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.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gateway Communities Cooperation Act 
of 2002''.

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

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Communities that are adjacent to or 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) 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, medical, provisioning, 
        logistical support, living quarters, and drinking water and 
        sanitary systems, for both 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) 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 and 
        auto repairs, emergency services, and visitor information.
            (5) Development in these gateway communities affect the 
        management and protection of these Federal lands, depending on 
        the extent to which advance planning for the local development 
        is coordinated between the communities and Federal land 
        managers.
            (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 agencies and both 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.--It is the purpose of this Act 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; and
            (3) result in better local land use planning and decisions 
        by Federal land managers.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Gateway community.--The term ``gateway community'' 
        means a county, city, town, village, or other subdivision of a 
        State, or a federally recognized American Indian tribe or 
        Alaska Native village, that--
                    (A) is incorporated or recognized in a county or 
                regional land use plan; and
                    (B) a Federal land manager (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 that Federal 
                land manager.
            (2) Federal land agencies.--The term ``Federal land 
        agencies'' means the National Park Service, United States 
        Forest Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and 
        the Bureau of Land Management.
            (3) Federal land manager.--The term ``Federal land 
        manager'' means--
                    (A) the superintendent of a unit of the National 
                Park System;
                    (B) the manager of a national wildlife refuge;
                    (C) the field office manager of a Bureau of Land 
                Management area; or
                    (D) the supervisor of a unit of the National Forest 
                System.
    (d) Participation in Federal Planning and Land Use.--
            (1) Participation in planning.--The Federal land agencies 
        shall provide for meaningful public involvement at the earliest 
        possible time by elected and appointed officials of governments 
        of local 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 public 
        lands under the jurisdiction of these agencies that will have a 
        significant impact on these gateway communities. To facilitate 
        such involvement, the Federal land agencies shall provide these 
        officials, at the earliest possible time, with a summary in 
        nontechnical language of the assumptions, purposes, goals, and 
        objectives of such a plan, decision, project, or policy and a 
        description of any anticipated significant impact of the plan, 
        decision, or policy on gateway communities.
            (2) Early notice of proposed decisions.--To the extent 
        practicable, the Federal land agencies shall provide local 
        gateway communities with early public notice of proposed 
        decisions of these agencies that may have a significant impact 
        on gateway communities.
            (3) Training sessions.--The Federal land agencies shall 
        offer training sessions for elected and appointed officials of 
        gateway communities at which such officials can obtain a better 
        understanding of--
                    (A) 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 the government 
        of a gateway community, a Federal land agency shall assign, to 
        the extent practicable, an agency employee or contractor to 
        work with the community to develop data and analysis relevant 
        to the preparation of agency plans, decisions, and policies 
        referred to in paragraph (1).
            (5) Review of federal land management planning.--At the 
        request of a gateway community, and to the extent practicable, 
        a Federal land manager shall assist the gateway community to 
        conduct a review of land use, management, or transportation 
        plans of the Federal land manager likely to affect the gateway 
        community.
            (6) Coordination of land use.--To the extent consistent 
        with the laws governing the administration of the Federal 
        public lands, a Federal land manager may enter into a 
        cooperative agreement with a gateway community to provide for 
        coordination between--
                    (A) the land use inventory, planning, and 
                management activities for the Federal lands 
                administered by the Federal land manager; 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.
            (7) Interagency cooperation and coordination.--To the 
        extent practicable, when the plans and activities of two or 
        more Federal land agencies are anticipated to have a 
        significant impact on a gateway community, the Federal land 
        agencies involved shall consolidate and coordinate their plans 
        and planning processes to facilitate the participation of the 
        gateway community in the planning processes.
            (8) Treatment as cooperating agencies.--When a proposed 
        action is determined to require the preparation of an 
        environmental impact statement, the Federal land agencies 
        shall, as soon as practicable, but not later than the scoping 
        process, actively solicit the participation of gateway 
        communities as cooperating agencies under the National 
        Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
    (e) Grants To Assist Gateway Communities.--
            (1) Grants authorized; purposes.--A Federal land manager 
        may make grants to an eligible gateway community to enable the 
        gateway community--
                    (A) to participate in Federal land planning or 
                management processes;
                    (B) to obtain professional land use or 
                transportation planning assistance necessary as a 
                result of Federal action;
                    (C) to address and resolve public infrastructure 
                impacts that are identified through these processes as 
a likely result of the Federal land management decisions and for which 
sufficient funds are not otherwise available; and
                    (D) to provide public information and interpretive 
                services about the Federal lands administered by the 
                Federal land manager and the gateway community.
            (2) Eligible gateway communities.--To be eligible for a 
        grant under this subsection, a gateway community may not have a 
        population in excess of 10,000 persons.
    (f) Funding Sources.--
            (1) General agency funds.--A Federal land agency may use 
        amounts available for the general operation of the agency to 
        provide funds to Federal land managers of that agency to make 
        grants under subsection (e).
            (2) Other planning or project development funds.--Funds 
        available to a Federal land manager for planning, construction, 
        or project development may also be used to fund programs under 
        subsection (d) and make grants under subsection (e).
            (3) Combination of funds.--Federal land managers from 
        different Federal land agencies may combine financial resources 
        to make grants under subsection (e).




                                                 

Summary: Gateway Communities Cooperation Act of 2002 - Requires the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management to: (1) provide for public involvement by government officials of local gateway communities 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 that will have a significant impact. (2) provide such communities with early public notice of such proposed decisions. (3) offer training sessions for officials for understanding and participating in agency planning processes. (4) assign an employee or contractor to work with such a community to develop data and analysis relevant in the preparation of agency plans, decisions, and policies. And (5) assist in conducting a review of plans likely to affect such community. Allows a Federal land manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with gateway communities to provide for coordination between Federal, State, local, and tribal governments in land use inventory, planning, and management activities. Requires, to the extent practicable, the consolidation and coordination of the plans and planning processes of two or more Federal agencies to facilitate an affected gateway community's participation. Requires the Federal land agencies to, as soon as practicable , actively solicit the participation of gateway communities as cooperating agencies when a proposed action is determined to require the preparation of an environmental impact statement. Allows a Federal land manager to make grants to enable an eligible gateway community to: (1) participate in Federal land planning or management processes. (2) obtain professional land use or transportation planning assistance necessary as a result of Federal action. (3) address and resolve public infrastructure impacts that are a likely result of the Federal land management decisions and for which sufficient funds are not otherwise available. And (4) provide information and interpretive services. Provides for funding for grants from the following sources: (1) general land agency funds. (2) funds available to a Federal land manager for planning, construction, or project development. And (3) funds combined by Federal land managers from different Federal land agencies.