I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2569 
To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the 
Missisquoi River and the Trout River in the State of Vermont, as 
components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2013 
Mr. WELCH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate 
segments of the Missisquoi River and the Trout River 
in the State of Vermont, as components of the National 
Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 
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 ‘‘Upper Missisquoi and 
Trout Wild and Scenic Rivers Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF WILD AND SCENIC RIVER SEG-
MENTS. 
Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(208) MISSISQUOI RIVER AND TROUT RIVER, 
VERMONT.—The following segments in the State of 
Vermont, to be administered by the Secretary of the 
Interior as a recreational river: 
‘‘(A) The 20.5-mile segment of the 
Missisquoi River from the Lowell/Westfield 
town line to the Canadian border in North 
Troy, excluding the property and project bound-
ary of the Troy and North Troy hydroelectric 
facilities. 
‘‘(B) The 14.6-mile segment of the 
Missisquoi River from the Canadian border in 
Richford to the upstream project boundary of 
the Enosburg Falls hydroelectric facility in 
Sampsonville. 
‘‘(C) The 11-mile segment of the Trout 
River from the confluence of the Jay and Wade 
Brooks in Montgomery to where the Trout 
River joins the Missisquoi River in East Berk-
shire.’’. 
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SEC. 3. MANAGEMENT. 
(a) MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The river segments des-
ignated by paragraph (208) of section 3(a) of the 
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) 
shall be managed in accordance with— 
(A) the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers 
Management Plan developed during the study 
described in section 5(b)(19) of the Wild and 
Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1276(b)(19)) (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘management 
plan’’); and 
(B) such amendments to the management 
plan as the Secretary determines are consistent 
with this Act and as are approved by the Upper 
Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild and Scenic 
Committee (referred to in this section as the 
‘‘Committee’’). 
(2) COMPREHENSIVE
MANAGEMENT
PLAN.— 
The management plan, as finalized in March 2013, 
and as amended, shall be considered to satisfy the 
requirements for a comprehensive management plan 
pursuant to section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Riv-
ers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)). 
(b) COMMITTEE.—The Secretary shall coordinate 
management responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior 
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under this Act with the Committee, as specified in the 
management plan. 
(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to provide for the 
long-term protection, preservation, and enhancement 
of the river segments designated by paragraph (208) 
of section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1274(a)), the Secretary of the Interior 
may enter into cooperative agreements pursuant to 
sections 10(e) and 11(b)(1) (16 U.S.C. 1281(e), 
1282(b)(1)) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
with— 
(A) the State of Vermont; 
(B) 
the 
municipalities 
of 
Berkshire, 
Enosburg 
Falls, 
Enosburgh, 
Montgomery, 
North Troy, Richford, Troy, and Westfield; and 
(C) appropriate local, regional, statewide, 
or multi-state planning, environmental, or rec-
reational organizations. 
(2) CONSISTENCY.—Each cooperative agree-
ment entered into under this section shall be con-
sistent with the management plan and may include 
provisions for financial or other assistance from the 
United States. 
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(d) EFFECT ON EXISTING HYDROELECTRIC FACILI-
TIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The designation of the river 
segments by paragraph (208) of section 3(a) of the 
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)), 
does not— 
(A) preclude the Federal Energy Regu-
latory Commission from licensing, relicensing, 
or otherwise authorizing the operation or con-
tinued operation of the Troy Hydroelectric, 
North Troy, or Enosburg Falls hydroelectric 
project under the terms of licenses or exemp-
tions in effect on the date of enactment of this 
Act; or 
(B) limit modernization, upgrade, or other 
changes to the projects described in paragraph 
(1) subject to written determination by the Sec-
retary of the Interior that the changes are con-
sistent with the purposes of the designation. 
(2) HYDROPOWER
PROCEEDINGS.—Resource 
protection, mitigation, or enhancement measures re-
quired by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
hydropower proceedings— 
(A) shall not be considered to be project 
works for purposes of this Act; and 
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(B) may be located within the river seg-
ments designated by paragraph (208) of section 
3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1274(a)), subject to a written deter-
mination by the Secretary that the measures 
are consistent with the purposes of the designa-
tion. 
(e) LAND MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) ZONING ORDINANCES.—For the purpose of 
the segments designated in paragraph (208) of sec-
tion 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1274(a)), the zoning ordinances adopted by 
the towns of Berkshire, Enosburg Falls, Enosburgh, 
Montgomery, North Troy, Richford, Troy, and West-
field in the State of Vermont, including provisions 
for conservation of floodplains, wetlands, and water-
courses associated with the segments, shall be con-
sidered to satisfy the standards and requirements of 
section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1277(c)). 
(2) ACQUISITIONS OF LAND.—The authority of 
the Secretary to acquire land for the purposes of the 
segments designated in paragraph (208) of section 
3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1274(a)) shall be— 
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(A) limited to acquisition by donation or 
acquisition with the consent of the owner of the 
land; and 
(B) subject to the additional criteria set 
forth in the management plan. 
(f) RELATION TO NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.—Not-
withstanding section 10(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(c)), the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers 
shall not be administered as part of the National Park 
System or be subject to regulations that govern the Na-
tional Park System. 
(g) DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL SEGMENT.— 
(1) DEFINITION OF ADDITIONAL SEGMENT.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘‘additional segment’’ 
means the 3.8-mile segment of the Missisquoi River 
extending from the confluence of the Burgess 
Branch and East Branch of the Missisquoi River in 
Lowell to the Lowell/Westfield town line. 
(2) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the addi-
tional segment is eligible and suitable for designa-
tion as a recreational river if the Secretary of the 
Interior determines that there is adequate local sup-
port for the designation in accordance with para-
graph (4). 
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