for state and local recreation and conservation ac-
quisition, planning and development can be estab-
lished.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to revital-
ize state, local and private commitments envisioned in the
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 by creat-
ing a new Community Recreation and Conservation En-
dowment with the escrowed oil and gas lease sale revenues
received by the United States pursuant to the Supreme
Court decision in United States v. Alaska to provide fund-
ing for state, local and urban recreation and conservation
needs.
SEC 3. COMMUNITY RECREATION AND CONSERVATION EN-
DOWMENT.
Section 6 of the Land and Water Conservation Act
of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–8) is amended by inserting the
following new subsection at the beginning:
‘‘(a) COMMUNITY RECREATION AND CONSERVATION
ENDOWMENT.—
‘‘(1) SPECIAL ACCOUNT.—Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, all escrowed oil and gas reve-
nues and interest received by the United States pur-
suant to the June 19, 1997 Supreme Court decision
in United States v. Alaska shall be deposited in a
special account in the Treasury of the United States,
to be known as the ‘Community Recreation and
Conservation Endowment Account’, for use pursuant
to the provisions of this section.
‘‘(2) INVESTMENT OF SPECIAL ACCOUNT.—All
funds deposited as principal in the Community
Recreation and Conservation Endowment Account
shall earn interest in the amount determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury. Such interest shall be
added to the principal of the account and be ex-
pended according to the provisions of this section.
‘‘(3) EXPENDITURE OF SPECIAL ACCOUNT.—In-
terest on the Community Recreation and Conserva-
tion Endowment Account shall be available without
further appropriation at the beginning of each fiscal
year for expenditure by the Secretary of the Interior
(hereinafter referred to as the ‘Secretary’) for pur-
poses of providing monies to the states according to
the provisions of this section.’’.
SEC. 4. GENERAL AUTHORITY.
Section 6 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–8) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (h)
as subsections (b) through (i) respectively;
(2) by striking the first sentence of subsection
(b) (as so redesignated) and replacing with ‘‘The
Secretary is authorized to provide financial assist-
ance to the States from interest earned on the Com-
munity Recreation and Conservation Endowment.’’;
and
(3) by adding the following new sentence at the
end of subsection (b) (as so redesignated): ‘‘Absent
some compelling and annually documented reason to
the contrary acceptable to the Secretary, each State
(other than an area treated as a State under section
6(c)(6)) shall make available as grants to local gov-
ernments and other qualified recipients, at least one-
half of the average annual State apportionment, or
an equivalent amount made available from other
sources.’’.
SEC. 5. APPORTIONMENT.
Section 6(c) of the Land and Water Conservation
Fund (16 U.S.C. 460l–8(c)) (as so redesignated) is
amended—
(1) by striking the first sentence of subsection
(c) and paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) and inserting
the following:
‘‘(c) APPORTIONMENT AMONG STATES; NOTIFICA-
TION.—Interest earned on the Community Recreation and
Conservation Endowment shall be apportioned annually
among the several States by the Secretary, whose deter-
mination shall be final, in accordance with the following
formula:
‘‘(1) Sixty percent shall be apportioned equally
among the several States.
‘‘(2) Twenty percent shall be apportioned on
the basis of the proportion which the population of
each State bears to the total population of the
United States.
‘‘(3) Twenty percent shall be apportioned on
the basis of the urban population in each State (as
defined by Metropolitan Statistical Areas).
‘‘(4) The total allocation to an individual State
under paragraphs (1) through (3) shall not exceed
10 percent of the total amount allocated to the sev-
eral States in any one year.’’; and
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) of
subsection (c) (as so redesignated) as paragraphs
(5) and (6) respectively.
SEC. 6. FUNDS FOR INDIAN TRIBES.
Section 6(c)(6) of the Land and Water Conservation
Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l–8(c)(6)) (as so redesig-
nated) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ after ‘‘(6)’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph:
‘‘(B) For the purposes of paragraph (1), all
federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Native
Village Corporations (as defined in section 3(j) of
the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C.
1602(j)) shall be treated collectively as one State,
and shall receive shares of the apportionment under
paragraph (1) in accordance with a competitive
grant program established by the Secretary by rule.
Such rule shall ensure that in each fiscal year no
single tribe or Village Corporation receives more
than 10 percent of the total amount made available
to all tribes and Village Corporations pursuant to
the apportionment under paragraph (1). Funds re-
ceived by an Indian tribe or Village Corporation
under this subparagraph may be expended only for
the purposes specified in paragraphs (1) and (3) of
subsection (b). Receipt in any given year of an ap-
portionment under this section shall not prevent an
Indian tribe or Village Corporation from receiving
grants for other purposes under than regular appor-
tionment of the State in which it is located.’’.
Æ