[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 931 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 931

   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to 
    reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on 
visitors to units of the National Park System and on other recreational 
                         users of public land.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2003

 Mr. Stevens (for himself, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Hatch, Mr. 
  Inouye, and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following bill; which was 
    read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to 
    reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on 
visitors to units of the National Park System and on other recreational 
                         users of public land.

    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 ``Federal Land Recreational Visitor 
Protection Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Program.--The term ``program'' means the avalanche 
        protection program established under section 3(a).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. AVALANCHE PROTECTION PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a coordinated 
avalanche protection program--
            (1) to provide early identification of the potential for 
        avalanches that could endanger the safety of visitors to units 
        of the National Park System and recreational users of public 
        land, including skiers, backpackers, snowboarders, and campers; 
        and
            (2) to reduce the risks and mitigate the effects of 
        avalanches on visitors, recreational users, neighboring 
        communities, and transportation corridors.
    (b) Coordination.--
            (1) In general.--In developing and implementing the 
        program, the Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of 
        Agriculture, and coordinate the program, to ensure adequate 
        levels of protection for recreational users of public land and 
        forests under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture, 
        including National Recreation Areas, wilderness and backcountry 
        areas, components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
        System, and other areas that are subject to the potential 
        threat of avalanches.
            (2) Resources.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary 
        and the Secretary of Agriculture--
                    (A) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use 
                the resources of the National Avalanche Center of the 
                Forest Service; and
                    (B) may use such other resources as the Secretary 
                has available in the development and implementation of 
                the program.
    (c) Advisory Committee.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary and the Secretary of 
        Agriculture shall jointly establish an advisory committee to 
        assist in the development and implementation of the program.
            (2) Membership.--
                    (A) In general.--The Advisory Committee shall 
                consist of 11 members, appointed by the Secretaries, 
                who represent authorized users of artillery, other 
                military weapons, or weapons alternatives used for 
                avalanche control.
                    (B) Representatives.--The membership of the 
                Advisory Committee shall include representatives of--
                            (i) Federal land management agencies and 
                        concessionaires or permittees that are exposed 
                        to the threat of avalanches;
                            (ii) State departments of transportation 
                        that have experience in dealing with the 
                        effects of avalanches; and
                            (iii) Federal- or State-owned railroads 
                        that have experience in dealing with the 
                        effects of avalanches.
    (d) Central Depository.--The Secretary, the Secretary of 
Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Army shall establish a central 
depository for weapons, ammunition, and parts for avalanche control 
purposes, including an inventory that can be made available to Federal 
and non-Federal entities for avalanche control purposes under the 
program.
    (e) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary and the Secretary of 
        Agriculture may make grants to carry out projects and 
        activities under the program--
                    (A) to assist in the prevention, forecasting, 
                detection, and mitigation of avalanches for the safety 
                and protection of persons, property, and at-risk 
                communities;
                    (B) to maintain essential transportation and 
                communications affected or potentially affected by 
                avalanches;
                    (C) to assist avalanche artillery users to ensure 
                the availability of adequate supplies of artillery and 
                other unique explosives required for avalanche control 
                in or affecting--
                            (i) units of the National Park System; and
                            (ii) other Federal land used for recreation 
                        purposes; and
                            (iii) adjacent communities, and essential 
                        transportation corridors, that are at risk of 
                        avalanches; and
                    (D) to assist public or private persons and 
                entities in conducting research and development 
                activities for cost-effective and reliable alternatives 
                to minimize reliance on military weapons for avalanche 
                control.
            (2) Apportionment of funds.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), for 
                each fiscal year for which funds are made available 
                under section 4, the Secretary shall apportion the 
                amount of funds made available for the fiscal year 
                among States with avalanche zones based on the ratio 
                that the total area of avalanche zones located in each 
                State bears to the total area of all avalanche zones in 
                all States.
                    (B) Priority.--In providing grants under this 
                subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to 
                projects and activities carried out in avalanche 
                zones--
                            (i) with a high frequency or severity of 
                        avalanches; or
                            (ii) in which deaths or serious injuries to 
                        individuals, or loss or damage to public 
                        facilities and communities, have occurred or 
                        are likely to occur.
    (f) Surplus Ordinance.--Section 549(c)(3) of title 40, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' after the 
        semicolon at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) in the case of surplus artillery ordinance 
                that is suitable for avalanche control purposes, to a 
                user of such ordinance.''.

 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
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