I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3365 
To make funds generated from the Caribbean National Forest in the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico available to the Secretary of Agriculture for 
land acquisition intended to protect the integrity of the buffer zone 
surrounding the Caribbean National Forest, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2005 
Mr. FORTUN˜O introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To make funds generated from the Caribbean National For-
est in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico available to 
the Secretary of Agriculture for land acquisition intended 
to protect the integrity of the buffer zone surrounding 
the Caribbean National Forest, 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caribbean National 
Forest Preservation Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) Pressures of increasing population densities 
and development are evident in the areas sur-
rounding the boundaries of the Caribbean National 
Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(2) While portions of the Caribbean National 
Forest are already in close proximity to highly popu-
lated urban areas, lands adjacent to the National 
Forest in the northeastern part of the Common-
wealth are the focus for future housing and tourism 
developments. 
(3) Given these development pressures, the Sec-
retary of Agriculture needs to promptly implement a 
program of land acquisition to consolidate the man-
agement and buffer the urban development to the 
Caribbean National Forest. 
(4) Potential tracts of land for acquisition have 
already been identified and prioritized in a ten-year 
acquisition plan that is included in the land and re-
source management plan for the Caribbean National 
Forest. 
(5) The Secretary needs a reliable source of 
funds to support the needed land acquisition.
SEC. 3. LAND ACQUISITION AUTHORITY, CARIBBEAN NA-
TIONAL FOREST, PUERTO RICO. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE LANDS.—The Secretary 
of Agriculture is authorized to acquire, by donation or 
purchase from willing sellers, tracts of land intended to 
assist in the consolidation of lands within or adjacent to 
the boundaries of the Caribbean National Forest in the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(b) SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR LAND ACQUISITION.— 
To fund the land acquisition authorized by subsection (a), 
the Secretary may use all amounts generated from the 
Caribbean National Forest that would, but for this sub-
section, be deposited as miscellaneous receipts in the 
Treasury of the United States, but not including amounts 
authorized by law for payments to the Commonwealth or 
authorized by law for retention by the Secretary for any 
other purpose. Amounts made available under this sub-
section shall be available to the Secretary until expended 
and without further appropriation. 
(c) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
adjust the boundaries of the Caribbean National Forest 
to include lands acquired under subsection (a). For pur-
poses of section 7 of the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–9), the boundaries of 
the Caribbean National Forest, as adjusted pursuant to
this subsection, shall be considered to be boundaries of 
the National Forest as of January 1, 1965. 
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