[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 635 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 635

To amend the National Trails System Act to require the Secretary of the 
  Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four 
           national historic trails, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 17, 2003

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Trails System Act to require the Secretary of the 
  Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four 
           national historic trails, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pioneer National Historic Trails 
Studies Act''.

SEC. 2. REVISION OF FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY STUDIES OF EXISTING 
              NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS.

    The National Trails System Act is amended by inserting after 
section 5 (16 U.S.C. 1244) the following new section:

``SEC. 5A. REVISION OF FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY STUDIES OF EXISTING 
              TRAILS FOR POSSIBLE TRAIL EXPANSION.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Route.--The term `route' includes a trail segment 
        commonly known as a cutoff.
            ``(2) Shared route.--The term `shared route' means a route 
        that was a segment of more than one historic trail, including a 
        route shared with an existing national historic trail.
    ``(b) General Rules.--
            ``(1) Study requirements and objectives.--The study 
        requirements and objectives specified in section 5(b) shall 
        apply to a study required by this section.
            ``(2) Completion and submission of study.--Not later than 
        three complete fiscal years after the date of the enactment of 
        this section, the Secretary shall complete and submit to 
        Congress the studies required by subsections (c) through (g). 
        In the case of a study added to this section after that date, 
        the study shall be completed and submitted to Congress not 
        later than three complete fiscal years after the date of the 
        enactment of the law adding the study to this section.
    ``(c) Oregon National Historic Trail.--The Secretary of the 
Interior shall undertake a study of the routes of the Oregon Trail, as 
generally depicted on the map entitled `Western Emigrant Trails 1830/
1870' and dated 1991/1993, and such other routes of the Oregon Trail 
that the Secretary considers appropriate, to determine the feasibility 
and suitability of designation of one or more of the routes as 
components of the Oregon National Historic Trail. The routes to be 
studied under this subsection include the following:
            ``(1) Whitman Mission route.
            ``(2) Upper Columbia River.
            ``(3) Cowlitz River route.
            ``(4) Meek cutoff.
            ``(5) Free Emigrant Road.
            ``(6) North Alternate Oregon Trail.
            ``(7) Goodale's cutoff.
            ``(8) North Side alternate route.
            ``(9) Cutoff to Barlow Road.
            ``(10) Naches Pass Trail.
    ``(d) Pony Express National Historic Trail.--The Secretary of the 
Interior shall undertake a study of the approximately 20-mile southern 
alternative route of the Pony Express Trail from Wathena, Kansas, to 
Troy, Kansas, and such other routes of the Pony Express Trail that the 
Secretary considers appropriate, to determine the feasibility and 
suitability of designation of one or more of the routes as components 
of the Pony Express National Historic Trail.
    ``(e) California National Historic Trail.--The Secretary of the 
Interior shall undertake a study of certain Missouri Valley, central, 
and western routes of the California Trail, as generally depicted on 
the map entitled `Western Emigrant Trails 1830/1870' and dated 1991/
1993, and such other and shared Missouri Valley, central, and western 
routes that the Secretary considers appropriate, to determine the 
feasibility and suitability of designation of one or more of the routes 
as components of the California National Historic Trail. The routes to 
be studied under this subsection include the following:
            ``(1) Missouri valley routes.--
                    ``(A) Blue Mills-Independence Road.
                    ``(B) Westport Landing Road.
                    ``(C) Westport-Lawrence Road.
                    ``(D) Fort Leavenworth-Blue River route.
                    ``(E) Road to Amazonia.
                    ``(F) Union Ferry Route.
                    ``(G) Old Wyoming-Nebraska City cutoff.
                    ``(H) Lower Plattsmouth Route.
                    ``(I) Lower Bellevue Route.
                    ``(J) Woodbury cutoff.
                    ``(K) Blue Ridge cutoff.
                    ``(L) Westport Road.
                    ``(M) Gum Springs-Fort Leavenworth route.
                    ``(N) Atchison/Independence Creek routes.
                    ``(O) Fort Leavenworth-Kansas River route.
                    ``(P) Nebraska City cutoff routes.
                    ``(Q) Minersville-Nebraska City Road.
                    ``(R) Upper Plattsmouth route.
                    ``(S) Upper Bellevue route.
            ``(2) Central routes.--
                    ``(A) Cherokee Trail, including splits.
                    ``(B) Weber Canyon route of Hastings cutoff.
                    ``(C) Bishop Creek cutoff.
                    ``(D) McAuley cutoff.
                    ``(E) Diamond Springs cutoff.
                    ``(F) Secret Pass.
                    ``(G) Greenhorn cutoff.
                    ``(H) Central Overland Trail.
            ``(3) Western routes.--
                    ``(A) Bidwell-Bartleson route.
                    ``(B) Georgetown/Dagget Pass Trail.
                    ``(C) Big Trees Road.
                    ``(D) Grizzly Flat cutoff.
                    ``(E) Nevada City Road.
                    ``(F) Yreka Trail.
                    ``(G) Henness Pass route.
                    ``(H) Johnson cutoff.
                    ``(I) Luther Pass Trail.
                    ``(J) Volcano Road.
                    ``(K) Sacramento-Coloma Wagon Road.
                    ``(L) Burnett cutoff.
                    ``(M) Placer County Road to Auburn.
    ``(f) Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail.--The Secretary of the 
Interior shall undertake a study of certain routes of the Morman 
Pioneer Trail, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Western 
Emigrant Trails 1830/1870' and dated 1991/1993, and such other routes 
of the Mormon Pioneer Trail that the Secretary considers appropriate, 
to determine the feasibility and suitability of designation of one or 
more of the routes as components of the Mormon Pioneer National 
Historic Trail. The routes to be studied under this subsection include 
the following:
            ``(1) 1846 Subsequent routes A and B (Lucas and Clarke 
        Counties, Iowa).
            ``(2) 1856-57 Handcart route (Iowa City to Council Bluffs).
            ``(3) Keokuk route (Iowa).
            ``(4) 1847 Alternative Elkhorn and Loup River Crossings in 
        Nebraska.
            ``(5) Fort Leavenworth Road, including the Ox Bow route and 
        alternates in Kansas and Missouri (Oregon and California Trail 
        routes used by Mormon emigrants).
            ``(6) 1850 Golden Pass Road in Utah.
    ``(g) Shared California and Oregon Trail Routes.--The Secretary of 
the Interior shall undertake a study of certain shared routes of the 
California Trail and Oregon Trail, as generally depicted on the map 
entitled `Western Emigrant Trails 1830/1870' and dated 1991/1993, and 
such other shared routes that the Secretary considers appropriate, to 
determine the feasibility and suitability of designation of one or more 
of the routes as shared components of the California National Historic 
Trail and the Oregon National Historic Trail. The routes to be studied 
under this subsection include the following:
            ``(1) St. Joe Road.
            ``(2) Council Bluffs Road.
            ``(3) Sublette cutoff.
            ``(4) Applegate route.
            ``(5) Old Fort Kearny Road (Oxbow Trail).
            ``(6) Childs cutoff.
            ``(7) Raft River to Applegate.''.
                                 <all>