authority over the land or interest to be acquired as to the impacts of 
the proposed action. 
(3) ACTION TO ADVANCE LOCAL PUBLIC AWARENESS.—The Secretary 
shall take such steps as the Secretary considers appropriate to advance 
local public awareness of the proposed action. 
(4) ADMINISTRATION OF ACQUISITIONS.—Land, water, and interests in 
land or water acquired in accordance with this subsection shall be ad-
ministered as part of the System unit to which they are added, subject 
to the laws and regulations applicable to the System unit. 
(5) WHEN
AUTHORITY
APPLIES.—For the purposes of paragraph 
(1)(A), in all cases except the case of technical boundary changes (result-
ing from such causes as survey error or changed road alignments), the 
authority of the Secretary under paragraph (1)(A) shall apply only if 
each of the following conditions is met: 
(A) The sum of the total acreage of the land, water, and interests 
in land or water to be added to the System unit and the total acre-
age of the land, water, and interests in land or water to be deleted 
from the System unit is not more than 5 percent of the total Federal 
acreage authorized to be included in the System unit and is less 
than 200 acres. 
(B) The acquisition, if any, is not a major Federal action signifi-
cantly affecting the quality of the human environment, as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
(C) The sum of the total appraised value of the land, water, and 
interests in land or water to be added to the System unit and the 
total appraised value of the land, water, and interests in land or 
water to be deleted from the System unit does not exceed $750,000. 
(D) The proposed boundary change is not an element of a more 
comprehensive boundary change proposal. 
(E) The proposed boundary has been subject to a public review 
and comment period. 
(F) The Director obtains written consent for the boundary change 
from all property owners whose land, water, or interests in land or 
water, or a portion of whose land, water, or interests in land or 
water, will be added to or deleted from the System unit by the 
boundary change. 
(G) The land abuts other Federal land administered by the Direc-
tor. 
(6) ACT OF CONGRESS REQUIRED.—Minor boundary changes involving 
only deletions of acreage owned by the Federal Government and adminis-
tered by the Service may be made only by Act of Congress. 
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§ 100507. Additional areas for System 
(a) MONITORING AREAS FOR INCLUSION IN SYSTEM.—The Secretary shall 
investigate, study, and continually monitor the welfare of areas whose re-
sources exhibit qualities of national significance and that may have potential 
for inclusion in the System. 
(b) SUBMISSION OF LIST OF AREAS RECOMMENDED FOR STUDY FOR PO-
TENTIAL INCLUSION.— 
(1) WHEN LIST IS TO BE SUBMITTED.—At the beginning of each cal-
endar year, with the annual budget submission, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
a list of areas recommended for study for potential inclusion in the Sys-
tem. 
(2) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In developing the list to be sub-
mitted under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider— 
(A) the areas that have the greatest potential to meet the estab-
lished criteria of national significance, suitability, and feasibility; 
(B) themes, sites, and resources not already adequately rep-
resented in the System; and 
(C) public petitions and Congressional resolutions. 
(3) ACCOMPANYING SYNOPSIS.—Accompanying the annual listing of 
areas shall be a synopsis, for each report previously submitted, of the 
current and changed condition of the resource integrity of the area and 
other relevant factors, compiled as a result of continual periodic moni-
toring and embracing the period since the previous submission or initial 
report submission one year earlier. 
(4) CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.—No study of the po-
tential of an area for inclusion in the System may be initiated except 
as provided by specific authorization of an Act of Congress. 
(5) AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT CERTAIN ACTIVITIES NOT LIMITED.—This 
section and sections 100901(b), 101702(b) and (c), and 102102 of this 
title do not limit the authority of the Service to conduct preliminary re-
source assessments, gather data on potential study areas, provide tech-
nical and planning assistance, prepare or process nominations for ad-
ministrative designations, update previous studies, or complete recon-
naissance surveys of individual areas requiring a total expenditure of 
less than $25,000. 
(6) STUDY OF RIVERS OR TRAILS NOT AFFECTED.—This section does 
not apply to or affect or alter the study of— 
(A) any river segment for potential addition to the national wild 
and scenic rivers system; or 
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(B) any trail for potential addition to the national trails system. 
(c) STUDY OF AREAS FOR POTENTIAL INCLUSION.— 
(1) STUDY TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN 3 YEARS.—The Secretary shall 
complete the study for each area for potential inclusion in the System 
within 3 complete fiscal years following the date on which funds are first 
made available for that purpose. 
(2) OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT REQUIRED.—Each study 
under this section shall be prepared with appropriate opportunity for 
public involvement, including at least one public meeting in the vicinity 
of the area under study, and after reasonable efforts to notify potentially 
affected landowners and State and local governments. 
(3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting the study, the Secretary shall 
consider whether the area under study— 
(A) possesses nationally significant natural or cultural resources 
and represents one of the most important examples of a particular 
resource type in the country; and 
(B) is a suitable and feasible addition to the System. 
(4) SCOPE OF STUDY.—Each study— 
(A) with regard to the area being studied, shall consider— 
(i) the rarity and integrity of the resources; 
(ii) the threats to those resources; 
(iii) whether similar resources are already protected in the 
System or in other public or private ownership; 
(iv) the public use potential; 
(v) the interpretive and educational potential; 
(vi) costs associated with acquisition, development, and oper-
ation; 
(vii) the socioeconomic impacts of any designation; 
(viii) the level of local and general public support; and 
(ix) whether the area is of appropriate configuration to en-
sure long-term resource protection and visitor use; 
(B) shall consider whether direct Service management or alter-
native protection by other public agencies or the private sector is 
appropriate for the area; 
(C) shall identify what alternative or combination of alternatives 
would in the professional judgment of the Director be most effective 
and efficient in protecting significant resources and providing for 
public enjoyment; and 
(D) may include any other information that the Secretary con-
siders to be relevant. 
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(5) COMPLIANCE
WITH
NATIONAL
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY
ACT
OF 
1969.—Each study shall be completed in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 
(6) RECOMMENDATION OF PREFERRED MANAGEMENT OPTION.—The 
letter transmitting each completed study to Congress shall contain a rec-
ommendation regarding the Secretary’s preferred management option for 
the area. 
(d) LIST OF AREAS PREVIOUSLY STUDIED.— 
(1) SUBMISSION OF LIST.—At the beginning of each calendar year, 
with the annual budget submission, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, in numerical 
order of priority for addition to the System— 
(A) a list of areas that have been previously studied that contain 
primarily historical resources; and 
(B) a list of areas that have been previously studied that contain 
primarily natural resources. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the lists, the Secretary should 
consider threats to resource values, cost escalation factors, and other fac-
tors listed in subsection (c). 
(3) AREAS ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION.—The Secretary should include 
on the lists only areas for which the supporting data are current and 
accurate. 
(e) LIST OF AREAS THAT EXHIBIT DANGER OR THREATS TO THE INTEG-
RITY OF THEIR RESOURCES.—At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 
President of the Senate a complete and current list of all areas listed on the 
Registry of Natural Landmarks, and areas of national significance listed on 
the National Register of Historic places, that exhibit known or anticipated 
damage or threats to the integrity of their resources, with notations as to the 
nature and severity of the damage or threats. 
(f) REPORTS AND LISTINGS PRINTED AS HOUSE DOCUMENTS.—Each re-
port and annual listing described in this section shall be printed as a House 
document. If adequate supplies of previously printed identical reports remain 
available, newly submitted identical reports shall be omitted from printing on 
receipt by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of a joint letter from 
the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of Senate indicating that to be the case. 
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