[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 98 (Monday, June 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5609-H5610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              NASHUA RIVER WILD AND SCENIC RIVER STUDY ACT

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 412) to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to 
designate segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and its 
tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for study for 
potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 412

       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 ``Nashua River Wild and Scenic 
     River Study Act''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION FOR STUDY.

       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:
       ``(___) Nashua river, massachusetts.--(A) The approximately 
     19-mile segment of the mainstem of the Nashua River from the 
     confluence of the North and South Nashua Rivers in Lancaster, 
     Massachusetts, north to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire State 
     line, except the approximately 4.8-mile segment of the 
     mainstem of the Nashua River from the Route 119 bridge in 
     Groton, Massachusetts, downstream to its confluence with the 
     Nissitissit River in Pepperell, Massachusetts.
       ``(B) The 10-mile segment of the Squannacook River from its 
     headwaters at Ash Swamp downstream to its confluence with the 
     Nashua River in Shirley/Ayer, Massachusetts.
       ``(C) The 3.5-mile segment of the Nissitissit River from 
     the Massachusetts/New Hampshire State line downstream to its 
     confluence with the Nashua River in Pepperell, 
     Massachusetts.''.

     SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT.

       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:
       ``(__) Study and report.--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 the 
     study of the Nashua River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 
     as described in subsection (a)(___), and submit a report 
     describing the results of that study to the Committee on 
     Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.''.

     SEC. 4. REPORT REQUIREMENTS.

       The report required under section 3 of this Act shall--
       (1) include a discussion of the effect of the designation 
     of the area to be studied under this Act under the Wild and 
     Scenic Rivers Act on--
       (A) existing commercial and recreational activities, such 
     as hunting, fishing, trapping, recreational shooting, motor 
     boat use, or bridge construction;
       (B) the authorization, construction, operation, 
     maintenance, or improvement of energy production and 
     transmission infrastructure; and
       (C) the authority of State and local governments to manage 
     those activities encompassed in subparagraphs (A) and (B); 
     and
       (2) identify--
       (A) 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 this Act is designated 
     under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act;
       (B) all authorities that the Secretary of the Interior may 
     use to condemn property if the area studied under this Act is 
     designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act; and
       (C) all private property located in the area to be studied 
     under this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. 
Tsongas) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  H.R. 412 authorizes the National Park Service to study 32.5 miles of 
river in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for inclusion into the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
  The legislation requires that, in the course of the study, the 
National Park Service consider the effect of designation on 
recreational uses, such as hunting and fishing, but also consider 
impacts to energy production and transmission. I would like to note 
that this legislation exempts a 4.8-mile segment that is currently the 
subject of a FERC licensing proceeding to avoid the inherent conflict 
between hydroelectric facilities and the Wild and Scenic Rivers 
program. H.R. 412 requires the study take steps to inform the public of 
the consequences a future designation may bring. The study will 
identify all authorities that could be utilized to take property 
through eminent domain and those authorities that compel the Park 
Service to involve itself in local zoning.
  Property owners must not be left in the dark as to the result of this 
Federal designation on their properties. For the study process to be 
authentically derived from the community, the facts and limitations on 
property rights must be revealed in the process.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 412, the Nashua River Wild 
and Scenic River Study Act.
  First, I want to thank Chairman Hastings for bringing this 
legislation to the floor. As we all know, Chairman Hastings will be 
retiring at the end of this year, so I want to especially thank him for 
his service on the Natural Resources Committee, and I wish him all the 
best.
  I also want to thank Ranking Member DeFazio, Subcommittee Chairman 
Bishop, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Grijalva for their support of 
this legislation.
  The history and development of the towns and cities in the Third 
District of Massachusetts have been defined by the many rivers that 
course through these unique communities. From the mighty Merrimack 
River that supported the birth of the industrial revolution in Lowell 
to the Concord River where a famous shot was heard around the world, 
our rivers continue to play an important role in connecting our 
communities, but time and development have not always been kind to 
these rivers.
  Beginning in the 1700s and continuing to just a few decades ago, 
paper, shoe, and textile factories were constructed along the Nashua 
River and many other rivers in the area. The strong currents of the 
rivers powered the factories and made their success possible; but at 
the same time, the factories were releasing industrial waste right back 
into the rivers, polluting the very source of their success. By the 
mid-1960s, the Nashua River was one of the most polluted rivers in the 
Nation. In fact, the river would change color almost daily because of 
the inks and dyes released into the river by the paper factories; but 
in 1965, one Third District resident, Marion Stoddart, realized that 
something had to be done. Ms. Stoddart formed the Nashua River Clean-up 
Committee to work toward cleaning up the river and protecting the land 
along its banks.

[[Page H5610]]

  Thanks to her work and to the continued work of the Nashua River 
Watershed Association, the Nashua River has come a long way since the 
1960s. Pollution from the mills has been cleaned up; new sewage 
treatment plants now keep sewage out of the river; and more than 8,000 
acres of land and 85 miles of greenway along the riverbanks have been 
permanently conserved. I can't praise Marion enough and all of the 
dedicated residents, volunteers, and association staff who have spent 
countless hours working to make sure that the Nashua River can once 
again be an asset and resource to the communities through which it 
passes.
  There is still much work to be done, and that is why I partnered with 
the Nashua River Watershed Association to introduce H.R. 412, a bill 
that will initiate a 3-year study to determine whether, roughly, 28 
miles of the Nashua River and its tributaries can be designated as Wild 
and Scenic Rivers. This study will allow the National Park Service, the 
Watershed Association, and local governments and stakeholders to work 
together in forming a plan to protect the Nashua River.
  Every town through which the Nashua River passes, in addition to 
several local environmental organizations, supports the adoption of 
this legislation. Additionally, my office just received the results of 
a reconnaissance survey conducted by the National Park Service. The 
Park Service found:

       The elements for a successful Wild and Scenic River Study 
     process for the Nashua River and its tributaries in 
     Massachusetts are in place.

  In 1999, 29 miles of the nearby Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Rivers 
were designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Since then, we have seen how 
this designation can help protect not only the quality of the rivers 
but the quality of the recreational activities they support. It is my 
hope that the Wild and Scenic designation can be expanded to the Nashua 
River so that we can see the same successes there. The study that H.R. 
412 will initiate is essential to starting this process.
  In closing, I would like to again thank Chairman Hastings and 
Chairman Bishop for bringing this bill to the floor.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance 
of my time.
  I want to thank my colleague from Massachusetts for her kind words on 
this. I know that she has been working on this legislation for the past 
at least two Congresses, and she knows that some of us on our side of 
the aisle have some concerns with that; but in working with her, we 
have legislation that we can support, and I urge the adoption of this 
legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 412, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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