[House Report 113-686]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
113th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 113-686
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ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS ADDITIONS AND PRATT AND MIDDLE FORK SNOQUALMIE
RIVERS PROTECTION ACT
_______
December 22, 2014.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 361]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 361) to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in
the State of Washington, to designate the Middle Fork
Snoqualmie River and Pratt River as wild and scenic rivers, and
for other purposes, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill
as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and
Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS.
(a) In General.--There is designated as wilderness and as a component
of the National Wilderness Preservation System certain Federal land in
the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the State of Washington
comprising approximately 21,493 acres that is within the Proposed
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions Boundary, as generally depicted on
the map entitled ``HR 361, Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt
and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act, 2013'' and dated
October 25, 2013, which is incorporated in and shall be considered to
be a part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
(b) Administration.--
(1) Management.--Subject to valid existing rights, the land
designated as wilderness by subsection (a) shall be
administered by the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in
this section as the ``Secretary''), in accordance with the
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that any
reference in that Act to the effective date of that Act shall
be considered to be a reference to the date of enactment of
this Act, and in accordance with section 4 of this Act.
(2) Military overflights.--Nothing in this section restricts
or precludes--
(A) low-level overflights of military aircraft over
the area designated as wilderness under this section,
including military overflights that can be seen or
heard within any wilderness area;
(B) flight testing and evaluation; or
(C) the designation or creation of new units of
special use airspace, or the establishment of military
flight training routes over the wilderness area.
(3) Prevention of wildfires.--The designation of wilderness
under this section shall not be construed to interfere with the
authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to authorize
mechanical thinning of trees or underbrush to prevent or
control the spread of wildfires, or conditions creating the
risk of wildfire that threaten areas outside the boundary of
the wilderness, or the use of mechanized equipment for wildfire
pre-suppression and suppression.
(4) Map and description.--
(A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file
a map and a legal description of the land designated as
wilderness by subsection (a) with--
(i) the Committee on Natural Resources of the
House of Representatives; and
(ii) the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate.
(B) Force of law.--A map and legal description filed
under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and
effect as if included in this Act, except that the
Secretary may correct minor errors in the map and legal
description.
(C) Public availability.--The map and legal
description filed under subparagraph (A) shall be filed
and made available for public inspection in the
appropriate office of the Forest Service.
SEC. 3. WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATIONS.
Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(__) Middle fork snoqualmie, washington.--Subject to
subparagraph (C), the 27.4-mile segment from the headwaters of
the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River near La Bohn Gap in NE 1/4
sec. 20, T. 24 N., R. 13 E., to the northern boundary of sec.
11, T. 23 N., R. 9 E., to be administered by the Secretary of
Agriculture in the following classifications:
``(A) The approximately 6.4-mile segment from the
headwaters of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River near La
Bohn Gap in NE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 24 N., R. 13 E., to the
west section line of sec. 3, T. 23 N., R. 12 E., as a
wild river.
``(B) The approximately 21-mile segment from the west
section line of sec. 3, T. 23 N., R. 12 E., to the
northern boundary of sec. 11, T. 23 N., R. 9 E., as a
scenic river.
``(C) The Secretary of Agriculture may not acquire by
condemnation any land or interest in land within the
boundaries of the Wild and Scenic River segments
designated by this paragraph. Private or non-Federal
public property shall not be included within the
boundaries of the Wild and Scenic River segments
designated by this paragraph unless the owner of such
property has consented in writing to having that
property included in such boundaries.
``(__) Pratt river, washington.--The entirety of the Pratt
River in the State of Washington, located in the Mount Baker-
Snoqualmie National Forest, to be administered by the Secretary
of Agriculture as a wild river. The Secretary of Agriculture
may not acquire by condemnation any land or interest in land
within the boundaries of the Wild and Scenic River segments
designated by this paragraph. Private or non-Federal public
property shall not be included within the boundaries of the
Wild and Scenic River segments designated by this paragraph
unless the owner of such property has consented in writing to
having that property included in such boundaries.''.
SEC. 4. ADJACENT LAND MANAGEMENT.
Nothing in this Act--
(1) establishes or authorizes the establishment of a
protective perimeter or buffer zone around the boundaries of
the Wild and Scenic River segments or wilderness designated by
this Act; or
(2) precludes, limits, or restricts an activity from being
conducted outside such boundaries, including an activity that
can be seen or heard from within such boundaries.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]