I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1964
To establish the Highlands Stewardship Area in the States of Connecticut, 
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 6, 2003
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN
(for himself, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. 
HOEFFEL, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mrs. MALONEY, 
Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. 
WALSH, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. HOLT, 
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 
PASCRELL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. SAXTON, and Mr. ENGEL) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources, and in 
addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish the Highlands Stewardship Area in the States 
of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsyl-
vania, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Highlands Stewardship 
Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that—
(1) the Highlands region is a geographic area 
that encompasses more than 2,000,000 acres extend-
ing from eastern Pennsylvania through the States of 
New Jersey and New York to northwestern Con-
necticut; 
(2) the Highlands region is an environmentally 
unique area that—
(A) provides clean drinking water to over 
15,000,000 people in metropolitan areas in the 
States of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, 
and Pennsylvania; 
(B) provides critical wildlife habitat, in-
cluding habitat for 247 threatened and endan-
gered species; 
(C) maintains an important historic con-
nection to early Native American culture, colo-
nial settlement, the American Revolution, and 
the Civil War; 
(D) contains recreational resources for 14 
million visitors annually; and 
(E) provides other significant ecological, 
natural, tourism, recreational, educational, and 
economic benefits;
(3) an estimated 1 in 12 citizens of the United 
States live within a 2-hour drive of the Highlands 
region; 
(4) more than 1,400,000 residents live in the 
Highlands region; 
(5) the Highlands region forms a greenbelt ad-
jacent to the Philadelphia-New York City-Hartford 
urban corridor that offers the opportunity to pre-
serve natural and agricultural resources, open 
spaces, recreational areas, and historic sites, while 
encouraging sustainable economic growth and devel-
opment in a fiscally and environmentally sound man-
ner; 
(6) continued population growth and land use 
patterns in the Highlands region—
(A) reduce the availability and quality of 
water; 
(B) reduce air quality; 
(C) fragment the forests; 
(D) destroy critical migration corridors 
and forest habitat; and 
(E) result in the loss of recreational oppor-
tunities and scenic, historic, and cultural re-
sources;
(7) the natural, agricultural, and cultural re-
sources of the Highlands region, in combination with 
the proximity of the Highlands region to the largest 
metropolitan areas in the United States, make the 
Highlands region nationally significant; 
(8) the national significance of the Highlands 
region has been documented in—
(A) the New York-New Jersey Highlands 
Regional Study conducted by the Forest Service 
in 1990; 
(B) the New York-New Jersey Highlands 
Regional Study: 2002 Update conducted by the 
Forest Service; 
(C) the bi-State Skylands Greenway Task 
Force Report; 
(D) the New Jersey State Development 
and Redevelopment Plan; 
(E) the New York State Open Space Con-
servation Plan; 
(F) the Connecticut Green Plan: Open 
Space Acquisition FY 2001–2006; 
(G) the open space plans of the State of 
Pennsylvania; and 
(H) other open space conservation plans 
for States in the Highlands region;
(9) the Highlands region includes or is adjacent 
to numerous parcels of land owned by the Federal 
Government or federally designated areas that pro-
tect, conserve, restore, promote, or interpret re-
sources of the Highlands region, including—
(A) the Wallkill River National Wildlife 
Refuge; 
(B) the Shawanagunk Grasslands Wildlife 
Refuge; 
(C) the Morristown National Historical 
Park; 
(D) the Delaware and Lehigh Canal Cor-
ridors; 
(E) the Hudson River Valley National 
Heritage Area; 
(F) the Delaware River Basin; 
(G) the Delaware Water Gap National 
Recreation Area; 
(H) the Upper Delaware Scenic and Rec-
reational River; 
(I) the Appalachian National Scenic Trail; 
(J) the United States Military Academy at 
West Point, New York; 
(K) the Highlands National Millenium 
Trail;
(L) the Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; 
(M) the Great Swamp National Wildlife 
Refuge; 
(N) the proposed Crossroads of the Revo-
lution National Heritage Area; 
(O) the proposed Musconetcong National 
Scenic and Recreational River in New Jersey; 
and 
(P) the Farmington River Wild and Scenic 
Area in Connecticut; 
(10) it is in the interest of the United States 
to protect, conserve, restore, promote, and interpret 
the resources of the Highlands region for the resi-
dents of, and visitors to, the Highlands region; 
(11) the States of Connecticut, New Jersey, 
New York, and Pennsylvania, and units of local gov-
ernment in the Highlands region have the primary 
responsibility for protecting, conserving, preserving, 
restoring and promoting the resources of the High-
lands region; and 
(12) because of the longstanding Federal prac-
tice of assisting States in creating, protecting, con-
serving, preserving, restoring and interpreting areas 
of significant natural and cultural importance, and 
the national significance of the Highlands region,
the Federal Government should, in partnership with 
the Highlands States and units of local government 
in the Highlands region, protect, restore, promote, 
preserve, and interpret the natural, agricultural, his-
torical, and cultural resources of the Highlands re-
gion. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to recognize the importance of the natural 
resources and the heritage, history and national sig-
nificance of the Highlands region to the United 
States; 
(2) to assist the Highlands States, units of local 
government, and private landowners in protecting, 
restoring, preserving, interpreting, and promoting 
the natural, agricultural, historical, cultural, and 
recreational resources of the Highlands Stewardship 
Area; 
(3) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to 
provide financial and technical assistance for 
projects that will protect, restore, promote and inter-
pret the natural, agricultural, historic, cultural or 
recreational resources of the Highlands region; 
(4) to authorize the Secretary of Interior to 
work in partnership with the Secretary of Agri-
culture and the Highlands States and to provide fi-
nancial assistance to the Highlands States to pre-
serve and protect high priority conservation lands in 
the Highlands region; 
(5) to coordinate with and assist the manage-
ment entities of the Hudson River Valley National 
Heritage Area, the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge 
Area, the Morristown National Historic Area, and 
other federally designated areas in the region in car-
rying out any duties relating to protecting the nat-
ural resources of the Highlands region. 
