II
Calendar No. 579
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3903
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
SEPTEMBER 16, 1998
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar
AN ACT
To provide for an exchange of lands located near Gustavus,
Alaska, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Glacier Bay National
Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. LAND EXCHANGE AND WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Subject to conditions set forth
in subsection (c), if the State of Alaska, in a manner con-
sistent with this Act, offers to transfer to the United
States the lands identified in paragraph (4) in exchange
for the lands identified in paragraph (3), selected from
the area described in section 3(b)(1), the Secretary of the
Interior (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall
complete such exchange no later than 6 months after the
issuance of a license to Gustavus Electric Company by the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (in this Act re-
ferred to as ‘‘FERC’’), in accordance with this Act. This
land exchange shall be subject to the laws applicable to
exchanges involving lands managed by the Secretary as
part of the National Park System in Alaska and the ap-
propriate process for the exchange of State lands required
by State law.
(2) The lands to be conveyed to the United States
by the State of Alaska shall be determined by mutual
agreement of the Secretary and the State of Alaska.
Lands that will be considered for conveyance to the United
States pursuant to the process required by State law are
lands owned by the State of Alaska in the Long Lake area
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within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, or
other lands owned by the State of Alaska.
(3) If the Secretary and the State of Alaska have not
agreed on which lands the State of Alaska will convey by
a date not later than 6 months after a license is issued
pursuant to this Act, the United States shall accept, with-
in 1 year after a license is issued, title to land having a
sufficiently equal value to satisfy State and Federal law,
subject to clear title and valid existing rights, and absence
of environmental contamination, and as provided by the
laws applicable to exchanges involving lands managed by
the Secretary as part of the National Park System in Alas-
ka and the appropriate process for the exchange of State
lands required by State law. Such land shall be accepted
by the United States, subject to the other provisions of
this Act, from among the following State lands in the pri-
ority listed:
COPPER RIVER MERIDIAN
(A) T.6 S., R. 12 E., partially surveyed, Sec. 5,
lots 1, 2, and 3, NE1⁄4, S1⁄2NW1⁄4, and S1⁄2. Con-
taining 617.68 acres, as shown on the plat of survey
accepted June 9, 1922.
(B) T.6 S., R. 11 E., partially surveyed, Sec.
11, lots 1 and 2, NE1⁄4, S1⁄2NW1⁄4, SW1⁄4, and
N1⁄2SE1⁄4; Sec. 12; Sec. 14, lots 1 and 2,
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NW1⁄4NW1⁄4. Containing 838.66 acres, as shown on
the plat of survey accepted June 9, 1922.
(C) T.6 S., R. 11 E., partially surveyed, Sec. 2,
NW1⁄4NE1⁄4 and NW1⁄4. Containing 200.00 acres, as
shown on the plat of survey accepted June 9, 1922.
(D) T.6 S., R. 12 E., partially surveyed, Sec.
6. lots 1 through 10, E1⁄2SW1⁄4 and SE1⁄4. Contain-
ing approximately 529.94 acres, as shown on the
plat of survey accepted June 9, 1922.
(4) The lands to be conveyed to the State of Alaska
by the United States under paragraph (1) are lands to
be designated by the Secretary and the State of Alaska,
consistent with sound land management principles, based
on those lands determined by FERC with the concurrence
of the Secretary and the State of Alaska, in accordance
with section 3(b), to be the minimum amount of land nec-
essary for the construction and operation of a hydro-
electric project.
(5) The time periods set forth for the completion of
the land exchanges described in this Act may be extended
as necessary by the Secretary should the processes of
State law or Federal law delay completion of an exchange.
(6) For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘land’’ means
lands, waters, and interests therein.
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(b) WILDERNESS.—(1) To ensure that this trans-
action maintains, within the National Wilderness Preser-
vation System, approximately the same amount of area of
designated wilderness as currently exists, the following
lands in Alaska shall be designated as wilderness in the
priority listed, upon consummation of the land exchange
authorized by this Act and shall be administered according
to the laws governing national wilderness areas in Alaska:
(A) An unnamed island in Glacier Bay National
Park lying southeasterly of Blue Mouse Cove in sec-
tions 5, 6, 7, and 8, T. 36 S., R. 54 E., CRM, and
shown on United States Geological Survey quad-
rangle Mt. Fairweather (D–2), Alaska, containing
approximately 789 acres.
(B) Cenotaph Island of Glacier Bay National
Park lying within Lituya Bay in sections 23, 24, 25,
and 26, T. 37 S., R. 47 E., CRM, and shown on
United States Geological Survey quadrangle Mt.
Fairweather (C–5), Alaska, containing approxi-
mately 280 acres.
(C) An area of Glacier Bay National Park lying
in T. 31. S., R. 43 E and T. 32 S., R. 43 E., CRM,
that is not currently designated wilderness, contain-
ing approximately 2,270 acres.