[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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