Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act
Bill: H.R.9264 | Sponsor: Rep. Conway, Connie (R-CA)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act
This bill makes changes with respect to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas of Yosemite National Park.
Specifically, the bill increases rent paid by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for the use of the park from $30,000 to $2 million per year. That amount shall be adjusted annually to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The commission may not recoup such sums from wholesale water or power customers. The bill allows collected rent to be used by the Department of the Interior for wildfire mitigation activities in the park and other national parks in California.
The bill requires the National Park Service to administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for public recreation, benefit, and use in a manner that will preserve scenic, historic, scientific, or otherwise important features.

To amend the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), to expand access 
    to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for 
             recreational purposes, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Yosemite National Park Equal Access 
and Fairness Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ACCESS TO HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR AND LAKE ELEANOR 
              BASIN AREAS FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES.

    (a) In General.--The Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), is 
amended--
            (1) in section 7--
                    (A) in the first sentence--
                            (i) by striking ``$30,000'' and inserting 
                        ``$2,000,000''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``and adjusted annually 
                        to reflect increases in the Consumer Price 
                        Index for All Urban Consumers'' after ``July of 
                        each year'';
                    (B) by inserting ``The grantee may not recoup said 
                sums from wholesale water or power customers of the 
                grantee.'' after the first sentence; and
                    (C) in the second sentence, by inserting ``and 
                wildfire mitigation activities'' after ``other 
                improvements''; and
            (2) by inserting after section 11 the following:

``SEC. 12. RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
the Director of the National Park Service (in this section referred to 
as the `Secretary'), shall administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and 
Lake Eleanor Basin areas--
            ``(1) for public recreation, benefit, and use;
            ``(2) to the extent practicable, in a manner that will 
        preserve, develop, and enhance the public recreation capacity 
        of each such area; and
            ``(3) in a manner that will preserve the features of each 
        such area that are scenic, historic, scientific, or otherwise 
        important.
    ``(b) Recreational Activities.--Subject to such limitations, 
conditions, and regulations as the Secretary determines necessary, the 
following activities shall be allowed within the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir 
and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes if such 
activities are not inconsistent with the designated primary or 
recreational use of each such area:
            ``(1) Swimming.
            ``(2) Use of non-motorized watercraft.
            ``(3) Camping in and around each such area if such camping 
        is not below the respective ordinary high-water marks of each 
        such area.
            ``(4) Picnicking in and around each such area.
            ``(5) Other recreational activities the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
            ``(6) Use by motorized and non-motorized vehicles of roads 
        required to access each such area to conduct activities 
        described in this subsection if such use has no negative effect 
        on the operation or maintenance of any facility associated with 
        a dam within each such area.''.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this section, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
Director of the National Park Service, shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that includes the following:
            (1) An analysis of whether the original intent in the Act 
        of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), regarding access to the 
        Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for 
        recreational purposes has been followed since such areas were 
        created.
            (2) An analysis of how revenue collection and the 
        allocation of funds related to the administration of the Hetch 
        Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas can be carried 
        out to best provide equitable access to such areas for 
        recreational purposes by the public, including consideration 
        of--
                    (A) maintenance and support costs of such areas, 
                including--
                            (i) trail maintenance;
                            (ii) road improvements; and
                            (iii) wildfire prevention and suppression; 
                        and
                    (B) ways to mitigate such costs, including--
                            (i) adjusting the prices charged for water 
                        and power generated by the Hetch Hetchy Water 
                        and Power System created by the Act of December 
                        19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242);
                            (ii) treating the City of San Francisco as 
                        a concessioner; and
                            (iii) adding to the annual rental fee 
                        charged to the City of San Francisco by section 
                        7 of the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 
                        242), the annual monetary value of the benefits 
                        that would be lost if such areas had not been 
                        created, including consideration of--
                                    (I) recreational activities; and
                                    (II) flood control.
                                 <all>