[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2943 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2943

   To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Pacific 
                    Northwest National Scenic Trail.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2008

  Ms. Cantwell (for herself and Mrs. Murray) 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 designate the Pacific 
                    Northwest National Scenic Trail.

    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 ``Pacific Northwest National Scenic 
Trail Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) in accordance with section 5(c)(22) of the National 
        Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)(22)), a feasibility study 
        of the proposed Pacific Northwest Trail was--
                    (A) conducted by the Director of the National Park 
                Service and the Chief of the Forest Service; and
                    (B) completed in June 1980;
            (2) the feasability study contained--
                    (A) a conclusion that the Pacific Northwest Trail 
                ``would have the scenic and recreational qualities 
                needed for designation as a National Scenic Trail''; 
                but
                    (B) a recommendation against the designation of the 
                Pacific Northwest Trail, citing as obstacles factors 
                that are present in every other national scenic trail 
                that has been designated under the National Trails 
                System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.);
            (3) undaunted, the founder of the Pacific Northwest Trail 
        and many supporters--
                    (A) moved forward with the creation of the Pacific 
                Northwest Trail; and
                    (B) established a private volunteer organization to 
                build, maintain, and promote the Pacific Northwest 
                Trail;
            (4) similar to each other national scenic trail designated 
        under the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.), 
        the Pacific Northwest Trail stands as an outstanding example of 
        the recreational opportunities that can be provided through a 
        partnership among the Federal Government, State and local 
        governments, private nonprofit trail organizations, individual 
        volunteers, and landowners;
            (5) today, approximately 950 miles of the Pacific Northwest 
        Trail are completed and provide significant outdoor 
        recreational experiences to citizens and visitors of the United 
        States, thus providing on-the-ground proof of the feasibility 
        and desirability of designating the Pacific Northwest Trail as 
        national scenic trail, as required under section 5(b) of the 
        National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(b));
            (6) 3 segments of the Pacific Northwest Trail have already 
        been designated by Congress as national recreation trails; and
            (7) because the entire route of the Pacific Northwest Trail 
        was found to qualify for designation as a national scenic 
        trail, Congress should--
                    (A) designate the entire Pacific Northwest Trail as 
                a national scenic trail; and
                    (B) provide administrative, technical, and 
                financial assistance in accordance with the National 
                Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.).

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL.

    Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(26) Pacific northwest national scenic trail.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Pacific Northwest National 
                Scenic Trail, a trail of approximately 1,200 miles, 
                extending from the Continental Divide in Glacier 
                National Park, Montana, to the Pacific Ocean Coast in 
                Olympic National Park, Washington, following the route 
                depicted on the map entitled `Pacific Northwest 
                National Scenic Trail: Proposed Trail', numbered T12/
                80,000, and dated February 2008 (referred to in this 
                paragraph as the `map').
                    ``(B) Availability of map.--The map shall be on 
                file and available for public inspection in the 
                appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
                    ``(C) Administration.--The Pacific Northwest 
                National Scenic Trail shall be administered by the 
                Secretary of the Interior.
                    ``(D) Land acquisition.--The United States shall 
                not acquire for the Pacific Northwest National Scenic 
                Trail any land or interest in land outside the exterior 
                boundary of any federally-managed area without the 
                consent of the owner of the land or interest in 
                land.''.
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