Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Expansion, Protection, and Access Act of 1997

Summary: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Expansion, Protection, and Access Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to revise provisions regarding motorized portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota.  Provides that nothing shall prevent the operation of a motorized vehicle and associated equipment necessary to assist in the transport of a boat across Prairie Portage from the Moose Lake chain to Basswood Lake, and from Lake Vermilion to Trout Lake across the Trout Lake Portage.  Prohibits such vehicles from exceeding the dimensions of a three-quarter ton pickup truck and requires them to be clean-emission and energy efficient. 
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to terminate special use permits for tow boats in Basswood or South Farm Lakes.  Increases the number of motorboat permits for September on Basswood Lake to take into account the removal of tow boats.  Requires the costs of operating motorized vehicles to be borne by a concessionaire without government subsidies. 
Makes provisions regarding motorized portage ineffective if there is no operation of such vehicles for a significant part of the ice-free season for three consecutive years. 
Adds lands to the Wilderness. 
Prohibits the use of motorboats on Canoe Lake in Cook County. 
Requires the Secretary to make funds available annually to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for activities such as campsite restoration, trail and campsite maintenance, law enforcement, management plan monitoring, and user education. 
Makes a specified executive order regarding an airspace reservation applicable to lands added to the Wilderness under this Act. 
Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness Expansion, Protection, and Access Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. MOTORIZED PORTAGES.

    Section 4 of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 1650) 
is amended by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:
    ``(g) Motorized Portages.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), nothing in 
        this Act shall prevent the operation of a motorized vehicle and 
        associated equipment that is necessary to assist in the 
        transport of a boat across Prairie Portage from the Moose Lake 
        chain to Basswood Lake, and from Lake Vermilion to Trout Lake 
        across the Trout Lake Portage.
            ``(2) Clean and efficient vehicles.--A vehicle operated as 
        permitted under paragraph (1)--
                    ``(A) may not exceed the dimensions of a \3/4\ ton 
                pickup truck; and
                    ``(B) shall be a clean-emission and energy-
                efficient vehicle, as determined by the Secretary.
            ``(3) New technology.--The Secretary may require the use of 
        vehicles under paragraph (1) that utilize appropriate cost-
        effective new technology allowing for a cleaner and quieter 
        motorized vehicle as soon as practicable, as determined by the 
        Secretary.
            ``(4) Removal of tow boats.--Not later than 30 days after 
        the date on which the operation of motorized vehicles begins 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall terminate any special 
        use permit for a tow boat in Basswood Lake or South Farm Lake.
            ``(5) Increase in motorboat permits.--The Secretary shall 
        allow an appropriate increase in the number of motorboat 
        permits for September on Basswood Lake to take into account the 
        removal of commercial tow boats on Basswood Lake.
            ``(6) No additional facilities.--Nothing in this subsection 
        permits the building of an overnight facility, building, road, 
        or amenity at a portage site.
            ``(7) No subsidy.--The costs of operating a motorized 
        vehicle under this subsection shall be borne by a 
        concessionaire without subsidy from any government.
            ``(8) Continued operation.--If there is no operation of a 
        motorized vehicle under this subsection by a concessionaire for 
        a significant portion of the ice-free season for 3 consecutive 
        years, this subsection shall cease to have effect.''.

SEC. 3. LAND ADDITIONS TO THE WILDERNESS.

    Section 3 of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 1649) 
is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' after ``Sec. 3.''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Additional Land.--
            ``(1) In general.--The wilderness shall include the land 
        designated on the map entitled `Boundary Waters Canoe Area--
        Expansion Proposal', dated July 29, 1997, comprising 
        approximately 21,700 acres.
            ``(2) On file.--The map referred to in paragraph (1) shall 
        be on file and available for public inspection in the offices 
        of the Chief of the Forest Service and the Supervisor of the 
        Superior National Forest.
            ``(3) Detailed legal description and map.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
                shall publish in the Federal Register a detailed legal 
                description and map showing the new boundaries of the 
                wilderness.
                    ``(B) Filing with congress.--The Secretary shall 
                file the legal description and map described in 
                subparagraph (A) with the Committee on Agriculture, 
                Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 
                on Resources of the House of Representatives.
                    ``(C) Force of law.--The legal description and map 
                described in subparagraph (A) shall have the same force 
                and effect as if included in this Act.
                    ``(D) Clerical and typographical errors.--The 
                Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors 
                in the legal description and map described in 
                subparagraph (A) at any time.
            ``(4) Timber access roads.--Any timber access road in the 
        land described in paragraph (1) that is in existence on the 
        date of enactment of this subsection that is needed for 
        operations under a timber sale contract in existence on that 
        date shall remain open only until such time as the operations 
        are completed and the timber sale contract expires.
            ``(5) Land exchanges.--Not later that 2 years after the 
        date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        identify and convey to the State or a county, in exchange for 
        land owned by the State or county in the wilderness area 
        described in paragraph (1), Federal land of approximately 
        comparable value, taking into consideration factors such as the 
        timber species, the volume of timber, and the accessibility of 
        timber on the land.''.

SEC. 4. MOTORBOATS ON CANOE LAKE.

    Section 4(c)(2) of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 
1650) is amended by striking ``; Canoe, Cook County''.

SEC. 5. USE OF PISTON BULLY.

    Section 4(i) of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 
1652) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``The Secretary 
shall allow the use of a piston bully or similar device to groom the 
portion of the maintained ski trail on the east end of Flour Lake.''.

SEC. 6. PERMIT RESERVATION SYSTEM.

    Section 4 of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 1652) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Permit Reservation System.--It is the sense of Congress that 
the Secretary should take steps, if feasible, to move the permit 
reservation system for the wilderness to northeastern Minnesota. In 
taking such steps, the Secretary should give preference to a contractor 
located in a county in which part of the wilderness lies.''.

SEC. 7. ANNUAL GRANTS.

    Section 16 of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 
1658) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Annual Grants.--Of the amounts made available under section 
21, the Secretary shall make a portion available each year to the State 
of Minnesota to be used by the Department of Natural Resources to be 
used to pay the costs of providing employees and equipment in the 
wilderness (in addition to the employees and equipment being provided 
before the date of enactment of this subsection) for activities such 
as--
            ``(1) campsite restoration;
            ``(2) trail and campsite maintenance;
            ``(3) law enforcement;
            ``(4) monitoring of the management plan described in 
        section 20;
            ``(5) user education; and
            ``(6) other appropriate activities, as determined by the 
        Secretary.''.

SEC. 8. AIRSPACE RESERVATION.

    The provisions of Executive Order No. 10092 (14 Fed. Reg. 7637) 
shall be applicable to the areas depicted as wilderness on the map 
referred to in the amendments made by section 3.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 21 of Public Law 95-495 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 92 Stat. 
1659) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 21. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``In addition to any other funds authorized to be appropriated for 
the wilderness, there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act--
            ``(1) $3,500,000 for fiscal year 1998; and
            ``(2) such sums as are necessary for each fiscal year 
        thereafter.''.

SEC. 10. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act take effect on January 
1, 1998.