I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 723
To provide for the protection of the geothermal resources of Yellowstone
National Park.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 27, 1995
Mr. WILLIAMS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To provide for the protection of the geothermal resources
of Yellowstone National Park.
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 ‘‘Old Faithful Protec-
tion Act of 1995’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) Yellowstone National Park is a unique and
irreplaceable national and international treasure and
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part of one of the few remaining undisturbed hydro-
thermal systems in the world;
(2) there is a risk that unrestricted ground-
water use or hydrothermal or geothermal resource
development adjacent to Yellowstone National Park
in the States of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho will
interfere or adversely affect the hydrothermal and
geothermal features of such Park or the manage-
ment of relevant mineral resources;
(3) further research is needed to understand
the characteristics of the protected systems and fea-
tures and the effects of development on such system,
and features on lands outside of Yellowstone Na-
tional Park but within the Yellowstone Protection
Area, as such area is defined in this Act;
(4) preservation and protection, free from in-
jury or impairment, of the hydrothermal system as-
sociated with and the features within Yellowstone
National Park is a benefit to the people of the
United States and the world;
(5) cooperation between the United States and
the States of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to pro-
tect and preserve Yellowstone National Park is de-
sirable; and
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(6) as a settlement of litigation concerning
water rights, including the reserved water rights of
the United States associated with units of the Na-
tional Park System in Montana, the Department of
the Interior and the Department of Justice, on be-
half of the United States, and a Compact Commis-
sion, on behalf of the State of Montana, have devel-
oped a Compact that, when ratified by the State and
signed by the Secretary of the Interior and the At-
torney General of the United States, will constitute
such a settlement of litigation concerning matters
within its scope and which, in Article IV, also estab-
lishes a program for regulation of development and
use of groundwater in areas adjacent to Yellowstone
National Park.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to require the Secretary to take the nec-
essary actions to preserve and protect the hydro-
thermal system associated with, and the hydro-
thermal and geothermal features within, Yellowstone
National Park from injury or impairment by protect-
ing the Federal reserved water rights of Yellowstone
National Park;
(2) to provide a framework for management by
the States of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho of reg-
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ulated resources outside of but significantly related
to Yellowstone National Park to the extent such
States implement appropriate approved programs for
such management that are adequate to preserve and
protect, free from injury or impairment, the pro-
tected systems and features;
(3) to authorize, as provided in section 8, ap-
proval of Article IV of the Compact as such an ap-
propriate State program; and
(4) to require relevant research.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(2) The term ‘‘Yellowstone Protection Area’’
means the area in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming
identified on the map entitled ‘‘Yellowstone Protec-
tion Area’’, numbered 20036, and dated May 1993,
and any modifications thereof as may be made under
section 7.
(3) The term ‘‘protected systems and features’’
means the hydrothermal and geothermal systems
and hydrothermal and geothermal features associ-
ated with Yellowstone National Park.
(4) The term ‘‘regulated resources’’ means—