National Discovery Trails Act of 1996

Summary: National Discovery Trails Act of 1996 - Amends the National Trails System Act (the Act) to provide that national discovery trails established under the Act shall be components of the National Trails System.  Provides that such trails shall be extended, continuous interstate trails located so as to provide for outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities. 
Designates the 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail (established by this Act) as a national discovery trail.  Provides that the Trail shall extend from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, traveling northern and southern routes from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Denver, Colorado.  Exempts the Trail from comprehensive national scenic trail plan requirements under the Act, but requires the Secretary of the Interior to enter into arrangements with a nonprofit organization to submit to specified congressional committees, within three fiscal years after this Act's enactment, a comprehensive plan for the protection, management, development, and use of the Trail.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Discovery Trails Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT AMENDMENTS.

    (a) National Discovery Trails Established.--Section 3(a) of the 
National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1242(a)) is amended by inserting 
after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) National discovery trails, established under section 
        5, which will be extended, continuous interstate trails so 
        located as to provide for outstanding outdoor recreation and 
        travel and to connect representative examples of America's 
        trails and communities. National discovery trails should 
        provide for the conservation and enjoyment of significant 
        natural, cultural, and historic resources associated with each 
        trail and should be so located as to represent metropolitan, 
        urban, rural, and back-country regions of the Nation. The 
        appropriate Secretary shall administer national discovery 
        trails in cooperation with a nonprofit organization.''.
    (b) Designation of the American Discovery Trail as a National 
Discovery Trail.--Section 5(a) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the paragraph relating to the 
        California National Historic Trail as paragraph 18;
            (2) by redesignating the paragraph relating to the Pony 
        Express National Historic Trail as paragraph 19; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(20) The American Discovery Trail, a trail of approximately 6,000 
miles extending from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point 
Reyes National Seashore in California, traveling through Delaware, 
Maryland, Washington, DC, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, where near 
Cincinnati it splits into 2 routes. The Northern Midwest route winds 
through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado, and the 
Southern Midwest route explores Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, 
and Colorado. After rejoining in Denver, Colorado, the route continues 
through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. The trail is generally 
described in volume 2 of the National Park Service feasibility study 
dated June 1995 which shall be on file and available for public 
inspection in the office of the Director of the National Park Service, 
Department of the Interior, Washington, DC. The American Discovery 
Trail shall be administered by the Secretary of the Interior in 
cooperation with a nonprofit organization and other affected land 
managing agencies. No lands or interests outside the exterior 
boundaries of federally administered areas may be acquired by the 
United States solely for the American Discovery Trail. This trail is 
exempted from sections 5(d), 7(e), 7(f), and 7(g).''.
    (c) Comprehensive National Scenic Trail Plan.--Section 5(e) of such 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(e)) is amended by striking the first sentence 
through ``as part of the system,'' and inserting ``Within two complete 
fiscal years of the date of enactment of legislation designating a 
national scenic trail, except for the Continental Divide National 
Scenic Trail and the North Country National Scenic Trail, or a national 
discovery trail, except for the American Discovery Trail, as part of 
the system,''.
    (d) Comprehensive Plan for American Discovery Trail.--Section 5 of 
such Act (16 U.S.C. 1244) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(g) The Secretary of the Interior shall enter into arrangements 
with a nonprofit organization to submit (within 3 complete fiscal years 
after the date of the enactment of this subsection) a comprehensive 
plan for the protection, management, development, and use of the 
American Discovery Trail, to the Committee on Resources of the United 
States House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the United States Senate. The Secretary shall ensure that 
the comprehensive plan does not conflict with any existing agency 
direction and that the nonprofit organization consults with affected 
Federal land-managing agencies, the Governors of the affected States, 
county and local political jurisdictions, and local organizations 
maintaining components of the trail. Mandatory components of the 
comprehensive plan include--
            ``(1) specific objectives and practices to be observed in 
        the administration and management of the trail, including the 
        identification of all significant natural, historical, and 
        cultural resources to be preserved, model agreements necessary 
        for joint trail administration among and between interested 
        parties, and an identified carrying capacity of the trail and a 
        plan for its implementation;
            ``(2) a trail protection plan to preserve the values for 
        which the trail is being established and recognized by the 
        Federal Government;
            ``(3) general and site-specific development plans, 
        including anticipated costs; and
            ``(4) the process to be followed by the nonprofit 
        organization in partnership with the Secretary of the Interior 
        to mark the trail under section 7(c) of this Act.''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    The National Trails System Act is amended--
            (1) in section 2(b) (16 U.S.C. 1241(b)), by striking 
        ``scenic and historic'' and inserting ``scenic, historic, and 
        discovery'';
            (2) in the section heading to section 5 (16 U.S.C. 1244), 
        by striking ``and national historic'' and inserting ``, 
        national historic, and national discovery'';
            (3) in section 5(a) (16 U.S.C. 1244(a))--
                    (A) by striking ``and national historic'' and 
                inserting ``, national historic, and national 
                discovery''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and National Historic'' and 
                inserting ``, National Historic, and National 
                Discovery'' ;
            (4) in section 5(b) (16 U.S.C. 1244(b)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, or 
        national discovery'';
            (5) in section 5(b)(3) (16 U.S.C. 1244(b)(3)), by striking 
        ``or national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, 
        or national discovery'';
            (6) in section 5(d) (16 U.S.C. 1244(d)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, or 
        national discovery'';
            (7) in section 7(a)(2) (16 U.S.C. 1246(a)(2)), by striking 
        ``and national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, 
        and national discovery'';
            (8) in section 7(b) (16 U.S.C. 1246(b)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' each place such term appears and inserting 
        ``, national historic, or national discovery'';
            (9) in section 7(c) (16 U.S.C. 1246(c))--
                    (A) by striking ``or national historic'' each place 
                such term appears and inserting ``, national historic, 
                or national discovery''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and national historic'' and 
                inserting ``, national historic, and national 
                discovery'';
            (10) in section 7(d) (16 U.S.C. 1246(d)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, or 
        national discovery'';
            (11) in section 7(e) (16 U.S.C. 1246(e)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' each place such term appears and inserting 
        ``, national historic, or national discovery'';
            (12) in section 7(f)(2) (16 U.S.C. 1246(f)(2)), by striking 
        ``or Historic'' and inserting ``, Historic, or Discovery'';
            (13) in section 7(h)(1) (16 U.S.C. 1246(h)(1)), by striking 
        ``or national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, 
        or national discovery''; and
            (14) in section 7(i) (16 U.S.C. 1246(i)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, or 
        national discovery''.