[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 539 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 539

To designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of 
   Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
                                System.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 2, 2005

Mr. Fortuno (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Velazquez, 
and Mr. Gutierrez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                       the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of 
   Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
                                System.

    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 ``Caribbean National Forest Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map dated April 13, 
        2004, and entitled ``El Toro Proposed Wilderness Area''.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.

SEC. 3. WILDERNESS DESIGNATION, CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST, PUERTO RICO.

    (a) El Toro Wilderness.--
            (1) In general.--In furtherance of the purposes of the 
        Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1113 et seq.), the approximately 
        10,000 acres of land in the Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo 
        Experimental Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
        described in the map are designated as wilderness and as a 
        component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
            (2) Designation.--The land designated in paragraph (1) 
        shall be known as the El Toro Wilderness.
            (3) Wilderness boundaries.--The El Toro Wilderness shall 
        consist of the land described in the map.
    (b) Map and Boundary Description.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) prepare a boundary description of the El Toro 
                Wilderness; and
                    (B) submit the map and the boundary description to 
                the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
                Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Public inspection and treatment.--The map and the 
        boundary description prepared under paragraph (1)(A)--
                    (A) shall be on file and available for public 
                inspection in the office of the Chief of the Forest 
                Service; and
                    (B) shall have the same force and effect as if 
                included in this Act.
            (3) Errors.--The Secretary may correct clerical and 
        typographical errors in the map and the boundary description 
        prepared under paragraph (1)(A).
    (c) Administration.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
        Secretary shall administer the El Toro Wilderness in accordance 
        with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and this Act.
            (2) Effective date of wilderness act.--With respect to the 
        El Toro Wilderness, any reference in the Wilderness Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) to the effective date of that Act shall be 
        deemed to be a reference to the date of the enactment of this 
        Act.
    (d) Special Management Considerations.--Consistent with the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), nothing in this Act precludes 
the installation and maintenance of hydrologic, meteorological, 
climatological, or atmospheric data collection and remote transmission 
facilities, or any combination of those facilities, in any case in 
which the Secretary determines that the facilities are essential to the 
scientific research purposes of the Luquillo Experimental Forest.
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