[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 355 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 355

  To provide for a resource study of the area known as the Rim of the 
Valley Corridor in the State of California to evaluate alternatives for 
     protecting resources of the corridor, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 2005

 Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Dreier, Mr. George Miller of California, 
 and Mr. Sherman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                       the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for a resource study of the area known as the Rim of the 
Valley Corridor in the State of California to evaluate alternatives for 
     protecting resources of the corridor, 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 ``Rim of the Valley Corridor Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. RESOURCE STUDY OF RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Study Required.--The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a 
resource study of the lands, waters, and interests of the area known as 
the Rim of the Valley Corridor in the State of California to evaluate a 
range of alternatives for protecting resources of the corridor, 
including the alternative of establishing all or a portion of the 
corridor as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation 
Area. The Rim of the Valley Corridor generally includes the mountains 
encircling the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi, and 
Conejo Valleys in California.
    (b) Study Topics.--In conducting the study, the Secretary shall 
seek to achieve the following objectives:
            (1) Protecting wildlife populations in the Santa Monica 
        Mountains National Recreation Area by preserving habitat 
        linkages and wildlife movement corridors between large blocks 
        of habitat in adjoining regional open space.
            (2) Establishing connections along the State-designated Rim 
        of the Valley Trail System, with the aim of creating a single 
        contiguous Rim of the Valley Trail and encompassing major 
        feeder trails connecting adjoining communities and regional 
        transit to the trail system.
            (3) Preserving recreational opportunities and facilitating 
        access to open space for a variety of recreational users.
            (4) Protecting rare, threatened, or endangered plant and 
        animal species, and rare or unusual plant communities and 
        habitats.
            (5) Protecting historically significant landscapes, 
        districts, sites, and structures.
            (6) Respecting the needs of communities within, or in the 
        vicinity of, the Rim of the Valley Corridor.
    (c) Private Property.--As part of the study, the Secretary shall 
analyze the potential impact that establishment of all or a portion of 
the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains 
National Recreation Area is likely to have on land within or bordering 
the area that is privately owned at the time the study is conducted. 
The report required by subsection (g) shall discuss the concerns of 
private landowners within the existing boundaries of the Santa Monica 
Mountains National Recreation Area.
    (d) Cost Effectiveness.--As part of evaluating each alternative 
considered under the study, the Secretary shall estimate the impact of 
implementing the alternative on staffing and other potential costs to 
Federal, State, and local agencies and other organizations.
    (e) Consultation.--The Secretary shall conduct the study in 
consultation with appropriate Federal, State, county, and local 
government entities.
    (f) Study Criteria.--In addition to the special considerations 
specified in this section, the Secretary shall conduct the study using 
the criteria prescribed for the study of areas for potential inclusion 
in the National Park System in section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 
U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
    (g) Transmission of Study.--Within three years after funds are 
first made available for the study, the Secretary shall transmit a 
report containing the results of the study to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate and to the Committee on Resources 
of the House of Representatives.
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