(b) LACK OF EFFECT ON AUTHORITY OF GOVERN-
MENTS.—It is not the purpose of this Act and nothing 
in this Act shall be construed to modify, enlarge, or dimin-
ish any authority of Federal, State or local governments 
to regulate any use of land, to grant powers of zoning or 
land use control to any entity established under this Act 
or to authorize any such entity to interfere with the rights 
of any person with respect to private property or with any 
local zoning ordinance or land use plan of any local unit 
of government in the Highlands Stewardship Area. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means any Highlands State, unit of local govern-
ment, public entity, private entity, or private land-
owner in the Stewardship Area. 
(2) HIGHLANDS
REGION.—The term ‘‘High-
lands region’’ means the region that encompasses 
more than 2,000,000 acres extending from eastern 
Pennsylvania through the States of New Jersey and 
New York to northwestern Connecticut. 
(3) HIGHLANDS STATE.—The term ‘‘Highlands 
State’’ means—
(A) the State of Connecticut; 
(B) the State of New Jersey; 
(C) the State of New York; 
(D) the State of Pennsylvania; and 
(E) any agency or department of any 
Highlands state, including the Palisades Inter-
state Park Commission, a duly authorized bi-
state entity in New York and New Jersey. 
(4) NON-FEDERAL
ENTITY.—The term ‘‘non-
Federal entity’’ means any Highlands state, or any 
agency or department of any Highlands state with 
authority to own and manage land for conservation 
purpose, including the Palisades Interstate Park 
Commission. 
(5) 
LAND
CONSERVATION
PARTNERSHIP 
PROJECT.—The term ‘‘land conservation partnership
project’’ means a project located in an area identi-
fied as having high conservation value in the U.S. 
Forest Service Study or Update or a State open 
space or greenway plan in which a non-Federal enti-
ty acquires land or an interest in land from a willing 
seller for the purpose of permanently protecting, 
conserving, or preserving the natural, forest, agricul-
tural, recreational, historical, or cultural resources of 
the Stewardship Area. 
(6) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of Highlands Stewardship established under sec-
tion 6(a). 
(7) STEWARDSHIP AREA.—The term ‘‘Steward-
ship Area’’ means the Highlands Stewardship Area 
established under section 5(a). 
(8) STUDY.—The term ‘‘study’’ means the New 
York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study con-
ducted by the Forest Service in 1990. 
(9) UPDATE.—The term ‘‘update’’ means the 
New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study: 
2002 Update conducted by the Forest Service. 
(10) WORK GROUP.—The term ‘‘Work Group’’ 
means the Highlands Stewardship Area Work Group 
established under section 6(c).
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGHLANDS STEWARDSHIP 
AREA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture 
and the Secretary of the Interior shall establish the High-
lands Stewardship Area in the Highlands region. 
(b) CONSULTATION AND RESOURCE ANALYSES.—In 
establishing the Stewardship Area, the Secretary of Agri-
culture and the Secretary of the Interior shall—
(1) consult with appropriate officials of the 
Federal Government, the Governors of the High-
lands States and other appropriate officials of the 
Highlands States, and units of local government; 
and 
(2) utilize the study, the update, and relevant 
State resource analyses. 
(c) MAP.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall 
prepare a map depicting the Stewardship Area. 
(2) AVAILABILITY.—The map shall be on file 
and available for public inspection at the appropriate 
offices of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec-
retary of the Interior.
SEC. 6. OFFICE OF HIGHLANDS STEWARDSHIP AND WORK 
GROUP. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture, 
in consultation with the Under Secretary of Agriculture 
for Natural Resources and Environment, the Chief of the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Chief of 
the Forest Service, shall establish within the Department 
of Agriculture the Office of Highlands Stewardship. 
