[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1769 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1769
To adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 20, 2021
Mrs. Feinstein (for herself and Mr. Padilla) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, 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 ``Rim of the Valley Corridor
Preservation Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area was
authorized as a unit of the National Park System on November
10, 1978;
(2) the Santa Monica Mountains and the Rim of the Valley
Corridor include--
(A) nationally significant resources, including--
(i) outstanding examples of geologic
history, including the evolution of the
Transverse Ranges Province;
(ii) a diversity of well-preserved marine
and terrestrial paleontological resources; and
(iii) high biodiversity, including
outstanding examples of native grasslands,
coastal sage scrub, chaparral, dry coniferous
forests, and alluvian fan sage scrub; and
(B) nationally significant cultural resources that
represent a wide range of themes relating to human use
and settlement in the region, including--
(i) high concentrations of archeological
resources that provide insight into more than
10,000 years of Tribal history; and
(ii) landmarks that represent topics such
as architecture, recreation, and space
exploration; and
(3) expanding the Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area would provide new opportunities for the
National Park Service to serve a broad range of urban
communities, including many communities that are--
(A) underrepresented in units of the National Park
System; and
(B) underserved by State and local parks.
SEC. 3. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT; LAND ACQUISITION; ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Boundary Adjustment.--Section 507(c)(1) of the National Parks
and Recreation Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 460kk(c)(1)) is amended, in the
first sentence, by striking ```Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area and Santa Monica Mountains Zone, California, Boundary
Map', numbered 80,047-C and dated August 2001'' and inserting ```Rim of
the Valley Unit--Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area' and
dated October 2017''.
(b) Rim of the Valley Unit.--Section 507 of the National Parks and
Recreation Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 460kk) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(u) Rim of the Valley Unit.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) State.--The term `State' means the State of
California.
``(B) Unit.--The term `Unit' means the Rim of the
Valley Unit included within the boundaries of the
recreation area, as depicted on the map described in
subsection (c)(1).
``(C) Utility facility.--The term `utility
facility' means--
``(i) electric substations, communication
facilities, towers, poles, and lines;
``(ii) ground wires;
``(iii) communications circuits;
``(iv) other utility structures; and
``(v) related infrastructure.
``(D) Water resource facility.--The term `water
resource facility' means--
``(i) irrigation and pumping facilities;
``(ii) dams and reservoirs;
``(iii) flood control facilities;
``(iv) water conservation works, including
debris protection facilities, sediment
placement sites, rain gauges, and stream
gauges;
``(v) water quality, recycled water, and
pumping facilities;
``(vi) conveyance distribution systems;
``(vii) water treatment facilities;
``(viii) aqueducts;
``(ix) canals;
``(x) ditches;
``(xi) pipelines;
``(xii) wells;
``(xiii) hydropower projects;
``(xiv) transmission facilities; and
``(xv) other ancillary facilities,
groundwater recharge facilities, water
conservation, water filtration plants, and
other water diversion, conservation,
groundwater recharge, storage, and carriage
structures.
``(2) Boundaries.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall update the
general management plan for the recreation area developed under
subsection (t) to reflect the boundaries designated on the map
referred to in subsection (c)(1) to include the area known as
the `Rim of the Valley Unit'.
``(3) Administration.--Subject to valid existing rights,
the Secretary shall administer the Unit and any land or
interest in land acquired by the United States located within
the boundaries of the Unit--
``(A) as part of the recreation area; and
``(B) in accordance with--
``(i) this section; and
``(ii) applicable laws (including
regulations).
``(4) Acquisition of land.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may acquire non-
Federal land within the boundaries of the Unit only
through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing
seller.
``(B) Use of eminent domain.--Nothing in this
subsection authorizes the use of eminent domain to
acquire land or interests in land within the boundaries
of the Unit.
``(5) Outside activities.--The fact that certain activities
or land uses can be seen or heard from within the Unit shall
not preclude the activities or land uses outside the boundary
of the Unit.
``(6) Effect of subsection.--Nothing in this subsection or
the application of the applicable management plan to the Unit--
``(A) modifies any provision of Federal, State, or
local law with respect to public access to, or use of,
non-Federal land;
``(B) creates any liability, or affects any
liability under any other law, of any private property
owner or other owner of non-Federal land with respect
to any person injured on private property or other non-
Federal land;
``(C) affects the ownership, management, or other
rights relating to any non-Federal land (including any
interest in any non-Federal land);
``(D) requires any unit of local government to
participate in any program administered by the
Secretary;
``(E) alters, modifies, or diminishes any right,
responsibility, power, authority, jurisdiction, or
entitlement of the State, any political subdivision of
the State, or any State or local agency under existing
Federal, State, or local law (including regulations);
``(F) requires the creation of protective
perimeters or buffer zones around the Unit;
``(G) requires or promotes the use of, or
encourages trespass on, land, facilities, or rights-of-
way owned by non-Federal entities, including water
resource facilities and public utilities, without the
written consent of the owner of the land;
``(H) affects the operation, maintenance,
modification, construction, or expansion of any water
resource facility or utility facility located within or
adjacent to the Unit;
``(I) terminates the fee title to land, or the
customary operation, maintenance, repair, and
replacement activities on or under the land, granted to
public agencies that are authorized under Federal or
State law;
``(J) interferes with, obstructs, hinders, or
delays the exercise of any right to, or access to any
water resource facility or other facility or property
necessary or useful to access any water right to
operate any public water or utility system; or
``(K) requires initiation or reinitiation of
consultation with the Director of the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service under, or the application of
provisions of, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), or division A of
subtitle III of title 54, United States Code, relating
to any action or activity affecting water, water
rights, water management, or water resource facilities
within the Unit.
``(7) Utility facilities; water resource facilities.--A
utility facility or water resource facility shall conduct
activities in a manner that reasonably avoids or reduces the
impact of the activities on the resources of the Unit.''.
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