IB 

Union Calendar No. 523 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1785 

[Report No. 113–692] 

To establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area 

in the State of Washington, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2013 

Mr. REICHERT (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Washington) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

DECEMBER 22, 2014 

Additional sponsors: Mr. MCDERMOTT and Ms. DELBENE

DECEMBER 22, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 26, 2013] 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1785 RH

A BILL 

To establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway National 

Heritage Area in the State of Washington, and for other 

purposes. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1785 RH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mountains to Sound 

5 Greenway National Heritage Area Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) HERITAGE AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage 

9 Area’’ means the Mountains to Sound Greenway Na10 tional Heritage Area established in this Act. 

11 (2) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 

12 ‘‘local coordinating entity’’ means the entity selected 

13 by the Secretary under section 3(d). 

14 (3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map ti15 tled ‘‘Mountains to Sound Greenway National Herit16 age Area Proposed Boundary’’, numbered 584/125,484 

17 and dated January 31, 2011. 

18 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of the Interior. 

20 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

21 of Washington. 

22 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE MOUNTAINS TO SOUND 

23 GREENWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established the 

25 Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area in 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1785 RH

1 the State, to consist of land in King and Kittitas counties 

2 in the State, as generally depicted on the map, unless the 

3 county commission of King or Kittitas county elects at any 

4 time to be excluded from the Heritage Area, in which case 

5 that county shall not be part of the Heritage Area. 

6 (b) MAP.—The map shall be on file and available to 

7 the public in the appropriate offices of the National Park 

8 Service, United States Forest Service, and the local coordi9 nating entity. 

10 (c) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The Secretary 

11 shall select a local coordinating entity for the Heritage 

12 Area. 

13 SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

15 date of the enactment of this Act and subject to subsection 

16 (b)(4), the local coordinating entity shall submit to the Sec17 retary for approval a proposed management plan for the 

18 Heritage Area. 

19 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The management plan shall— 

20 (1) incorporate an integrated and cooperative 

21 approach for the protection, enhancement, manage22 ment, and interpretation of the natural, cultural, his23 toric, scenic, and recreational resources of the Herit24 age Area; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (2) take into consideration State government 

2 plans; 

3 (3) include— 

4 (A) an inventory of the resources of the 

5 Heritage Area; 

6 (B) an inventory of any other property in 

7 the Heritage Area that is related to the themes 

8 of the Heritage Area, and should be preserved, 

9 restored, managed or maintained because of the 

10 significance of the property; 

11 (C) comprehensive policies, strategies and 

12 recommendations for conservation, funding, 

13 management, and development of the Heritage 

14 Area; 

15 (D) a description of actions that govern16 ments, private organizations, and individuals 

17 have agreed to take to protect the natural, histor18 ical and cultural resources of the Heritage Area; 

19 (E) a program of implementation for the 

20 management plan by the local coordinating enti21 ty that includes a description of— 

22 (i) actions to facilitate ongoing collabo23 ration among partners to promote plans for 

24 resource protection, restoration, and con25 struction; and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (ii) specific commitments for imple2 mentation that have been made by the local 

3 coordinating entity or any government, or4 ganization or individual for the first five 

5 years of operation; 

6 (F) analysis and recommendations for 

7 means by which Federal, State, and local pro8 grams, including the role of the National Park 

9 Service in the Heritage Area, may best be coordi10 nated to carry out this Act; 

11 (G) an interpretative plan for the Heritage 

12 Area; and 

13 (4) be submitted to the county commissions of 

14 King and Kittitas counties in the State for approval 

15 by the commissions before the management plan is 

16 submitted to the Secretary, unless the county has 

17 elected not to be part of the Heritage Area. 

18 (c) APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT

19 PLAN.— 

20 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after re21 ceiving the management plan for the Heritage Area, 

22 the Secretary shall review and, in consultation with 

23 the Secretary of Agriculture and State, approve or 

24 disapprove the management plan on the basis of the 

25 criteria established under paragraph (2). 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In determining 

2 whether to approve a management plan for a Herit3 age Area, the Secretary shall consider whether— 

4 (A) the local coordinating entity represents 

5 the diverse interests of the Heritage Area, includ6 ing governments, natural and historic resource 

7 protection organizations, educational institu8 tions, businesses, recreational organizations, and 

9 private property owners; 

10 (B) the local coordinating entity has af11 forded adequate opportunity, including public 

12 hearings, for the public and Federal, State, trib13 al, and local governmental involvement in the 

14 preparation of the management plan; and 

15 (C) the resource protection and interpreta16 tion strategies contained in the management 

17 plan, if implemented, would adequately protect 

18 the natural, historical, and cultural resources of 

19 the Heritage Area. 

