(4) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘to acquire’’
and inserting ‘‘Acquire’’; and
(5) by adding at the end the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(4) Subject to standards established by and the
overall management oversight of the Director, enter
into cooperative agreements with State fish and wild-
life agencies and other entities for the management of
programs on, or parts of, a refuge.’’.
SEC. 5. COMPATIBILITY STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES.
Section 4(d) (16 U.S.C. 668dd(d)) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(3)(A)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), on
and after the date that is 3 years after the date of the
enactment of the National Wildlife Refuge Improve-
ment Act of 1995, the Secretary shall not initiate or
permit a new use of a refuge or expand, renew, or ex-
tend an existing use of a refuge, unless the Secretary
has determined that the use is compatible with the
purposes of the refuge and the purposes of the System
specified in subsection (a)(3).
‘‘(ii) On lands added to the System after the date
of the enactment of the National Wildlife Refuge Im-
provement Act of 1995, any existing fish or wildlife-
dependent use of a refuge, including fishing, hunting,
wildlife observation, and environmental education,
shall be permitted to continue on an interim basis
unless the Secretary determines that the use is not
compatible with the purposes of the refuge or with the
purposes of the System specified in subsection (a)(3),
or is otherwise inconsistent with this Act.
‘‘(iii) The Secretary shall permit fishing and
hunting on a refuge if the Secretary determines that
the activities are consistent with the principles of
sound fish and wildlife management, are compatible
with the purposes of the refuge and the purposes of the
System specified in subsection (a)(3), and are consist-
ent with public safety. No other determinations or
findings, except the determination of consistency with
State laws and regulations provided for in subsection
(m), are required to be made for fishing and hunting
to occur. The Secretary may make the determination
referred to in this paragraph for a refuge concur-
rently with the development of a conservation plan for
the refuge under subsection (e).
‘‘(B) Not later than 24 months after the date of
the enactment of the National Wildlife Refuge Im-
provement Act of 1995, the Secretary shall issue final
regulations establishing the process for determining a
compatible use under subparagraph (A) that—
‘‘(i) designate the refuge officer responsible
for making initial compatibility determinations;
‘‘(ii) require an estimate of the timeframe,
location, manner, and purpose of each use;
‘‘(iii) identify the effects of each use on ref-
uge resources and purposes of each refuge;
‘‘(iv) require that compatibility determina-
tions be made in writing and consider the best
professional judgment of the refuge officer des-
ignated under clause (i);
‘‘(v) provide for the expedited consideration
of uses that will likely have no detrimental effect
on the fulfillment of the purposes of a refuge or
the purposes of the System specified in subsection
(a)(3);
‘‘(vi) provide for the elimination or modi-
fication of any use as expeditiously as prac-
ticable after a determination is made that the
use is not compatible;
‘‘(vii) require, after an opportunity for pub-
lic comment, reevaluation of each existing use,
other than those uses specified in clause (viii),
when conditions under which the use is per-
mitted change significantly or when there is sig-
nificant new information regarding the effects of
the use, but not less frequently than once every
4 years, to ensure that the use remains compat-
ible with the purposes of the refuge and the pur-
poses of the System specified in subsection (a)(3);
‘‘(viii) require after an opportunity for pub-
lic comment reevaluation of each fish and wild-
life-dependent recreational use when conditions
under which the use is permitted change signifi-
cantly or when there is significant new informa-
tion regarding the effects of the use, but not less
frequently than in conjunction with each prepa-
ration or revision of a conservation plan under
subsection (e) or at least every 15 years;
‘‘(ix) provide an opportunity for public re-
view and comment on each evaluation of a use,
unless an opportunity for public review and
comment on the evaluation of the use has already
been provided during the development or revision
of a conservation plan for the refuge under sub-
section (e) or has otherwise been provided during
routine, periodic determinations of compatibility
for fish- and wildlife-dependent recreational uses;
and
‘‘(x) provide that when managed in accord-
ance with principles of sound fish and wildlife
management, fishing and hunting in a refuge
are generally compatible with the conservation of
fish and wildlife and plants and their habitats
and with the purposes of the refuge and the pur-
poses of the System.
‘‘(4) The provisions of this Act relating to deter-
minations of the compatibility of a use shall not
apply to—
‘‘(A) overflights within the airspace of a ref-
uge, except as otherwise provided by law or a
memorandum of understanding with the Sec-
retary; and
‘‘(B) activities authorized, funded, or con-
ducted by a Federal agency (other than the Unit-
ed States Fish and Wildlife Service) which has
primary jurisdiction over the refuge or a portion
of the refuge, if the management of those activi-
ties is in accordance with a memorandum of un-
derstanding between the Secretary or the Direc-
tor and the head of the Federal agency with pri-
mary jurisdiction over the refuge governing the
use of the refuge.’’.
SEC. 6. REFUGE CONSERVATION PLANNING PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4 (16 U.S.C. 668dd) is
amended—
(1) by redesignating subsections (e) through (i)
as subsections (f) through (j), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following
new subsection:
‘‘(e)(1)(A) Except with respect to refuge lands in Alas-
ka (which shall be governed by the refuge planning provi-
sions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation
Act (16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.)), the Secretary shall—
‘‘(i) propose a comprehensive conservation plan
for each refuge or related complex of refuges (referred
to in this subsection as a ‘planning unit’) in the Sys-
tem;
‘‘(ii) publish a notice of opportunity for public
comment in the Federal Register on each proposed
conservation plan;
‘‘(iii) issue a final conservation plan for each
planning unit consistent with the provisions of this
Act and, to the extent practicable, consistent with fish
and wildlife conservation plans of the State in which
the refuge is located; and
‘‘(iv) not less frequently than 15 years after the
date of issuance of a conservation plan under clause
(iii) and every 15 years thereafter, revise the con-
servation plan as may be necessary.
of a new refuge within the National Wildlife Refuge System
without specific authorization from Congress pursuant to
recommendation from the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, to create that new refuge.
SEC. 10. REORGANIZATIONAL TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
(a) REORGANIZATIONAL AMENDMENTS.—The Act of
October 15, 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) is amended—
(1) by adding before section 4 the following new
section:
‘‘SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
‘‘This Act may be cited as the ‘National Wildlife Ref-
uge System Administration Act of 1966’.’’;
(2) in section 4 (16 U.S.C. 668dd)—
(A) by striking ‘‘SEC. 4.’’; and
(B) by inserting before the text of that sec-
tion the following heading:
‘‘SEC. 4. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM.’’;
(3) by striking sections 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10; and
(4) by redesignating section 4 as section 2.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 12(f) of the
Act of December 5, 1969 (83 Stat. 283) is repealed.
(c) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, or other document of the United States to section 4
of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act