Title: To amend the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act to provide access to certain vehicles serving residents of municipalities adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This bill amends the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act with respect to the prohibition against the use of Highway 209, a federally owned road within the boundaries of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania, by certain commercial vehicles except as they serve businesses located within or in the vicinity of the recreation area.
The local business use exception to the prohibition is revised to permit, until September 30, 2021, the use of commercial vehicles with four or fewer axles that are: (1) owned and operated by a business located in the recreation area or one or more adjacent municipalities, or (2) necessary to provide services to businesses or persons located in the recreation area or one or more such municipalities.
The adjacent municipalities referred to are Delaware Township, Dingman Township, Lehman Township, Matamoras Borough, Middle Smithfield Township, Milford Borough, Milford Township, Smithfield Township, and Westfall Township in Pennsylvania.
The Department of the Interior shall establish a fee and permit program for the use of Highway 209 by commercial vehicles, including an annual fee of up to $200 per vehicle.
The following vehicles may use Highway 209 without a fee or permit requirement:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 560 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 560

 To amend the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement 
    Act to provide access to certain vehicles serving residents of 
 municipalities adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation 
                     Area, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 13, 2017

 Mr. Marino (for himself and Mr. Cartwright) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement 
    Act to provide access to certain vehicles serving residents of 
 municipalities adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation 
                     Area, 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. VEHICULAR ACCESS AND FEES.

    Section 4 of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area 
Improvement Act (Public Law 109-156) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 4. USE OF CERTAIN ROADS WITHIN THE RECREATION AREA.

    ``(a) In General.--Except as otherwise provided in this section, 
Highway 209, a federally owned road within the boundaries of the 
Recreation Area, shall be closed to all commercial vehicles.
    ``(b) Exception for Local Business Use.--Until September 30, 2021, 
subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to the use of commercial 
vehicles that have four or fewer axles and are--
            ``(1) owned and operated by a business physically located 
        in--
                    ``(A) the Recreation Area; or
                    ``(B) one or more adjacent municipalities; or
            ``(2) necessary to provide services to businesses or 
        persons located in--
                    ``(A) the Recreation Area; or
                    ``(B) one of more adjacent municipalities.
    ``(c) Fee.--The Secretary shall establish a fee and permit program 
for the use by commercial vehicles of Highway 209 under subsection (b). 
The program shall include an annual fee not to exceed $200 per vehicle. 
All fees received under the program shall be set aside in a special 
account and be available, without further appropriation, to the 
Secretary for the administration and enforcement of the program, 
including registering vehicles, issuing permits and vehicle 
identification stickers, and personnel costs.
    ``(d) Exceptions.--The following vehicles may use Highway 209 and 
shall not be subject to a fee or permit requirement under subsection 
(c):
            ``(1) Local school buses.
            ``(2) Fire, ambulance, and other safety and emergency 
        vehicles.
            ``(3) Commercial vehicles using Federal Road Route 209, 
        from--
                    ``(A) Milford to the Delaware River Bridge leading 
                to U.S. Route 206 in New Jersey; and
                    ``(B) mile 0 of Federal Road Route 209 to 
                Pennsylvania State Route 2001.''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 2 of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area 
Improvement Act (Public Law 109-156) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
        paragraphs (2) through (6), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated 
        by paragraph (1) of this section) the following:
            ``(1) Adjacent municipalities.--The term `adjacent 
        municipalities' means Delaware Township, Dingman Township, 
        Lehman Township, Matamoras Borough, Middle Smithfield Township, 
        Milford Borough, Milford Township, Smithfield Township and 
        Westfall Township, in Pennsylvania.''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 702 of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 
1996 (Public Law 104-333) is repealed.
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