20 (d) DISAPPROVAL.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary disapproves 

22 the management plan, the Secretary shall— 

23 (A) advise the local coordinating entity in 

24 writing of the reasons for the disapproval; and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (B) make recommendations to the local co2 ordinating entity for revisions to the manage3 ment plan. 

4 (2) DEADLINE.—Not later than 180 days after 

5 receiving a revised management plan, the Secretary 

6 shall approve or disapprove the revised management 

7 plan. 

8 (e) AMENDMENTS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—An amendment to the man10 agement plan that substantially changes the manage11 ment plan shall be reviewed by the Secretary and ap12 proved or disapproved in the same manner as the 

13 original management plan. 

14 (2) COUNTY REVIEW AND APPROVAL.—No 

15 amendment may be submitted to the Secretary under 

16 paragraph (1) until and unless the amendment is 

17 first reviewed and approved by the county commis18 sions for King and Kittitas counties in the State (un19 less that county has elected not to be part of the Her20 itage Area). 

21 (3) IMPLEMENTATION.—The local coordinating 

22 entity shall not implement an amendment to the 

23 management plan until the Secretary approves the 

24 amendment. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (f) AUTHORITIES.—The Secretary may provide tech2 nical assistance to the State, political subdivisions of the 

3 State, nonprofit organizations, and other interested parties. 

4 SEC. 5. EVALUATION; REPORTING. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 10 years after the 

6 enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with 

7 the Secretary of Agriculture, shall— 

8 (1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplish9 ments of the Heritage Area; and 

10 (2) prepare and submit a report pursuant to 

11 subsection (c). 

12 (b) EVALUATION.—An evaluation conducted under this 

13 subsection shall— 

14 (1) assess the progress of the local coordinating 

15 entity with respect to— 

16 (A) accomplishing the purposes of the au17 thorizing legislation for the Heritage Area; and 

18 (B) achieving the goals and objectives of the 

19 approved management plan for the Heritage 

20 Area; 

21 (2) analyze the Federal, State, tribal, local, and 

22 private investments in the Heritage Area to determine 

23 the impact of the investments; and 

24 (3) review the management structure, partner25 ship relationships, and funding of the Heritage Area 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1785 RH

1 for purposes of identifying the critical components for 

2 sustainability of the Heritage Area. 

3 (c) REPORT.—Based on the evaluation conducted 

4 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit a report 

5 to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep6 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re7 sources of the Senate. The report shall include recommenda8 tions for the future role of the National Park Service with 

9 respect to the Heritage Area. 

10 SEC. 6. LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY. 

11 (a) DUTIES.—To further the purposes of the Heritage 

12 Area, the local coordinating entity shall— 

13 (1) prepare and submit a management plan for 

14 the Heritage Area to the Secretary in accordance with 

15 section 4; 

16 (2) submit a report to the Secretary every five 

17 years after the Secretary has approved the manage18 ment plan, specifying— 

19 (A) the expenses and income of the local co20 ordinating entity; and 

21 (B) significant grants or contracts made by 

22 the local coordinating entity to any other entities 

23 during the five-year period. 

24 (b) AUTHORITIES.—To further the purposes of the 

25 Heritage Area, the local coordinating entity may— 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (1) make grants to the State, or a political sub2 division of the State, nonprofit organizations, and 

3 other parties within the National Heritage Area; 

4 (2) enter into cooperative agreements with or 

5 provide technical assistance to political jurisdictions, 

6 nonprofit organizations, Federal agencies, and other 

7 interested parties; 

8 (3) hire and compensate staff, which shall in9 clude individuals with expertise in natural, cultural, 

10 and historical resources protection, heritage program11 ming, and economic and community development; 

12 (4) obtain funds or services that are provided 

13 under any Federal law or program not specifically 

14 applicable to national heritage areas; 

15 (5) contract for goods or services; 

16 (6) support activities that further the Heritage 

17 Area and are consistent with the approved manage18 ment plan; 

19 (7) assist units of local government, regional 

20 planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations 

21 in carrying out the approved management plan by— 

22 (A) carrying out programs and projects 

23 that recognize, protect, and enhance important 

24 resource values in the Heritage Area; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (B) establishing and maintaining interpre2 tative exhibits and programs in the Heritage 

3 Area; 

4 (C) developing recreational and educational 

5 opportunities in the Heritage Area; 

6 (D) increasing public awareness of, and ap7 preciation for, natural, historical, scenic, and 

8 cultural resources of the Heritage Area; 

9 (E) protecting and restoring historic sites 

10 and buildings in the Heritage Area that are con11 sistent with the Heritage Area themes; 

