II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1139 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource 

study of the Hudson River Valley, New York. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 11, 2013 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

special resource study of the Hudson River Valley, New 

York. 

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 ‘‘Hudson River Valley 

5 Special Resource Study Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of the Interior. 

10 (2) STUDY AREA.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 

2 means the portion of the Hudson River that 

3 flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to 

4 the southernmost boundary of Westchester 

5 County, New York. 

6 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 

7 includes any relevant sites and landscapes with8 in the counties in New York that abut the area 

9 described in subparagraph (A). 

10 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

11 Congress finds that— 

12 (1) the Hudson River Valley possesses nation13 ally significant and unique cultural, historical, nat14 ural, recreational, and scenic resources; 

15 (2) the Hudson River Valley is home to a ro16 bust and growing tourism and recreation industry 

17 that is an important component of the regional econ18 omy; 

19 (3) throughout history, the Hudson River Val20 ley has played a crucial role in the development of 

21 the United States, starting from the vibrant Native 

22 American communities that first inhabited the land, 

23 to the voyage of Henry Hudson up the river later 

24 named for Hudson in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 

25 and later with the American Revolution, the debate 


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1 on our Constitution, the first successful steamboat 

2 voyage by Robert Fulton in 1807, the Industrial 

3 Revolution, the establishment of the Erie Canal and 

4 growth of metropolitan New York, and the inception 

5 of the modern labor and environmental movements; 

6 (4) the Hudson River Valley gave birth to im7 portant movements in the art, architecture, and lit8 erature of the United States; 

9 (5) the Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich 

10 array of sensitive natural resources ranging from the 

11 Hudson River and the vast estuarine district of the 

12 Hudson River, to the wetlands, refuges, parks, for13 ests, farmlands, preserves, cliffs, valleys, and wildlife 

14 of the Hudson River; 

15 (6) the depictions and descriptions of the re16 nowned scenery and natural resources of the Hudson 

17 River Valley played a central role in the recognition 

18 of the value of the landscape and the development 

19 of the esthetic and environmental ideal of the United 

20 States; 

21 (7) a 1996 National Park Service study de22 scribed the Hudson River Valley as ‘‘the landscape 

23 that defined America’’; and 

24 (8) the Hudson River Valley has been the sub25 ject of multiple State and Federal inventories, studVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:28 Jun 15, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1139.IS S1139

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1 ies, and plans that should greatly assist in the con2 duct of a National Park Service special resource 

3 study. 

4 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as funds are made avail6 able to carry out this section, the Secretary shall conduct 

7 a study of the study area to evaluate— 

8 (1) the national significance of the study area; 

9 and 

10 (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 

11 the study area as a unit of the National Park Sys12 tem. 

13 (b) STUDY GUIDELINES.—In conducting the study 

14 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

15 (1) use the criteria for the study of areas for 

16 potential inclusion in the National Park System in17 cluded in section 8 of the National Park System 

18 General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a–5); and 

19 (2) closely examine models for units of the Na20 tional Park System, in particular national river and 

21 recreation areas, and other landscape protection 

22 models, that— 

23 (A) encompass large areas of non-Federal 

24 land within designated boundaries; 


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1 (B) promote increased heritage tourism 

2 and economic development; 

3 (C) foster public and private collaborative 

4 arrangements for achieving National Park Serv5 ice objectives; and 

6 (D) protect and respect the rights of pri7 vate land owners and municipalities. 

8 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

9 Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 

10 are first made available to conduct the study under section 

11 4, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural 

12 Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com13 mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 

14 a report on the findings, conclusions, and recommenda15 tions of the study. 

Æ 


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