To require Federal land managers to support, and to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with, designated gateway communities, to improve the ability of gateway communities to participate in Federal land management planning conducted by the Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior, and to respond to the impacts of the public use of the Federal lands administered by these agencies, and for other purposes.

Summary: Gateway Communities Cooperation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (the relevant Secretary) to: (1) solicit involvement by government officials of local gateway communities (communities, including recognized Indian tribes or Alaska Native villages, that abut or are near public lands) in the development of land use plans, programs, regulations, and decisions, transportation plans, general management plans, and any other public land plans, decisions, projects, or policies for public lands under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management which are likely to have a significant impact; (2) facilitate such involvement, provide the appropriate officials with a summary of the assumptions, purposes, goals, and objectives of a plan, decision, project, or policy, a description of any anticipated significant impact, and information regarding the technical assistance and training available; (3) at the request of a gateway community, offer training sessions for officials for understanding and participating in agency planning processes and the methods by which they can most meaningfully participate in the development of agency plans, decisions, and policies; and (4) at the request of a gateway community, make available personnel, on a temporary basis, to assist gateway communities in the development of mutually compatible land use or management plans.

Authorizes the relevant Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with gateway communities to coordinate the management of: (1) the land use inventory, planning, and management activities administered by such Secretary; and (2) the land use planning and management activities of other Federal agencies, agencies of the State in which the public lands are located, and local and tribal governments in the vicinity of such lands. Requires, when the plans of two or more Federal agencies are anticipated to have an impact on a gateway community, the consolidation and coordination of the agencies' plans and planning processes in order to facilitate the participation of affected gateway communities. Directs the relevant Secretary to allow any affected gateway communities the opportunity to be recognized as cooperating agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 when a proposed action is determined to require an environmental impact statement. Allows the relevant Secretary to make grants to any gateway community with a population of 10,000 or less to carry out the purposes of this Act. Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gateway Communities Cooperation 
Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDERAL LAND MANAGERS AND GATEWAY 
              COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE LAND MANAGEMENT OF BOTH 
              FEDERAL AND ADJACENT LANDS.

