[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3961 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3961

 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the 
 Kissimmee River and its tributaries in the State of Florida for study 
 for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 2017

   Mr. Soto introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the 
 Kissimmee River and its tributaries in the State of Florida for study 
 for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, 
                        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 ``Kissimmee River Wild and Scenic 
River Study Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Kissimmee River has undergone, over the course of 
        two decades, the largest river restoration effort in the world.
            (2) Extending approximately 105 miles from Orlando to Lake 
        Okeechobee, the Kissimmee River forms the headwaters of Lake 
        Okeechobee and the Everglades and serves as a vital component 
        of ecosystem restoration in South Florida as a whole.
            (3) The Kissimmee River Restoration Project has 
        significantly improved approximately 63,000 acres of wetlands 
        within the Kissimmee River watershed and reestablished an 
        environment suitable for fish, wildlife, and the wetland plants 
        that existed prior to the Kissimmee River's channelization in 
        the 1960s.
            (4) The Kissimmee River Restoration Project is expected to 
        be completed in 2020, at which point it is expected to 
        reestablish historic hydrologic conditions, recreate historic 
        river and floodplain connectivity, recreate the historic mosaic 
        of wetland plant communities, and restore historic biological 
        diversity and functionality.
            (5) After decades of restoration efforts and the 
        expenditure of nearly a billion dollars, upon completion of the 
        Kissimmee River Restoration Project, a study should be 
        conducted to determine the eligibility of including the fully 
        restored Kissimmee River into the National Wild and Scenic 
        River program to preserve the fully restored free-flowing 
        condition and immediate environment of the river for the 
        benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.
            (6) Inclusion of the Kissimmee River into the National Wild 
        and Scenic River program would be a fitting tribute to the hard 
        work of the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water 
        Management District's restoration work.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION FOR STUDY.

    (a) Designation for Potential Addition.--Section 5(a) of the Wild 
and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1276(a)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
            ``(__) Kissimmee river, florida.--The segment from the 
        southern shore of Lake Kissimmee to its confluence with Lake 
        Okeechobee.''.
    (b) Study.--Section 5(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1276(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(__) Kissimmee river, florida.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the 
                date on which funds are made available to carry out 
                this paragraph, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
                complete a study of the Kissimmee River, as described 
                in subsection (a)(__), and submit a report describing 
                the results of such study to the Committee on Natural 
                Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
                Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
                Senate.
                    ``(B) Report requirements.--The report required 
                under subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) include a discussion of the effect of 
                        the designation of the segment to be studied 
                        under subsection (a)(__) on--
                                    ``(I) existing commercial and 
                                recreational activities, such as cattle 
                                ranching, dairy production, hunting, 
                                fishing, trapping, recreational 
                                shooting, motor boat use, or bridge 
                                construction;
                                    ``(II) the authorization, 
                                construction, operation, maintenance, 
                                or improvement of energy production and 
                                transmission infrastructure; and
                                    ``(III) the authority of State and 
                                local governments to manage the 
                                activities described in subclauses (I) 
                                and (II); and
                            ``(ii) identify--
                                    ``(I) all authorities that will 
                                authorize or require the Secretary of 
                                the Interior to influence local land 
                                use decisions (such as zoning) or place 
                                restrictions on non-Federal land if the 
                                area studied under subsection (a)(__) 
                                is designated under the Wild and Scenic 
                                Rivers Act;
                                    ``(II) all authorities that the 
                                Secretary of the Interior may use to 
                                condemn property if the area studied 
                                under subsection (a)(__) is designated 
                                under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) all private property 
                                located in the area to be studied under 
                                subsection (a)(__).
                    ``(C) Noninterference.--This study shall not 
                interfere with the Kissimmee River Restoration Project 
                authorized under section 101(8) of the Water Resources 
                Development Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-580).''.
                                 <all>