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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2452 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2452

   To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a special 
resource study of the Hudson River Valley in the State of New York, and 
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 7, 2011

    Mr. Hinchey (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Tonko, and Mrs. Lowey) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a special 
resource study of the Hudson River Valley in the State of New York, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hudson River Valley Special Resource 
Study Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means the counties 
        in New York that abut the Hudson River that flows from Rogers 
        Island at Fort Edward to the southernmost boundary of 
        Westchester County, New York.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The Hudson River Valley possesses nationally 
        significant and unique cultural, historical, natural, 
        recreational, and scenic resources.
            (2) The Hudson River Valley is home to a robust and growing 
        tourism and recreation industry that is an important component 
        of the regional economy.
            (3) Throughout history, the Hudson River Valley has played 
        a crucial role in the development of our Nation, starting from 
        the vibrant Native American communities that first inhabited 
        the land, to Henry Hudson's voyage up the river later named for 
        him in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 and later with the American 
        Revolution, the debate on our Constitution, the first 
        successful steamboat voyage by Robert Fulton in 1807, the 
        Industrial Revolution, the establishment of the Erie Canal and 
        growth of metropolitan New York, and the inception of the 
        modern labor and environmental movements.
            (4) The Hudson River Valley continues to serve as a vitally 
        important corridor of commerce for the Nation, and it has 
        contributed significantly to the development and innovation of 
        new technologies and industries.
            (5) The Hudson River Valley gave birth to important 
        movements in American art, architecture, and literature.
            (6) The Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich array of 
        sensitive natural resources ranging from the river itself and 
        its vast estuarine district, to its wetlands, refuges, parks, 
        forests, farmlands, preserves, cliffs, valleys, and wildlife.
            (7) The depictions and descriptions of the Hudson River 
        Valley's renowned scenery and natural resources played a 
        central role in the recognition of the value of the landscape 
        and the development of an American esthetic and environmental 
        ideal.
            (8) A 1996 National Park Service study called the Hudson 
        River Valley ``the landscape that defined America.''.
            (9) The Hudson River Valley has been the subject of 
        multiple State and Federal inventories, studies, and plans that 
        should greatly assist a National Park Service special resource 
        study.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY.

    (a) In General.--As soon as funds are made available for this 
purpose, the Secretary shall commence a study of the Hudson River 
Valley in the State of New York to evaluate--
            (1) the national significance of the area; and
            (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the area 
        as a unit of the National Park System.
    (b) Study Guidelines.--In conducting the study under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall--
            (1) use the criteria for the study of areas for potential 
        inclusion in the National Park System included in section 8 of 
        Public Law 91-383, as amended by section 303 of the National 
        Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-391; 112 
        Stat. 3501); and
            (2) closely examine park unit models, in particular 
        national river and recreation areas, as well as other landscape 
        protection models, that--
                    (A) encompass large areas of non-Federal lands 
                within their designated boundaries;
                    (B) promote increased heritage tourism and economic 
                development;
                    (C) foster public and private collaborative 
                arrangements for achieving National Park Service 
                objectives; and
                    (D) protect and respect the rights of private 
                landowners, as well as municipalities.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Not later than 24 months after the date that funds are first made 
available for this purpose, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the findings, 
conclusions, and recommendations of the study authorized by this Act.
                                 <all>
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