[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23224]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST ACT OF 2004

  The bill (S. 2334) to designate certain National Forest System land 
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National 
Wilderness Preservation System, was considered, read the third time, 
and passed; as follows:

                                S. 2334

       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 ``Caribbean National Forest 
     Act of 2004''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map dated April 13, 
     2004 and entitled ``El Toro Proposed Wilderness Area''.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Agriculture.

     SEC. 3. WILDERNESS DESIGNATION, CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST, 
                   PUERTO RICO.

       (a) El Toro Wilderness.--
       (1) In general.--In furtherance of the purposes of the 
     Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1113 et seq.), the approximately 
     10,000 acres of land in the Caribbean National Forest/
     Luquillo Experimental Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto 
     Rico described in the map are designated as wilderness and as 
     a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
       (2) Designation.--The land designated in paragraph (1) 
     shall be known as the El Toro Wilderness.
       (3) Wilderness boundaries.--The El Toro Wilderness shall 
     consist of the land described in the map.
       (b) Map and Boundary Description.--
       (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
       (A) prepare a boundary description of the El Toro 
     Wilderness; and
       (B) submit the map and the boundary description to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Public inspection and treatment.--The map and the 
     boundary description prepared under paragraph (1)(A)--
       (A) shall be on file and available for public inspection in 
     the office of the Chief of the Forest Service; and
       (B) shall have the same force and effect as if included in 
     this Act.
       (3) Errors.--The Secretary may correct clerical and 
     typographical errors in the map and the boundary description 
     prepared under paragraph (1)(A).
       (c) Administration.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
     Secretary shall administer the El Toro Wilderness in 
     accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) 
     and this Act.
       (2) Effective date of wilderness act.--With respect to the 
     El Toro Wilderness, any reference in the Wilderness Act (16 
     U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) to the effective date of that Act shall 
     be deemed to be a reference to the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.
       (d) Special Management Considerations.--Consistent with the 
     Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), nothing in this Act 
     precludes the installation and maintenance of hydrologic, 
     meteorological, climatological, or atmospheric data 
     collection and remote transmission facilities, or any 
     combination of those facilities, in any case in which the 
     Secretary determines that the facilities are essential to the 
     scientific research purposes of the Luquillo Experimental 
     Forest.

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