I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2636 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource 
study of the Hudson River Valley, New York. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 9, 2013 
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. 
ENGEL, and Mr. TONKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
special resource study of the Hudson River Valley, New 
York. 
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 ‘‘Hudson River Valley 
Special Resource Study Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
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(2) STUDY AREA.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 
means the portion of the Hudson River that 
flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to 
the southernmost boundary of Westchester 
County, New York. 
(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘study area’’ 
includes any relevant sites and landscapes with-
in the counties in New York that abut the area 
described in subparagraph (A). 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) the Hudson River Valley possesses nation-
ally significant and unique cultural, historical, nat-
ural, recreational, and scenic resources; 
(2) the Hudson River Valley is home to a ro-
bust and growing tourism and recreation industry 
that is an important component of the regional econ-
omy; 
(3) throughout history, the Hudson River Val-
ley has played a crucial role in the development of 
the United States, starting from the vibrant Native 
American communities that first inhabited the land, 
to the voyage of Henry Hudson up the river later 
named for Hudson in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 
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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 gave birth to im-
portant movements in the art, architecture, and lit-
erature of the United States; 
(5) the Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich 
array of sensitive natural resources ranging from the 
Hudson River and the vast estuarine district of the 
Hudson River, to the wetlands, refuges, parks, for-
ests, farmlands, preserves, cliffs, valleys, and wildlife 
of the Hudson River; 
(6) the depictions and descriptions of the re-
nowned scenery and natural resources of the Hudson 
River Valley played a central role in the recognition 
of the value of the landscape and the development 
of the esthetic and environmental ideal of the United 
States; 
(7) a 1996 National Park Service study de-
scribed the Hudson River Valley as ‘‘the landscape 
that defined America’’; and 
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(8) the Hudson River Valley has been the sub-
ject of multiple State and Federal inventories, stud-
ies, and plans that should greatly assist in the con-
duct of a National Park Service special resource 
study. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as funds are made avail-
able to carry out this section, the Secretary shall conduct 
a study of the study area to evaluate— 
(1) the national significance of the study area; 
and 
(2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 
the study area as a unit of the National Park Sys-
tem. 
(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 in-
cluded in section 8 of the National Park System 
General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a–5); and 
(2) closely examine models for units of the Na-
tional Park System, in particular national river and 
recreation areas, and other landscape protection 
models, that— 
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(A) encompass large areas of non-Federal 
land within designated boundaries; 
(B) promote increased heritage tourism 
and economic development; 
(C) foster public and private collaborative 
arrangements for achieving National Park Serv-
ice objectives; and 
(D) protect and respect the rights of pri-
vate land owners and municipalities. 
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 
are first made available to conduct the study under section 
4, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
a report on the findings, conclusions, and recommenda-
tions of the study. 
Æ 
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