[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 553 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 522
111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 553

                          [Report No. 111-252]

  To revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic 
Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along 
    Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and 
           Chippewa National Forest, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2009

Ms. Klobuchar (for herself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Feingold, Ms. Stabenow, and 
 Mr. Franken) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

                             August 5, 2010

              Reported by Mr. Bingaman, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic 
Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along 
    Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and 
           Chippewa National Forest, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``North Country National 
Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act of 2009''.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>    Congress makes the following findings:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) The North Country National Scenic Trail, 
        although only approximately half completed, provides 
        outstanding outdoor recreation experiences to United States 
        citizens and visitors to the United States.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) The North Country National Scenic Trail is an 
        outstanding example of the recreation opportunities that can be 
        provided through a partnership of Federal, State, and local 
        governments, private nonprofit trail organizations, individual 
        volunteers, and landowners.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Modern, digital measuring equipment indicates 
        that when construction is completed on the currently authorized 
        route, the actual length of the trail will be approximately 
        4,200 miles, rather than the 3,200 miles estimated at the time 
        of authorization in 1980.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) The currently authorized route in Minnesota 
        going westward from the vicinity of Duluth to the Chippewa 
        National Forest is not feasible because most of the land 
        between these points is tamarack swamp.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) More than 300 miles of existing and planned 
        hiking trails extend northeastward from the vicinity of Duluth 
        to the vicinity of Grand Portage, and then westward to the 
        vicinity of Ely. These trails are the Superior Hiking Trail, 
        Border Route Trail, and Kekekabic Trail.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) The Superior Hiking Trail, Border Route Trail, 
        and Kekekabic Trail would serve as an excellent route for the 
        North Country National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota, 
        in lieu of the current route, and would take hikers through 
        outstanding northern scenery that truly epitomizes the ``North 
        Country''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) The length of new trail construction to 
        connect these routes to the existing authorized trail in the 
        Chippewa National Forest is approximately the same as the 
        length of trail construction that would have been required 
        along the currently authorized route.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) Public input during a route assessment study 
        conducted by the National Park Service demonstrated that there 
        is broad support among affected public agencies, private trail 
        organizations, and Minnesota citizens for making this change in 
        the authorized route.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) This new route would increase the length of 
        the North Country National Scenic Trail by approximately 400 
        miles, resulting in a revised estimate of the length of a 
        completed North Country National Scenic Trail of approximately 
        4,600 miles.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. ROUTE REAUTHORIZATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 5(a)(8) of the National Trails System Act (16 
U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended to read as follows:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(8) The North Country National Scenic Trail, a 
        trail of approximately forty-six hundred miles, extending from 
        eastern New York State to the vicinity of Lake Sakakawea in 
        North Dakota, following the approximate route depicted on the 
        map identified as `North Country National Scenic Trail, 
        Authorized Route', dated February 16, 2005, and numbered 649/
        80,002. The map shall be on file and available for public 
        inspection in the office of the Director, National Park 
        Service, Washington, District of Columbia. The trail shall be 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior.''.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``North Country National Scenic Trail 
Route Adjustment Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. ROUTE ADJUSTMENT.

    Section 5(a)(8) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 
1244(a)(8)) is amended in the first sentence--
            (1) by striking ``thirty-two hundred'' and inserting 
        ``4,600''; and
            (2) by striking ``as `Proposed North Country Trail-Vicinity 
        Map' in'' and all that follows through the period at the end of 
        the sentence and inserting ``as `North Country National Scenic 
        Trail, Authorized Route' dated February 16, 2005, and numbered 
        649/80,002.''.
                                                       Calendar No. 522

111th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 553

                          [Report No. 111-252]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic 
Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include existing hiking trails along 
    Lake Superior's north shore and in Superior National Forest and 
           Chippewa National Forest, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             August 5, 2010

                       Reported with an amendment