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<dc:title>119 HR 8924 IH: Mullica River Watershed Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2026</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2026-05-20</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 8924</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20260520">May 20, 2026</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="C001136">Mr. Conaway</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="V000133">Mr. Van Drew</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HII00">Committee on Natural Resources</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Mullica River watershed in New Jersey for study for potential designation as a wild and scenic river, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="HBF483F1A88CF43EA97AF4EA9E84C2970" style="OLC"> 
<section id="H973850F5A3594AFAAB03D2853839BBB5" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Mullica River Watershed Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2026</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H5D36125A70B2468893FA5FFB67440705" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>2.</enum><header>Designation of Mullica River watershed for study for potential designation as wild and scenic river</header> <subsection id="H153B1CB6A143441F835240534B9B1B52"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Designation</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 5(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1276">16 U.S.C. 1276(a)</external-xref>) is amended by adding at the end the following:</text> 
<quoted-block style="OLC" id="HB66A6774B3D14810B22D8BB333FD369E" display-inline="no-display-inline"> 
<paragraph id="H8692E8FA0E95451CAADAF22E444396DB"><enum>(147)</enum><header>Mullica River watershed, New Jersey</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The segments of the Mullica River, Wading River, Batsto River, and the tributaries of each such river within the Mullica River watershed, including the following segments:</text> <subparagraph id="H55FC1F3E5F5D46AAA9EEF06E3AF70812"><enum>(A)</enum><text>Mullica River from its headwaters to Great Bay.</text> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HB9D75D92D34240E8B290B498EBC3DB0A"><enum>(B)</enum><text>Alquatka Branch from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H41B962493B264BCBAD2955A1D1F10D59"><enum>(C)</enum><text>Albertson Brook from its headwaters to its confluence with Nescochague Creek.</text> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H013A95FEF3A843C0A739B251DF1EDC1E"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Great Swamp Branch from its headwaters to its confluence with Nescochague Creek.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H3582056684B94F86B71625E7BA373B57" commented="no"><enum>(E)</enum><text>Nescochague Creek from its confluence with Albertson Brook to its confluence with Mullica River.</text> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H41618B1F3F0846EB98ADEE6E591CF42D"><enum>(F)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Pine Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HBAAEA9256E784097BD14C0EFCE30C2A9"><enum>(G)</enum><text>Landing Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HB37B50F5860A41A3A2A8D3ACF24B252F"><enum>(H)</enum><text>Nacote Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H438CC6AB8D0A44BC93A7717D2DF0C4F6"><enum>(I)</enum><text>Bass River from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H9AE65D438710495BB31FF37D01FF1279"><enum>(J)</enum><text>Ballinger Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HE7C8C3D989E24C61B16F19F91622589C"><enum>(K)</enum><text>Roberts Branch from its headwaters to its confluence with Skit Branch.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H9A7A1FB9A9CF4FD6AFC81640A844A313"><enum>(L)</enum><text>Skit Branch from its headwaters to its confluence with Batsto River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HB224EDA388044888B11832913BEEBDBC"><enum>(M)</enum><text>Batsto River from its headwaters to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HE500D32F405447448C29DC8ECED53179"><enum>(N)</enum><text>Springers Brook from its headwaters to its confluence with Batsto River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H66DEB31B48B746FE81B043D87810D8C2"><enum>(O)</enum><text>Deep Run from its headwaters to its confluence with Springers Brook.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HE2541F2AE580470FBE5F989A86E57B20"><enum>(P)</enum><text>Penn Swamp Branch from its headwaters to its confluence with Batsto River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H59FEAFDE793947D5B8ED00623D617D6D"><enum>(Q)</enum><text>Tulpehocken Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with West Branch Wading River.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HE781C880D34944029792656171FA5F8F"><enum>(R)</enum><text>West Branch Wading River from its headwaters to its confluence with Wading River.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HB1612377BC95422FB4CE597256AA9249"><enum>(S)</enum><text>Hospitality Brook from Hog Wallow Bogs to its confluence with West Branch Wading River.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H458E5A1DE0B643D1993A53511F8A9655"><enum>(T)</enum><text>Little Hauken Run from Hog Wallow Bogs to its confluence with Hospitality Brook.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H8BA7547559094E46A4F22FF22F64C0C6"><enum>(U)</enum><text>Oswego River from its headwaters to its confluence with West Branch Wading River and Wading River.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H5516F921FB5C45EEBD7CBC43A109C2BD"><enum>(V)</enum><text>Beaver Run from its headwaters to its confluence with Wading River.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H42E986E3454D4A0392CE030928C49682"><enum>(W)</enum><text>Wading River from its confluence with West Branch Wading River and Oswego River to its confluence with Mullica River.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection> 
<subsection id="HBD54E3C1CF6E4CDB8047DF4AFAA5BC69"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Study and report</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 5(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1276">16 U.S.C. 1276(b)</external-xref>) is amended by adding at the end the following:</text> <quoted-block style="OLC" id="HA1834569810248F2916E77DCD4A67D39" display-inline="no-display-inline"> <paragraph id="H468847D4E38E496EA7BCE4CAB4D500DC"><enum>(24)</enum><header>Mullica River watershed, New Jersey</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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—</text> 
<subparagraph id="H367088B4E5094919AABC8AC7EC2C0B99"><enum>(A)</enum><text>complete the study described in paragraph (147) of subsection (a); and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HF0629F01EB1247EC8DDC7CD238FBB552"><enum>(B)</enum><text>submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report describing the results of the study.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block> </subsection></section> 
</legis-body></bill>

