I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 412 

To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the 

mainstem of the Nashua River and its tributaries in the Commonwealth 

of Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild 

and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 23, 2013 

Ms. TSONGAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate 

segments of the mainstem of the Nashua River and 

its tributaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

for study for potential addition to the National Wild 

and Scenic Rivers System, 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 ‘‘Nashua River Wild 

5 and Scenic River Study Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION FOR STUDY. 

2 Section 5(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 

3 U.S.C. 1276(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(lll) NASHUA RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.— 

6 (A) The approximately 19-mile segment of the 

7 mainstem of the Nashua River from the confluence 

8 of the North and South Nashua Rivers in Lancaster, 

9 Massachusetts, north to the Massachusetts/New 

10 Hampshire State line, and its tributaries, except the 

11 approximately 4.8-mile segment of the mainstem of 

12 the Nashua River from the Route 119 bridge in 

13 Groton, Massachusetts, downstream to its confluence 

14 with the Nissitissit River in Pepperell, Massachu15 setts. 

16 ‘‘(B) The 10-mile segment of the Squannacook 

17 River from its headwaters at Ash Swamp down18 stream to its confluence with the Nashua River in 

19 Shirley/Ayer, Massachusetts. 

20 ‘‘(C) The 3.5-mile segment of the Nissitissit 

21 River from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire State 

22 line downstream to its confluence with the Nashua 

23 River in Pepperell, Massachusetts.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT. 

2 Section 5(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 

3 U.S.C. 1276(b)) is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(ll) STUDY AND REPORT.—Not later than 

6 3 years after the date on which funds are made 

7 available to carry out this paragraph, the Secretary 

8 of the Interior shall complete the study of the Nash9 ua River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as 

10 described in subsection (a)(lll), and submit a 

11 report describing the results of that study to the 

12 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

13 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 

14 Natural Resources of the Senate.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. REPORT REQUIREMENTS. 

16 The report required under section 3 of this Act 

17 shall— 

18 (1) include a discussion of the effect of the des19 ignation of the area to be studied under this Act 

20 under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act on— 

21 (A) existing commercial and recreational 

22 activities, such as hunting, fishing, trapping, 

23 recreational shooting, motor boat use, or bridge 

24 construction; 


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1 (B) the authorization, construction, oper2 ation, maintenance, or improvement of energy 

3 production and transmission infrastructure; and 

4 (C) the authority of State and local gov5 ernments to manage those activities encom6 passed in subparagraphs (A) and (B); and 

7 (2) identify— 

8 (A) all authorities that will authorize or re9 quire the Secretary of the Interior to influence 

10 local land use decisions (such as zoning) or 

11 place restrictions on non-Federal land if the 

12 area studied under this Act is designated under 

13 the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act; 

14 (B) all authorities that the Secretary of 

15 the Interior may use to condemn property if the 

16 area studied under this Act is designated under 

17 the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act; and 

18 (C) all private property located in the area 

19 to be studied under this Act. 

Æ 


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