[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 972 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 972

To clarify the effect of designating a National Moment on certain land 
                      in Chafee County, Colorado.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 16, 2015

  Mr. Gardner introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To clarify the effect of designating a National Moment on certain land 
                      in Chafee County, Colorado.

    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 ``Browns Canyon National Monument 
Clarification Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) National monument.--The term ``National Monument'' 
        means the National Monument described in section 3(a).
            (2) Recreation area.--The term ``Recreation Area'' means 
        the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area in the State.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Colorado.

SEC. 3. EFFECT OF DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL MONUMENT.

    (a) Effect on Cooperative Administration.--The designation of a 
National Monument under chapter 3203 of title 54, United States Code, 
on land on which the Recreation Area is located shall not affect the 
arrangements for cooperative administration of the Recreation Area by 
the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and the State.
    (b) Effect on Grazing.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), the 
        laws (including regulations) and policies followed by the 
        Secretary in issuing and administering grazing permits or 
        leases for the National Monument shall continue to apply.
            (2) Effect of designation.--There shall be no curtailment 
        of grazing in the land on which the National Monument is 
        located simply because of a designation of the land as a 
        National Monument under chapter 3203 of title 54, United States 
        Code.
            (3) Adjustments.--Any adjustments in the numbers of 
        livestock permitted to graze in the National Monument shall be 
        based on revisions in the normal grazing and land management 
        planning and policy setting process, giving consideration to 
        legal mandates, range condition, and the protection of range 
        resources from deterioration.
    (c) Effect on Water Rights.--The designation of the National 
Monument--
            (1) shall not--
                    (A) affect the use or allocation, in existence on 
                the date on which the National Monument is designated, 
                of any water, water right, or interest in water;
                    (B) affect any vested absolute or decreed 
                conditional water right in existence on the date on 
                which the National Monument is designated, including 
                any water right held by the United States;
                    (C) affect any interstate water compact in 
                existence on the date on which the National Monument is 
                designated; or
                    (D) authorize or impose any new reserved Federal 
                water rights; and
            (2) shall not be considered to be a relinquishment or 
        reduction of any water rights reserved or appropriated by the 
        United States in the State on or before the date on which the 
        National Monument is designated.

SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR NATIONAL MONUMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which the 
National Monument is designated, the Secretary, in coordination with 
the State, shall complete a comprehensive management plan for the 
conservation and protection of the National Monument.
    (b) Contents.--The management plan shall--
            (1) describe the appropriate uses and management of the 
        National Monument, in accordance with--
                    (A) this Act; and
                    (B) the purposes for which the National Monument is 
                established;
            (2) be developed with opportunities for public input;
            (3) be prepared in close consultation with appropriate 
        Federal, State, county, and local agencies; and
            (4) concentrate visitorship within the Recreation Area and 
        the public land west of the Arkansas River.
    (c) Incorporation of Existing Plans.--In developing the management 
plan under subsection (a), the Secretary may incorporate any provision 
of any other applicable land management plan, including the Arkansas 
River Recreation Management Plan or a successor plan.
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