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






                                                       Calendar No. 990
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

                           September 16, 2008

               Reported by Mr. Bingaman, with amendments
  [Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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''.

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) conducted by the Director of the 
                National Park Service and the Chief of the Forest 
                Service; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) completed in June 1980;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the feasability study contained--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) a conclusion that the Pacific 
                Northwest Trail ``would have the scenic and 
                recreational qualities needed for designation as a 
                National Scenic Trail''; but</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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.);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) undaunted, the founder of the Pacific 
        Northwest Trail and many supporters--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) moved forward with the creation of the 
                Pacific Northwest Trail; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) established a private volunteer 
                organization to build, maintain, and promote the 
                Pacific Northwest Trail;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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));</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) 3 segments of the Pacific Northwest Trail have 
        already been designated by Congress as national recreation 
        trails; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) because the entire route of the Pacific 
        Northwest Trail was found to qualify for designation as a 
        national scenic trail, Congress should--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) designate the entire Pacific Northwest 
                Trail as a national scenic trail; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) provide administrative, technical, and 
                financial assistance in accordance with the National 
                Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL SCENIC 
              TRAIL.</DELETED>

SEC. 2. 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 <DELETED>National Park 
                Service</DELETED> Forest Service.
                    ``(C) Administration.--The Pacific Northwest 
                National Scenic Trail shall be administered by the 
                <DELETED>Secretary of the Interior</DELETED> Secretary 
                of Agriculture.
                    ``(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.''.
                                                       Calendar No. 990

110th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2943

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                           September 16, 2008

                        Reported with amendments