I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 177 

To amend the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), to expand access 

to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2025 

Mr. MCCLINTOCK (for himself, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. LAMALFA, and Mr. 

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

A BILL 

To amend the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), 

to expand access to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and 

Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Yosemite National 

5 Park Equal Access and Fairness Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ACCESS TO HETCH HETCHY RES2 ERVOIR AND LAKE ELEANOR BASIN AREAS 

3 FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act of December 19, 1913 

5 (38 Stat. 242), is amended— 

6 (1) in section 7— 

7 (A) in the first sentence— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘$30,000’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘$2,000,000’’; and 

10 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and adjusted annu11 ally to reflect increases in the Consumer 

12 Price Index for All Urban Consumers’’ 

13 after ‘‘July of each year’’; 

14 (B) by inserting ‘‘The grantee may not re15 coup said sums from wholesale water or power 

16 customers of the grantee.’’ after the first sen17 tence; and 

18 (C) in the second sentence, by inserting 

19 ‘‘and wildfire mitigation activities’’ after ‘‘other 

20 improvements’’; and 

21 (2) by inserting after section 11 the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 12. RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior, 

24 acting through the Director of the National Park Service 

25 (in this section referred to as the ‘Secretary’), shall adminVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Jan 30, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H177.IH H177

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1 ister the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin 

2 areas— 

3 ‘‘(1) for public recreation, benefit, and use; 

4 ‘‘(2) to the extent practicable, in a manner that 

5 will preserve, develop, and enhance the public recre6 ation capacity of each such area; and 

7 ‘‘(3) in a manner that will preserve the features 

8 of each such area that are scenic, historic, scientific, 

9 or otherwise important. 

10 ‘‘(b) RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—Subject to such 

11 limitations, conditions, and regulations as the Secretary 

12 determines necessary, the following activities shall be al13 lowed within the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Elea14 nor Basin areas for recreational purposes if such activities 

15 are not inconsistent with the designated primary or rec16 reational use of each such area: 

17 ‘‘(1) Swimming. 

18 ‘‘(2) Use of non-motorized watercraft. 

19 ‘‘(3) Camping in and around each such area if 

20 such camping is not below the respective ordinary 

21 high-water marks of each such area. 

22 ‘‘(4) Picnicking in and around each such area. 

23 ‘‘(5) Other recreational activities the Secretary 

24 determines appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(6) Use by motorized and non-motorized vehi2 cles of roads required to access each such area to 

3 conduct activities described in this subsection if such 

4 use has no negative effect on the operation or main5 tenance of any facility associated with a dam within 

6 each such area.’’. 

7 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

8 of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Inte9 rior, acting through the Director of the National Park 

10 Service, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

11 committees a report that includes the following: 

12 (1) An analysis of whether the original intent in 

13 the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), re14 garding access to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and 

15 Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes 

16 has been followed since such areas were created. 

17 (2) An analysis of how revenue collection and 

18 the allocation of funds related to the administration 

19 of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor 

20 Basin areas can be carried out to best provide equi21 table access to such areas for recreational purposes 

22 by the public, including consideration of— 

23 (A) maintenance and support costs of such 

24 areas, including— 

25 (i) trail maintenance; 


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1 (ii) road improvements; and 

2 (iii) wildfire prevention and suppres3 sion; and 

4 (B) ways to mitigate such costs, includ5 ing— 

6 (i) adjusting the prices charged for 

7 water and power generated by the Hetch 

8 Hetchy Water and Power System created 

9 by the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 

10 242); 

11 (ii) treating the City of San Francisco 

12 as a concessioner; and 

13 (iii) adding to the annual rental fee 

14 charged to the City of San Francisco by 

15 section 7 of the Act of December 19, 1913 

16 (38 Stat. 242), the annual monetary value 

17 of the benefits that would be lost if such 

18 areas had not been created, including con19 sideration of— 

20 (I) recreational activities; and 

21 (II) flood control. 

Æ 


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