I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5651
To convey certain Federal lands to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DECEMBER 8, 2000
Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO´ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Re-
sources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned
A BILL
To convey certain Federal lands to the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF FEDERAL LANDS.
All right, title and interest of the United States in
and to those lands designated for transfer, or transferred,
to the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to section 1508
of title XV of Public Law 106–398 shall be conveyed,
without consideration, to the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico.
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SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF CONVEYED LANDS.
(a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—
(1) Those areas conveyed to the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico pursuant to section 1 shall be man-
aged for conservation purposes subject to a coopera-
tive agreement between the Commonwealth of Puer-
to Rico and the Secretary of the Interior.
(2) Areas adjacent to the areas conveyed to the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico pursuant to section 1
shall be considered for inclusion under the coopera-
tive agreement. Adjacent areas to be included under
the cooperative agreement shall be mutually agreed
to by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the
Secretary of the Interior. This determination of in-
clusion of lands shall be incorporated into the coop-
erative agreement process as set forth in paragraph
(1).
(3) The cooperative agreement referenced in
this subsection shall be implemented in cooperation
with the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust and other
interested parties.
(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—
(1) PURPOSES.—All lands subject to the coop-
erative agreement required by subsection (a) shall be
managed to protect and preserve the natural re-
sources of these lands in perpetuity. Consistent with
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the provisions of this subsection, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, and the Secretary of the Interior
shall comply with all applicable Federal environ-
mental laws, including the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, the Endangered Species Act of
1973, and the National Historic Preservation Act.
(2) TIMING.—The cooperative agreement shall
be completed not later than 120 days after the en-
actment of this Act. The Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico shall implement the terms and conditions of the
cooperative agreement, which can only be amended
by agreement of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
and the Secretary of the Interior.
(c) ROLE OF NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUN-
DATION.—Contingent on funds being available specifically
for the preservation and protection of natural resources
on the lands referred to in section 1, amounts necessary
to carry out the cooperative agreement may be made avail-
able to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to es-
tablish and manage an endowment for the management
of lands conveyed to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
and subject to the cooperative agreement. The proceeds
from investment of the endowment shall be available on
an annual basis. The Foundation shall strive to leverage
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annual proceeds with non-Federal funds to the fullest ex-
tent possible.
SEC. 3. CONTINUED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RESPONSI-
BILITY.
Federal responsibility to fund and implement any
necessary response actions (including operation and main-
tenance) to address environmental contamination result-
ing from the acts, omissions or presence of the Depart-
ment of Defense or which is present at the time of any
conveyance by the Secretary of the Navy to the Secretary
of the Interior pursuant to title XV of Public Law 106–
398 (including contamination subsequently discovered) or
which is present at the time of conveyance by the Sec-
retary of the Navy to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
pursuant to this Act (including contamination subse-
quently discovered), shall be the exclusive responsibility of
the Secretary of Defense, and not the responsibility of the
Secretary of the Interior or the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, unless such contamination was caused or contributed
to by the Department of the Interior or the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico. With respect to the conveyance im-
plemented pursuant to section 1, the Secretary of Defense
shall have the responsibility, on behalf of the United
States, to comply with the requirements of section 120(h)
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Com-