IIA

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 512

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 20, 1998

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and

Public Works

AN ACT

To establish requirements relating to the designation of new

units of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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HR 512 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New Wildlife Refuge

3 Authorization Act’’.

4 SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO DESIGNATION OF

5 NEW REFUGES.

6 (a) LIMITATION ON APPROPRIATIONS FROM LAND

7 AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—No funds are authorized to

9 be appropriated from the land and water conserva10 tion fund for designation of a unit of the National

11 Wildlife Refuge System, unless the Secretary of the

12 Interior has—

13 (A) completed all actions pertaining to en14 vironmental review that are required for that

15 designation under the National Environmental

16 Policy Act of 1969;

17 (B) provided notice to each Member of and

18 each Delegate and Resident Commissioner to

19 the Congress elected to represent an area in20 cluded in the boundaries of the proposed unit,

21 upon the completion of the preliminary project

22 proposal for the designation; and

23 (C) provided a copy of each final environ24 mental impact statement or each environmental

25 assessment resulting from that environmental

26 review, and a summary of all public comments
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HR 512 RFS

1 received by the Secretary on the proposed unit,

2 to—

3 (i) the Committee on Resources and

4 the Committee on Appropriations of the

5 House of Representatives;

6 (ii) the Committee on Environment

7 and Public Works and the Committee on

8 Appropriations of the Senate; and

9 (iii) each Member of or Delegate or

10 Resident Commissioner to the Congress

11 elected to represent an area included in the

12 boundaries of the proposed unit.

13 (2) LIMITATION ON APPLICATION.—Paragraph

14 (1) shall not apply to appropriation of amounts for

15 a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System that

16 is designated, or specifically authorized to be des17 ignated, by law.

18 (b) NOTICE OF SCOPING.—The Secretary shall pub19 lish a notice of each scoping meeting held for the purpose

20 of receiving input from persons affected by the designation

21 of a proposed unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

22 The notice shall be published in a newspaper distributed

23 in each county in which the refuge will be located, by not

24 later than 15 days before the date of the meeting. The

25 notice shall clearly state that the purpose of the meeting
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HR 512 RFS

1 is to discuss the designation of a new unit of the National

2 Wildlife Refuge System.

3 (c) LIMITATION ON APPLICATION OF FEDERAL LAND

4 USE RESTRICTIONS.—Land located within the boundaries

5 (or proposed boundaries) of a unit of the National Wildlife

6 Refuge System designated after the date of the enactment

7 of this Act shall not be subject to any restriction on use

8 of the lands under Federal law or regulation based solely

9 on a determination of the boundaries, until an interest in

10 the land has been acquired by the United States.

Passed the House of Representatives May 19, 1998.

Attest: ROBIN H. CARLE,

Clerk.