I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2636 

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

study of the Hudson River Valley, New York. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2013 

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. 

ENGEL, and Mr. TONKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on 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. 


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1 (2) STUDY AREA.— 

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

3 means the portion of the Hudson River that 

4 flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to 

5 the southernmost boundary of Westchester 

6 County, New York. 

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

8 includes any relevant sites and landscapes with9 in the counties in New York that abut the area 

10 described in subparagraph (A). 

11 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

12 Congress finds that— 

13 (1) the Hudson River Valley possesses nation14 ally significant and unique cultural, historical, nat15 ural, recreational, and scenic resources; 

16 (2) the Hudson River Valley is home to a ro17 bust and growing tourism and recreation industry 

18 that is an important component of the regional econ19 omy; 

20 (3) throughout history, the Hudson River Val21 ley has played a crucial role in the development of 

22 the United States, starting from the vibrant Native 

23 American communities that first inhabited the land, 

24 to the voyage of Henry Hudson up the river later 

25 named for Hudson in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 


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1 and later with the American Revolution, the debate 

2 on our Constitution, the first successful steamboat 

3 voyage by Robert Fulton in 1807, the Industrial 

4 Revolution, the establishment of the Erie Canal and 

5 growth of metropolitan New York, and the inception 

6 of the modern labor and environmental movements; 

7 (4) the Hudson River Valley gave birth to im8 portant movements in the art, architecture, and lit9 erature of the United States; 

10 (5) the Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich 

11 array of sensitive natural resources ranging from the 

12 Hudson River and the vast estuarine district of the 

13 Hudson River, to the wetlands, refuges, parks, for14 ests, farmlands, preserves, cliffs, valleys, and wildlife 

15 of the Hudson River; 

16 (6) the depictions and descriptions of the re17 nowned scenery and natural resources of the Hudson 

18 River Valley played a central role in the recognition 

19 of the value of the landscape and the development 

20 of the esthetic and environmental ideal of the United 

21 States; 

22 (7) a 1996 National Park Service study de23 scribed the Hudson River Valley as ‘‘the landscape 

24 that defined America’’; and 


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1 (8) the Hudson River Valley has been the sub2 ject of multiple State and Federal inventories, stud3 ies, and plans that should greatly assist in the con4 duct of a National Park Service special resource 

5 study. 

6 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as funds are made avail8 able to carry out this section, the Secretary shall conduct 

9 a study of the study area to evaluate— 

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

11 and 

12 (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 

13 the study area as a unit of the National Park Sys14 tem. 

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

16 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

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

18 potential inclusion in the National Park System in19 cluded in section 8 of the National Park System 

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

21 (2) closely examine models for units of the Na22 tional Park System, in particular national river and 

23 recreation areas, and other landscape protection 

24 models, that— 


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1 (A) encompass large areas of non-Federal 

2 land within designated boundaries; 

3 (B) promote increased heritage tourism 

4 and economic development; 

5 (C) foster public and private collaborative 

6 arrangements for achieving National Park Serv7 ice objectives; and 

8 (D) protect and respect the rights of pri9 vate land owners and municipalities. 

10 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

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

12 are first made available to conduct the study under section 

13 4, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural 

14 Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com15 mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 

16 a report on the findings, conclusions, and recommenda17 tions of the study. 

Æ 


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