I 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4131 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 1, 2012 Mr. Pierluisi (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Bordallo, and Mr. Sablan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To facilitate land acquisition for the consolidation of lands located within the boundaries of, or abutting the boundaries of, El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, and to further the protection of the ecological integrity and biological diversity of the National Forest, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as El Yunque National Forest Preservation Act.

2.

Land acquisition authority, El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico

(a)

Authority To acquire lands

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to acquire, by donation or purchase from willing sellers, tracts of land or interests in land, not in Federal ownership as of the date of the enactment of this Act, that— (1)are located within the established boundaries of El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico; or (2)abut the boundaries of El Yunque National Forest. (b)

Source of funds for land acquisition

To fund the land acquisition authorized by subsection (a), the Secretary may use all amounts generated from El Yunque National Forest that are deposited in the National Forest Fund, except those amounts required by law to be paid to Puerto Rico. Amounts made available to the Secretary under this subsection shall remain available until expended and without further appropriation. (c)

Boundary adjustment

To the extent the Secretary acquires land described in subsection (a)(2), the Secretary shall adjust the boundaries of El Yunque National Forest to include the acquired lands. For purposes of section 7 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–9), the boundaries of El Yunque National Forest, as adjusted pursuant to this subsection, shall be considered to be boundaries of the National Forest as of January 1, 1965. (d)

Relation to other land acquisition authority

The creation of a dedicated source of funds under subsection (b) for the acquisition of land under subsection (a) within or abutting the boundaries of El Yunque National Forest shall not be construed to prohibit or limit the use of amounts in the Land and Water Conservation Fund to finance land acquisition associated with El Yunque National Forest. The land acquisition authority provided by subsection (a), and funds provided under subsection (b), are intended to supplement, and not supplant, other sources of funds for land acquisition associated with El Yunque National Forest.