[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2951

To authorize funding to protect and conserve lands contiguous with the 
    Blue Ridge Parkway to serve the public, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 26, 2010

Mr. Burr (for himself, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Webb) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                    on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize funding to protect and conserve lands contiguous with the 
    Blue Ridge Parkway to serve the public, 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 ``Blue Ridge Parkway Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Park Service.
            (2) Parkway.--The term ``Parkway'' means the Blue Ridge 
        Parkway.
            (3) Plan.--The term ``Plan'' means the National Park 
        Service's Blue Ridge Parkway Land Protection Plan.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (5) Superintendent.--The term ``Superintendent'' means the 
        Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) it is in the national interest to preserve and protect 
        the Blue Ridge Parkway, the most visited unit of the National 
        Park System;
            (2) the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway is in 
        September 2010;
            (3) the Parkway, including 469 miles in North Carolina and 
        Virginia linking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the 
        Shenandoah National Park, has nearly 19,000,000 visitors each 
        year and is vital to the economic well-being of communities 
        along the Parkway;
            (4) the Parkway's renowned scenic vistas are threatened by 
        encroaching development, and surveys of visitors to the Parkway 
        have found that fewer people would frequent the Parkway if 
        scenic views are compromised;
            (5) the protection and conservation of land along the 
        Parkway helps preserve farmland, intact forests, wildlife 
        habitat, and drinking water supplies downstream; and
            (6) in order to preserve the natural beauty, ecological 
        integrity, and cultural heritage of the Parkway and to 
        commemorate its 75th anniversary, it is vital that certain 
        lands contiguous to the Parkway are conserved for the enjoyment 
        of future generations.

SEC. 4. LAND ACQUISITION.

    (a) Acquisition Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to acquire 
land and interests in land from willing sellers by donation, by 
purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or by exchange to protect 
up to 50,000 acres of land that are identified in the Plan or that 
meets the Plan's amendment criteria.
    (b) Acquisition of Land.--Lands and interests in lands to be 
acquired with funds made available under this Act shall be--
            (1) contiguous with the Parkway; and
            (2) identified by the Superintendent as a priority for 
        acquisition by the Federal Government.
    (c) Availability of Plan.--The Plan shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park 
Service.
    (d) Boundary Adjustment.--Upon acquisition of lands and interests 
in land under this Act, the Secretary shall adjust the boundary of the 
Parkway to reflect the acquisition.
    (e) Administration.--Lands or interests in land acquired for the 
Parkway shall be administered by the Secretary, through the National 
Park Service, as part of the Parkway in accordance with all applicable 
laws and regulations.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2011 through 2015. Unobligated funding in each of these fiscal years 
shall be available until expended.
    (b) Technical Assistance.--From the funds made available under this 
Act, the Secretary may award grants for the following:
            (1) To acquire land and interests in lands.
            (2) To provide technical expense assistance (such as costs 
        for title reports, recordable surveys, hazardous material 
        surveys, and appraisals, and other costs normally associated 
        with land acquisition) by entering into cooperative agreements 
        with qualified non-profit conservation organizations for 
        acquiring lands or interests in lands from willing sellers that 
        have been specifically identified by the Superintendent as a 
        priority.
    (c) Site Restoration and Surveys.--The Secretary is authorized to 
expend not more than 10 percent of funds made available under this 
section in any fiscal year for site restoration and for resource 
surveys.
    (d) Reimbursement of Expenses for Qualified Non-Profit Conservation 
Organizations.--From funds made available under this Act, not more than 
$250,000 may be used in each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015 for the 
reimbursement of administrative expenses for qualified non-profit 
conservation organizations involved directly in land acquisition 
projects in which lands and interests in lands are conveyed to the 
Parkway. Such funds shall be disbursed according to cooperative 
agreement arrangements established with qualified non-profit 
conservation organizations for the purpose of acquiring lands or 
interests in lands for the protection of the Parkway and shall remain 
available until expended.

SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    For each fiscal year that funds are made available under this Act, 
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that includes--
            (1) a description of the condition of the Parkway, 
        including threats and land preservation needs;
            (2) a list of land acquisitions that have been completed or 
        are underway under this Act; and
            (3) a list of priority land acquisitions that should be 
        made to accomplish the purpose of this Act, notwithstanding the 
        addition of other priority lands that become available 
        throughout the year.
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