 
                the committees specified in paragraph (1) a revised 
                general management plan to provide for the protection, 
                enhancement, enjoyment, development, and use of the 
                recreation area.
                    ``(B) Public participation.--In preparing the 
                revised plan, the Secretary shall encourage the 
                participation of the State of Georgia and affected 
                political subdivisions of the State, private 
                landowners, interested citizens, public officials, 
                groups, agencies, educational institutions, and other 
                entities.''.
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