A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate resources in the Hudson River Valley in the State of New York to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Summary: Hudson River Valley Special Resource Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study of the Hudson River Valley in the state of New York to evaluate: (1) the national significance of the part of the Hudson River that flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to the southern-most boundary of Westchester County, New York, including any relevant sites and landscapes within counties in New York that abut that part of the River (the study area); and (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hudson River Valley Special Resource 
Study Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Study area.--The term ``study area''--
                    (A) means the portion of the Hudson River that 
                flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to the 
                southern-most boundary of Westchester County, New York; 
                and
                    (B) includes any relevant sites and landscapes 
                within the counties in New York that abut the area 
                described in subparagraph (A).

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The Hudson River Valley possesses important and unique 
        cultural, historical, natural, recreational and scenic 
        resources that have been central to the development and 
        sustainment of our Nation.
            (2) The Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich array of 
        sensitive natural resources ranging from the River itself and 
        its vast estuarine district, to its wetlands, refuges, parks, 
        forests, farmlands, preserves, cliffs, mountains, and valleys.
            (3) The Hudson River and its tributaries are home to a 
        number of rare and threatened animal species, habitats, and 
        plants.
            (4) The Hudson River Valley is home to myriad biking, 
        heritage, pedestrian and scenic trail systems on the eastern 
        and western sides of the River that are now connected by the 
        Walkway Over the Hudson bridge, which has been designated as a 
        National Recreation Trail.
            (5) Throughout history, the Hudson River Valley has played 
        a central role in the development of our nation, starting from 
        the vibrant Native American communities that first inhabited 
        the land, to Henry Hudson's voyage up the river later named for 
        him in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 and later with the American 
        Revolution, the debate on our Constitution, the first 
        successful steamboat voyage by Robert Fulton in 1807, the 
        Industrial Revolution, and the modern labor and environmental 
        movements.
            (6) The Hudson River Valley gave birth to important 
        movements in American art, architecture and literature through 
        the work of Andrew Jackson Downing, Alexander Jackson Davis, 
        Thomas Cole, Frederick Church and their associates from the 
        Hudson River School of Art, as well as through authors such as 
        Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen 
        Bryant, Susan and Anna Warner, and John Burroughs.
            (7) The depictions and descriptions of the Hudson River 
        Valley's renowned scenery and natural resources played a 
        central role in the recognition of the value of the landscape 
        and the development of an American esthetic and environmental 
        ideal.
            (8) A 1996 National Park Service study called the Hudson 
        River Valley ``the landscape that defined America.''.
            (9) The Hudson River Valley has been the subject of 
        multiple State and Federal inventories, studies, and plans that 
        should greatly assist a National Park Service special resource 
        study.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY.

    (a) In General.--As soon as funds are made available for this 
purpose, the Secretary shall complete a study of the Hudson River 
Valley in the State of New York to evaluate--
            (1) the national significance of the area; and
            (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the area 
        as a unit of the National Park System.
    (b) Study Guidelines.--In conducting the study under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall--
            (1) use the criteria for the study of areas for potential 
        inclusion in the National Park System included in section 8 of 
        Public Law 91-383, as amended by section 303 of the National 
        Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-391; 112 
        Stat. 3501); and
            (2) closely examine park unit models, in particular 
        national river and recreation areas, as well as other landscape 
        protection models, that--
                    (A) encompass large areas of non-Federal lands 
                within their designated boundaries;
                    (B) foster public and private collaborative 
                arrangements for achieving National Park Service 
                objectives; and
                    (C) protect and respect the rights of private land 
                owners.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Not later than 24 months after the date that funds are first made 
available for this purpose, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on 
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report on the 
findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study authorized by 
this Act.