I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2139

To establish a commission to study the question of adding the Niagara

River Gorge to the Wild and Scenic River System.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 28, 1995

Mr. LAFALCE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

A BILL

To establish a commission to study the question of adding

the Niagara River Gorge to the Wild and Scenic River

System.

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

3 SHORT TITLE

4 SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Niagara

5 Gorge Wild and Scenic River Study Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. Congress finds that—

7 (1) the segment of the Niagara River known as

8 the Niagara Gorge is a unique natural resource of

9 national significance;
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1 (2) there is strong support among local, State,

2 and Federal officials, and area residents, for a con3 certed cooperative effort to manage the gorge in a

4 productive and meaningful way; and

5 (3) in view of the longstanding Federal practice

6 of assisting States and local governments in protect7 ing, conserving, and enhancing rivers of national sig8 nificance, the United States has an interest in as9 sisting the State of New York and the appropriate

10 local governments in managing the gorge.

11 SEC. 3. Section 5(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers

12 Act (16 U.S.C. 1276(a)) is amended by adding the follow13 ing new paragraph:

14 ‘‘( ) Niagara Gorge, New York. The segment of the

15 Niagara River known as the ‘Niagara Gorge’, as may be

16 more specifically defined by the Secretary of the Interior

17 following appropriate studies.’’.

18 SEC. 4. Section 5(b) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1276

19 (b)) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following

20 new paragraph:

21 ‘‘The study of the Niagara Gorge identified in para22 graph ( ) of subsection (a) shall be completed and the

23 report submitted thereon not later than the end of the

24 third fiscal year beginning after the enactment of this

25 paragraph. Such report shall include a discussion of man-
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1 agement alternatives for the gorge if it were to be included

2 in the national wild and scenic river system.’’.

3 SEC. 5. At the earliest practicable date following en4 actment of this title, but not later than forty-five days

5 after enactment, the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter

6 in this title referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall imple7 ment a Niagara Gorge Study Process within the Depart8 ment of the Interior. The process shall commence imme9 diately upon enactment of this paragraph and shall termi10 nate on the later of the following: (a) the completion of

11 the river study of the Niagara Gorge as described in sec12 tion 5(a)( ) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act; or (b)

13 the publication of management alternatives should the

14 river be included in the wild and scenic rivers system.

15 SEC. 6. As used in this title (other than in section

16 3) the term ‘‘River’’ means the segments of the Niagara

17 Gorge described in paragraph ( ) of section 5(a) of the

18 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1275(a)).

19 SEC. 7. There are authorized to be appropriated up

20 to $150,000 to carry out the purposes of this title.

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