(b) DUTIES.—
(1) ADVISORY DUTIES.—shall advise the Gov-
ernors of the Highlands States, the Secretary of Ag-
riculture, and the Secretary of Interior on priorities 
for—
(A) projects carried out with financial or 
technical assistance under this section; 
(B) land conservation partnership projects 
carried out under section 7; 
(C) research relating to the Highlands re-
gions; and 
(D) policy and educational initiatives nec-
essary to implement the findings of the study 
and update. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION
DUTIES.—The Office 
shall implement in the Stewardship Area—
(A) the strategies of the study and update; 
and
(B) in consultation with the Highlands 
States, other studies consistent with the pur-
poses of this Act. 
(c) 
HIGHLANDS
STEWARDSHIP
AREA
WORK 
GROUP.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agri-
culture shall establish an advisory committee to be 
known as the ‘‘Highlands Stewardship Area Work 
Group’’ to assist the Office in implementing the 
strategies of the study and update referred to in 
subsection (b). 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Work Group shall be 
comprised of members that represent various public 
and private interests throughout the Stewardship 
Area, including private landowners, and representa-
tives of private land trusts, conservation groups, 
drinking water purveyors, academic institutions, and 
local governments, to be appointed by the Secretary 
of Agriculture, in consultation with the Governors of 
the Highlands States. 
(3) DUTIES.—The Work Group shall advise the 
Office, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Sec-
retary of the Interior on priorities for—
(A) projects carried out with financial or 
technical assistance under this section;
(B) land conservation partnership projects 
carried out under section 7; 
(C) research relating to the Highlands re-
gion; and 
(D) policy and educational initiatives nec-
essary to implement the findings of the study 
and update. 
(d) FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office may provide fi-
nancial and technical assistance to an eligible entity 
to carry out a project consistent with the steward-
ship goals and conservation strategies articulated in 
the study and update to protect, restore, preserve, 
promote, or interpret the natural, agricultural, his-
torical, cultural, or recreational resources of the 
Stewardship Area. 
(2) PRIORITY.—In determining the priority for 
financial and technical assistance under paragraph 
(1), the Office shall consider the recommendations of 
the study and update. 
(3) CONDITIONS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The provision of finan-
cial assistance under this subsection shall be 
subject to the condition that the eligible entity 
enter into an agreement with the Office that
provides that if the eligible entity converts, 
uses, or disposes of the project for a purpose in-
consistent with the purpose for which the finan-
cial assistance was provided, as determined by 
the Office, the United States shall be entitled to 
reimbursement from the eligible entity in an 
amount that is, as determined at the time of 
conversion, use, or disposal, the greater of—
(i) the total amount of the financial 
assistance provided for the project by the 
Federal Government under this section; or 
(ii) the amount by which the financial 
assistance has increased the value of the 
land on which the project is carried out. 
(B) COST-SHARING
REQUIREMENT.—The 
Federal share of the cost of carrying out a 
project under this subsection shall not exceed 
50 percent of the total cost of the project. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agri-
culture to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2004 through 2013, to remain available until 
expended.
SEC. 7. LAND CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Annually, the Governors of the 
Highlands States, with input from pertinent units of local 
government, the public, the Office, and Work Group shall 
jointly identify land conservation projects that shall be 
proposed for federal financial assistance and submit them 
to the Secretary of the Interior. 
(b) THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR.—The Secretary 
of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agri-
culture, the Office, the Work Group, and the Governors 
of the Highlands States, shall annually designate land 
conservation partnership projects that are eligible to re-
ceive financial assistance under this section. 
(c) CONDITIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for financial 
assistance under subsection (a), a non-Federal entity 
shall enter into an agreement with the Secretary of 
the Interior that—
(A) identifies—
(i) the non-Federal entity that will 
own or hold and manage the land or inter-
est in land; and 
(ii) the source of funds to provide the 
non-Federal share under paragraph (2); 
(B) describes the management objectives 
for the land in question that will assure perma-
nent protection and use of the land for the pur-
pose for which the assistance was provided, as 
required by section 4(5); 
(C) provides that if the non-Federal entity 
converts, uses, or disposes of the project for a 
purpose inconsistent with the purpose for which 
the assistance was provided, as determined by 
the Secretary of the Interior, the United States 
shall be authorized to seek specific performance 
of the conditions of financial assistance in ac-
cordance with subsection (b) in Federal court 
and shall be entitled to reimbursement from the 
non-Federal entity in an amount that is, as de-
termined at the time of conversion, use, or dis-
posal, the greater of—
(i) the total amount of the financial 
assistance provided for the project by the 
Federal Government under this section; or 
(ii) the amount by which the financial 
assistance increased the value of the land 
or interest in land; and 
(D) provides that use of the financial as-
sistance will be consistent with—
(i) the open space plan or greenway 
plan of the Highlands State in which the
land conservation partnership project is 
being carried out; and 
(ii) the findings and recommendations 
of the study and update. 
(2) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.—The Fed-
eral share of the cost of carrying out a land con-
servation partnership project under this subsection 
shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the 
land conservation partnership project. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte-
rior from the general funds of the Treasury or the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund to carry out this section 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2013, 
to remain available until expended.
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