    (a)  Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Many communities that abut or are near Federal lands, 
        including units of the National Park System, units of the 
        National Wildlife Refuge System, units of the National Forest 
        System, and lands administered by the Bureau of Land 
        Management, are vitally impacted by the management and public 
        use of these Federal lands.
            (2) Some of these communities, commonly known as gateway 
        communities, fulfill an integral part in the mission of the 
        Federal lands by providing necessary services, such as schools, 
        roads, search and rescue, emergency service, medical support, 
        logistical support, living quarters, and drinking water and 
        sanitary systems for visitors to the Federal lands and 
        employees of Federal land management agencies.
            (3) Provision of these vital services by gateway 
        communities is an essential ingredient for a meaningful and 
        enjoyable experience by visitors to the Federal lands because 
        Federal land management agencies are unable to provide, or are 
        prevented from providing, these services.
            (4) Many gateway communities serve as an entry point for 
        persons who visit the Federal lands and are ideal for 
        establishment of visitor services, including lodging, food 
        service, fuel, auto repairs, emergency services, and visitor 
        information.
            (5) Development in some gateway communities may impact the 
        management and protection of these Federal lands.
            (6) The planning and management decisions of Federal land 
        managers can have unintended consequences for gateway 
        communities and the Federal lands when the decisions are not 
        adequately communicated to, or coordinated with, the elected 
        officials and residents of gateway communities.
            (7) Experts in land management planning are available to 
        Federal land managers, but persons with technical planning 
        skills are often not readily available to gateway communities, 
        particularly small gateway communities.
            (8) Gateway communities are often affected by the policies 
        and actions of several Federal land management agencies and the 
        communities and the agencies would benefit from greater 
        interagency coordination of those policies and actions.
            (9) Persuading gateway communities to make decisions and 
        undertake actions in their communities that would also be in 
        the best interest of the Federal lands is most likely to occur 
        when such decisionmaking and actions are built upon a 
        foundation of cooperation and coordination.
    (b)  Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to require Federal 
land managers to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with gateway 
communities in order to--
            (1) improve the relationships among Federal land managers, 
        elected officials, and residents of gateway communities;
            (2) enhance the facilities and services in gateway 
        communities available to visitors to Federal lands when 
        compatible with the management of these lands, including the 
availability of historical and cultural resources; and
            (3) result in better local land use planning in gateway 
        communities and decisions by the relevant Secretary.
    (c) Definitions.--For the purpose of this section, the following 
definitions apply:
            (1) Gateway community.--The term ``gateway community'' 
        means a county, city, town, village, or other subdivision of a 
        State, a federally recognized Indian tribe, or Alaska Native 
        village, that--
                    (A) is incorporated or recognized in a county or 
                regional land use plan or within tribal jurisdictional 
                boundaries; and
                    (B) the relevant Secretary (or the head of the 
                tourism office for the State) determines is 
                significantly affected economically, socially, or 
                environmentally by planning and management decisions 
                regarding Federal lands administered by the relevant 
                Secretary.
            (2) Relevant secretary--The term ``relevant Secretary'' 
        means the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of 
        Agriculture, as appropriate.
    (d)  Participation in Federal Planning and Land Use.--
            (1)  Participation in planning.--At the earliest possible 
        time, the relevant Secretary shall solicit the involvement of 
        elected and appointed officials of governments of gateway 
        communities in the development of land use plans, programs, 
        land use regulations, land use decisions, transportation plans, 
        general management plans, and any other plans, decisions, 
        projects, or policies for Federal lands under the jurisdiction 
        of these Federal agencies that are likely to have a significant 
        impact on these gateway communities.
            (2) Information provided.--To facilitate such involvement, 
        the relevant Secretary shall provide the appropriate officials, 
        at the earliest possible time but not later than the scoping 
        process, with the following:
                    (A) A summary, in nontechnical language, of the 
                assumptions, purposes, goals, and objectives of the a 
                plan, decision, project, or policy.
                    (B) A description of any anticipated significant 
                impact of the plan, decision, project, or policy on 
                gateway communities.
                    (C) Information regarding the technical assistance 
                and training available to the gateway community.
            (3)  Training sessions.--At the request of a gateway 
        community, the relevant Secretary shall offer training sessions 
        for elected and appointed officials of gateway communities at 
        which such officials can obtain a better understanding of--
                    (A) the agency planning processes; and
                    (B) the methods by which they can participate most 
                meaningfully in the development of the agency plans, 
                decisions, and policies referred to in paragraph (1).
            (4)  Technical assistance.--At the request of a gateway 
        community, the relevant Secretary shall make available 
        personnel, on a temporary basis, to assist gateway communities 
        in development of mutually compatible land use or management 
        plans.
            (5)  Coordination of land use.--The relevant Secretary may 
        enter into cooperative agreements with gateway communities to 
        coordinate the management of--
                    (A) the land use inventory, planning, and 
                management activities for the Federal lands 
                administered by the relevant Secretary; and
                    (B) the land use planning and management activities 
                of other Federal agencies, agencies of the State in 
                which the Federal lands are located, and local and 
                tribal governments in the vicinity of the Federal 
                lands.
            (6)  Interagency cooperation and coordination.--To the 
        extent practicable, when the plans and activities of 2 or more 
        Federal agencies are anticipated to have a significant impact 
        on a gateway community, the Federal agencies involved shall 
        consolidate and coordinate their plans and planning processes 
        to facilitate the participation of affected gateway communities 
        in the planning processes.
            (7)  Treatment as cooperating agencies.--To the earliest 
        extent practicable, but not later than the scoping process, 
        when a proposed action is determined to require an 
        environmental impact statement, the relevant Secretary shall 
        allow any affected gateway communities the opportunity to be 
        recognized as cooperating agencies under the National 
        Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
    (e)  Grants to Small Gateway Communities.--
            (1) In general.--The relevant Secretary may make grants to 
        any gateway community with a population of 10,000 or less to 
        carry out the purposes of this section.
            (2)  Authorization of appropriations for grantmaking.--
        There are hereby authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for 
        each fiscal year for grants under this subsection.
    (f)  Authorization of Appropriations.--There are hereby authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this Act (other than for grants under 
subsection (e)), $10,000,000 for each fiscal year.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 19, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.