I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1676 

To designate the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation 

Area in San Bernardino County, California, to authorize limited military 

use of the area, to provide for the transfer of the Southern Study 

Area to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy 

for inclusion in the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine 

Palms, and by recreational users, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 23, 2013 

Mr. COOK (for himself and Mr. MCKEON) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to 

the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To designate the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area in San Bernardino County, California, to authorize limited military use of the area, 

to provide for the transfer of the Southern Study Area 

to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of 

the Navy for inclusion in the Marine Corps Air Ground 

Combat Center Twentynine Palms, and by recreational 

users, and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Johnson Valley Na3 tional Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area Establish4 ment Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF JOHNSON VALLEY NATIONAL 

6 OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RECREATION AREA. 

7 (a) DESIGNATION.—The approximately 188,000 

8 acres of public land and interests in land administered by 

9 the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land 

10 Management in San Bernardino County, California, as 

11 generally depicted as the ‘‘Johnson Valley Off-Highway 

12 Vehicle Recreation Area’’ on the map titled ‘‘Johnson Val13 ley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area and 

14 Transfer of the Southern Study Area’’ and dated April 

15 11, 2013, are hereby designated as the ‘‘Johnson Valley 

16 National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area’’. 

17 (b) RECREATIONAL AND CONSERVATION USE.—The 

18 Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation 

19 Area is designated for the following purposes: 

20 (1) Public recreation (including off-highway ve21 hicle use, camping, and hiking) when the lands are 

22 not used for military training as authorized by sec23 tion 3. 

24 (2) Natural resources conservation. 

25 (c) WITHDRAWAL.—The public land and interests in 

26 land included in the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway 


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1 Vehicle Recreation Area are hereby withdrawn from all 

2 forms of appropriation under the public land laws, includ3 ing the mining laws and the mineral leasing and geo4 thermal leasing laws. 

5 (d) TREATMENT OF EXISTING RIGHTS.—The des6 ignation of the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Ve7 hicle Recreation Area and the withdrawal of the public 

8 land and interests in land included in the Recreation Area 

9 are subject to valid existing rights. 

10 SEC. 3. LIMITED BIANNUAL MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND 

11 COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS USE 

12 OF JOHNSON VALLEY NATIONAL OFF-HIGH13 WAY VEHICLE RECREATION AREA. 

14 (a) USE FOR MILITARY PURPOSES AUTHORIZED.— 

15 Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary of the Interior 

16 shall authorize the Secretary of the Navy to utilize por17 tions of Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle 

18 Recreation Area twice in each calendar year for up to a 

19 total of 42 days per year for the following purposes: 

20 (1) Sustained, combined arms, live-fire, and 

21 maneuver field training for large-scale Marine air22 ground task forces. 

23 (2) Individual and unit live-fire training ranges. 

24 (3) Equipment and tactics development. 


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1 (4) Other defense-related purposes consistent 

2 with the purposes specified in the preceding para3 graphs. 

4 (b) CONDITIONS ON MILITARY USE.— 

5 (1) CONSULTATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

6 REQUIREMENTS.—Before the Secretary of the Navy 

7 requests the two time periods for military use of the 

8 Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle 

9 Recreation Area in a calendar year, the Secretary of 

10 the Navy shall— 

11 (A) consult with the Secretary of the Inte12 rior regarding the best times for military use to 

13 reduce interference with or interruption of non14 military activities authorized by section 2(b); 

15 and 

16 (B) provide for public awareness of and 

17 participation in the selection process. 

18 (2) PUBLIC NOTICE.—The Secretary of the 

19 Navy shall provide advance, wide-spread notice be20 fore any closure of public lands for military use 

21 under this section. 

22 (3) PUBLIC SAFETY.—Military use of the John23 son Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation 

24 Area during the biannual periods authorized by sub25 section (a) shall be conducted in the presence of sufVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:17 Apr 24, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1676.IH H1676

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1 ficient range safety officers to ensure the safety of 

2 military personnel and civilians. 

3 (4) CERTAIN TYPES OF ORDNANCE PROHIB4 ITED.—The Secretary of the Navy shall prohibit the 

5 use of dud-producing ordnance in any military train6 ing conducted under subsection (a). 

7 (c) IMPLEMENTING AGREEMENT.— 

8 (1) AGREEMENT REQUIRED; REQUIRED

9 TERMS.—The Secretary of the Interior and the Sec10 retary of the Navy shall enter into a written agree11 ment to implement this section. The agreement shall 

12 include a provision for periodic review of the agree13 ment for its adequacy, effectiveness, and need for re14 vision. 

15 (2) ADDITIONAL TERMS.—The agreement may 

16 provide for— 

17 (A) the integration of the management 

18 plans of the Secretary of the Interior and the 

19 Secretary of the Navy; 

20 (B) delegation to civilian law enforcement 

21 personnel of the Department of the Navy of the 

22 authority of the Secretary of the Interior to en23 force the laws relating to protection of natural 

24 and cultural resources and of fish and wildlife; 

25 and 


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1 (C) the sharing of resources in order to 

2 most efficiently and effectively manage the 

3 lands. 

4 (d) DURATION.—Any agreement for the military use 

5 of the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle 

6 Recreation Area shall terminate not later than March 31, 

7 2039. 

8 SEC. 4. TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION, 

9 SOUTHERN STUDY AREA, MARINE CORPS AIR 

10 GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE 

11 PALMS, CALIFORNIA. 

12 (a) TRANSFER REQUIRED.—Not later than Sep13 tember 30, 2014, the Secretary of the Interior shall trans14 fer, without reimbursement, to the administrative jurisdic15 tion of the Secretary of the Navy certain public land ad16 ministered by the Bureau of Land Management consisting 

17 of approximately 20,000 acres in San Bernardino County, 

18 California, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Southern Study 

19 Area’’ on the map referred to in section 2. 

20 (b) USE OF TRANSFERRED LAND.—Upon the receipt 

21 of the land under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Navy 

22 shall include the land as part of the Marine Corps Air 

23 Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, 

24 and authorize use of the land for military purposes. 

25 (c) LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 


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1 (1) PREPARATION AND PUBLICATION.—The 

2 Secretary of the Interior shall publish in the Federal 

3 Register a legal description of the public land to be 

4 transferred under subsection (a). 

5 (2) FORCE OF LAW.—The legal description filed 

6 under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and 

7 effect as if included in this Act, except that the Sec8 retary of the Interior may correct clerical and typo9 graphical errors in the legal description. 

10 (d) REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS.—The Secretary of 

11 the Navy shall reimburse the Secretary of the Interior for 

12 any costs incurred by the Secretary of the Interior to carry 

13 out this section. 

Æ 


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