II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4122 

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

of the Housatonic River in the State of Connecticut as components 

of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 2, 2022 

Mr. MURPHY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate 

certain segments of the Housatonic River in the State 

of Connecticut as components of 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 ‘‘Housatonic Wild and 

5 Scenic River Act of 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. HOUSATONIC WILD AND SCENIC RIVER, CON2 NECTICUT. 

3 (a) AMENDMENTS TO WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

4 ACT.—Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 

5 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(231) HOUSATONIC RIVER, CONNECTICUT.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The following seg9 ments of the Housatonic River in the State of 

10 Connecticut, to be administered by the Sec11 retary of the Interior: 

12 ‘‘(i) The approximately 14.9-mile seg13 ment from the Massachusetts-Connecticut 

14 boundary to the covered bridge in West 

15 Cornwall, as a scenic river. 

16 ‘‘(ii) The approximately 4.1-mile seg17 ment from the covered bridge in West 

18 Cornwall to the Cornwall Bridge, as a rec19 reational river. 

20 ‘‘(iii) The approximately 9.1-mile seg21 ment from the Cornwall Bridge to the 

22 Route 341 bridge in Kent, as a scenic 

23 river. 

24 ‘‘(iv) The approximately 12.2-mile 

25 segment from the Route 341 bridge in 


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1 Kent to the Boardman Bridge in New Mil2 ford, as a recreational river. 

3 ‘‘(B) EFFECTS ON HYDROELECTRIC FA4 CILITIES.—The designation of the river seg5 ments in subparagraph (A) shall not— 

6 ‘‘(i) impact or alter the existing terms 

7 of permitting, licensing, or operation of— 

8 ‘‘(I) the Falls Village Hydro9 electric Generating Station located in 

10 Falls Village, Connecticut (FERC P– 

11 2576); or 

12 ‘‘(II) the Bulls Bridge Hydro13 electric Generating Station located in 

14 New Milford, Connecticut (FERC P– 

15 2576); or 

16 ‘‘(ii) preclude the Federal Energy 

17 Regulatory Commission from licensing, re18 licensing, or otherwise authorizing the op19 eration or continued operation of the facili20 ties named in clause (i).’’. 

21 (b) MANAGEMENT.— 

22 (1) PROCESS.—The Housatonic River segments 

23 shall be managed in accordance with— 

24 (A) the Management Plan; and 


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1 (B) such amendments to the Management 

2 Plan as the Secretary determines are consistent 

3 with this Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

4 Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.). 

5 (2) COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

6 The Management Plan shall be considered to satisfy 

7 the requirements for a comprehensive management 

8 plan under section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Riv9 ers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)). 

10 (3) COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—To provide for long12 term protection, preservation, and enhancement 

13 of the Housatonic River segments, the Sec14 retary shall coordinate management responsibil15 ities under this Act, and may enter into cooper16 ative agreements pursuant to sections 10(e) and 

17 11(b)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 

18 U.S.C. 1281(e) and 1282(b)(1)), with— 

19 (i) the State of Connecticut; 

20 (ii) the towns of Sharon, Canaan, 

21 Cornwall, Salisbury, New Milford, Kent, 

22 and North Canaan, Connecticut; and 

23 (iii) appropriate planning, environ24 mental, and recreational organizations, in25 cluding— 


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1 (I) local, regional, State, and 

2 multistate organizations; and 

3 (II) any other appropriate orga4 nizations, as determined by the 

5 Housatonic River Commission, or its 

6 successor organization, as defined in 

7 the Management Plan. 

8 (B) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Each 

9 cooperative agreement entered into under this 

10 paragraph shall be consistent with the Manage11 ment Plan and may include provisions for fi12 nancial or other assistance from the United 

13 States. 

14 (4) ZONING ORDINANCES.—For the purposes of 

15 the Housatonic River segments, the zoning ordi16 nances adopted by the municipalities named in para17 graph (3)(A)(ii) shall be deemed to satisfy the 

18 standards and requirements of section 6(c) of the 

19 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)). 

20 (5) ACQUISITION OF LANDS.—The authority of 

21 the Secretary to acquire lands for the Housatonic 

22 River segments shall be— 

23 (A) limited to acquisition by donation or 

24 acquisition with the consent of the owner there25 of; and 


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1 (B) subject to the additional criteria set 

2 forth in the Management Plan. 

3 (6) NO CONDEMNATION.—No land or interest 

4 in land may be acquired for the Housatonic River 

5 segments by condemnation. 

6 (7) RELATION TO THE NATIONAL PARK SYS7 TEM.—Notwithstanding section 10(c) of the Wild 

8 and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(c)), the 

9 Housatonic River segments shall not be— 

10 (A) administered as a part or unit of the 

11 National Park System; or 

12 (B) subject to regulations that govern the 

13 National Park System. 

14 (8) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

15 (A) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

16 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

17 (B) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term 

18 ‘‘Management Plan’’ means the Housatonic 

19 River Management Plan, dated September 

20 2006. 

21 (C) HOUSATONIC RIVER SEGMENTS.—The 

22 term ‘‘Housatonic River segments’’ means the 

23 river segments designated by the amendments 

24 made by section 2(a). 

Æ 


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