[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]