I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 987
To transfer management of the Banks Lake Unit of the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 13, 2001
Mr. CHAMBLISS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To transfer management of the Banks Lake Unit of the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. TRANSFER OF MANAGEMENT OF THE BANKS
LAKE UNIT OF THE OKEFENOKEE NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE.
(a) TRANSFER.—Management of the Banks Lake
Unit of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is trans-
ferred to the office or agency within the Georgia Depart-
ment of Natural Resources having primary authority
under State law for the protection and management of the
fish and resident wildlife of the State.
(b) MANAGEMENT CRITERIA.—The State wildlife
agency is encouraged, to the extent practicable and in co-
ordination with existing State of Georgia management of
adjoining State-owned wildlife lands and waters—
(1) to increase the intensity of management of
the Banks Lake Unit in order to provide hunting
and fishing and other wildlife-related recreational
opportunities;
(2) to manage lake levels in such unit to ensure
adequate water quantity and quality for maximum
recreational opportunities to fulfill the mission of the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge; and
(3) to ensure effective coordination, interaction,
and cooperation between the State wildlife agency
and owners of land adjoining the unit.
(c) APPLICABLE LAW.—Management of the Banks
Lake Unit by the State wildlife agency shall be subject
to applicable laws and regulations of the State of Georgia
and to all Federal laws for the protection of migratory
game birds that are administered on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act by the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, except that the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 and any other Federal statutory provision re-
lating to Federal action shall not apply to management
of such unit by the State wildlife agency or to allowing
public access to such unit for the purpose of hunting, fish-
ing, or other recreational opportunities.
(d) LIMITATION
ON ACQUISITION
OF PRIVATELY
OWNED INTERESTS IN LAND.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior may not acquire any privately owned interest in any
land located within or adjacent to the boundaries of the
Banks Lake unit without the consent of the owner of the
interest.
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) BANKS
LAKE
UNIT.—The term ‘‘Banks
Lake Unit’’ means the Banks Lake Unit of the Oke-
fenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
(2) MANAGEMENT.—The term ‘‘management’’
has the meaning given that term in section 5 of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act
of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.).
(3) STATE
WILDLIFE
AGENCY.—The term
‘‘State wildlife agency’’ means the office or agency
within the Georgia Department of Natural Re-
sources having primary authority under State law
for the protection and management of the fish and
resident wildlife of the State of Georgia.
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the
Interior $100,000 for fiscal year 2002 and $75,000 for
each of the subsequent 5 fiscal years for management by
the State wildlife agency of the Banks Lake Unit in ac-
cordance with this section. The Secretary shall transfer
to the State wildlife agency the full amount of any appro-
priation under this subsection at the beginning of each fis-
cal year. Such transfers shall not be subject to the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or any other Fed-
eral statutory provision relating to Federal action.
Æ