12 (F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and ap13 propriate signs identifying points of public ac14 cess and sites of interest are posted throughout 

15 the Heritage Area; and 

16 (G) promoting a wide range of partnerships 

17 among governments, organizations, and individ18 uals to further the Heritage Area; 

19 (8) consider the interests of diverse units of gov20 ernment, businesses, organizations, and individuals 

21 in the Heritage Area in the preparation and imple22 mentation of the management plan; 

23 (9) conduct meetings open to the public at least 

24 semiannually regarding the development and imple25 mentation of the management plan; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (10) for any year that Federal funds have been 

2 received by the local coordinating entity— 

3 (A) submit to the Secretary an annual re4 port that describes the activities, expenses, and 

5 income of the local coordinating entity (includ6 ing grants to any other entities during the year 

7 that the report is made); 

8 (B) make available to the Secretary for 

9 audit all records relating to the expenditure of 

10 the funds and any matching funds; and 

11 (C) require, with respect to all agreements 

12 authorizing expenditure of Federal funds by 

13 other organizations, that the organizations re14 ceiving the funds make available to the Secretary 

15 for audit all records concerning the expenditure 

16 of the funds; and 

17 (11) encourage by appropriate means economic 

18 vitality that is consistent with the Heritage Area. 

19 (c) PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION OF REAL PROP20 ERTY.—The local coordinating entity may not acquire real 

21 property or interests in real property with Federal funds 

22 or through condemnation. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1785 RH

1 SEC. 7. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act affects the au3 thority of a Federal agency to provide technical or financial 

4 assistance under any other law. 

5 (b) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—Any Federal 

6 agency planning to conduct activities that may have an im7 pact on the Heritage Area is encouraged to consult and co8 ordinate the activities with the Secretary and the local co9 ordinating entity to the maximum extent practicable. 

10 (c) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Nothing in this 

11 Act— 

12 (1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regu13 lation authorizing a Federal agency to manage Fed14 eral land under the jurisdiction of the Federal agency; 

15 (2) limits the discretion of a Federal land man16 ager to implement an approved land use plan within 

17 the boundaries of the Heritage Area; or 

18 (3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized 

19 use of Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Fed20 eral agency. 

21 SEC. 8. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTEC22 TIONS. 

23 Nothing in this Act— 

24 (1) abridges the rights of any property owner 

25 (whether public or private), including the right to reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Dec 24, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1785.RH H1785

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1785 RH

1 frain from participating in any plan, project, pro2 gram, or activity conducted within the Heritage Area; 

3 (2) requires any property owner to permit public 

4 access (including access by Federal, State, tribal, or 

5 local agencies) to the property of the property owner, 

6 or to modify public access or use of property of the 

7 property owner under any other Federal, State, trib8 al, or local law; 

9 (3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, 

10 approved land use plan, or other regulatory authority 

11 (such as the authority to make safety improvements 

12 or increase the capacity of existing roads or to con13 struct new roads or associated developments) of any 

14 Federal, State, tribal, local unit of government or 

15 local agency, or conveys any land use or other regu16 latory authority to any local coordinating entity, in17 cluding but not necessarily limited to development 

18 and management of energy, water or water-related in19 frastructure; 

20 (4) alters, modifies, diminishes, or extinguishes 

21 the treaty rights of any Indian tribe within the Her22 itage Area; 

23 (5) authorizes or implies the reservation or ap24 propriation of water or water rights; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1785 RH

1 (6) diminishes the authority of the State to man2 age fish and wildlife, including the regulation of fish3 ing and hunting within the Heritage Area; 

4 (7) creates any liability, or affects any liability 

5 under any other law, of any private property owner; 

6 (8) affects current or future grazing permits, 

7 leases or allotments on Federal lands; or 

8 (9) affects the construction, operation, mainte9 nance, improvement or expansion of current or future 

10 water projects, including water storage, hydroelectric 

11 facilities, or delivery systems. 

12 SEC. 9. CLARIFICATION. 

13 Nothing in this Act authorizes the Secretary— 

14 (1) to allocate or distribute Federal funds to the 

15 local coordinating entity; or 

16 (2) to expend Federal funds for any purpose 

17 under this Act except for those purposes specifically 

18 enumerated to the Secretary under section 3, sub19 sections (c), (d), (e) and (f) of section 4, and section 

20 5. 

21 SEC. 10. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

22 The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance 

23 under this Act terminates on the date that is 15 years after 

24 the date of enactment of this Act. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 523 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1785 

[Report No. 113–692] 

A BILL 

To establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway Naand for other purposes. tional Heritage Area in the State of Washington, 

DECEMBER 22, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS