Title: Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Wild and Scenic River Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Wild and Scenic River Act
This bill designates specified river segments in the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed in Rhode Island and Connecticut as scenic, recreational, or wild rivers and as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6950 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6950

  To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain river 
   segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed as components of the 
    National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 2018

Mr. Langevin (for himself, Mr. Courtney, and Mr. Cicilline) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain river 
   segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed as components of the 
    National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, 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 ``Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Wild and 
Scenic River Act''.

SEC. 2. WOOD-PAWCATUCK WATERSHED WILD AND SCENIC RIVER SEGMENTS.

    (a) Designation.--Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(214) Wood-pawcatuck watershed, rhode island and 
        connecticut.--The following river segments within the Wood-
        Pawcatuck watershed, to be administered by the Secretary of the 
        Interior, in cooperation with the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and 
        Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council:
                    ``(A) The approximately 11-mile segment of the 
                Beaver River from its headwaters in Exeter and West 
                Greenwich, Rhode Island, to its confluence with the 
                Pawcatuck River in Richmond, Rhode Island, as a scenic 
                river.
                    ``(B) The approximately 3-mile segment of the 
                Chipuxet River from the Kingstown Road Bridge, South 
                Kingstown, Rhode Island, to its outlet in Worden Pond, 
                as a wild river.
                    ``(C) The approximately 9-mile segment of the Green 
                Fall River from its headwaters in Voluntown, 
                Connecticut, to its confluence with the Ashaway River 
                in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, as a scenic river.
                    ``(D) The approximately 3-mile segment of the 
                Ashaway River from its confluence with the Green Fall 
                River to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in 
                Hopkinton, Rhode Island, as a recreational river.
                    ``(E) The approximately 3-mile segment of the 
                Pawcatuck River from the Worden Pond outlet in South 
                Kingstown, Rhode Island, to the South County Trail 
                Bridge, Charlestown and South Kingstown, Rhode Island, 
                as a wild river.
                    ``(F) The approximately 4-mile segment of the 
                Pawcatuck River from South County Trail Bridge, 
                Charlestown and South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to the 
                Carolina Back Road Bridge in Richmond and Charlestown, 
                Rhode Island, as a recreational river.
                    ``(G) The approximately 21-mile segment of the 
                Pawcatuck River from Carolina Back Road Bridge in 
                Richmond and Charlestown, Rhode Island, to the 
                confluence with Shunock River in Stonington, 
                Connecticut, as a scenic river.
                    ``(H) The approximately 8-mile segment of the 
                Pawcatuck River from the confluence with Shunock River 
                in Stonington, Connecticut, to the mouth of the river 
                between Pawcatuck Point in Stonington, Connecticut, and 
                Rhodes Point in Westerly, Rhode Island, as a 
                recreational river.
                    ``(I) The approximately 11-mile segment of the 
                Queen River from its headwaters in Exeter and West 
                Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the Kingstown Road Bridge 
                in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as a scenic river.
                    ``(J) The approximately 5-mile segment of the 
                Usquepaugh River from the Kingstown Road Bridge to its 
                confluence with the Pawcatuck River in South Kingstown, 
                Rhode Island, as a wild river.
                    ``(K) The approximately 8-mile segment of the 
                Shunock River from its headwaters in North Stonington, 
                Connecticut, to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River 
                as a recreational river.
                    ``(L) The approximately 13-mile segment of the Wood 
                River from its headwaters in Sterling and Voluntown, 
                Connecticut, and Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode 
                Island, to the Arcadia Road Bridge in Hopkinton and 
                Richmond, Rhode Island, as a wild river.
                    ``(M) The approximately 11-mile segment of the Wood 
                River from the Arcadia Road Bridge in Hopkinton and 
                Richmond, Rhode Island, to the confluence with the 
                Pawcatuck River in Charlestown, Hopkinton, and 
                Richmond, Rhode Island, as a recreational river.''.
    (b) Management of River Segments.--
            (1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Covered tributary.--The term ``covered 
                tributary'' means--
                            (i) each of Assekonk Brook, Breakheart 
                        Brook, Brushy Brook, Canochet Brook, 
                        Chickasheen Brook, Cedar Swamp Brook, 
                        Fisherville Brook, Glade Brook, Glen Rock 
                        Brook, Kelly Brook, Locke Brook, Meadow Brook, 
                        Pendleton Brook, Parris Brook, Passquisett 
                        Brook, Phillips Brook, Poquiant Brook, Queens 
                        Fort Brook, Roaring Brook, Sherman Brook, Taney 
                        Brook, Tomaquag Brook, White Brook, and Wyassup 
                        Brook within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed; and
                            (ii) any other perennial stream within the 
                        Wood-Pawcatuck watershed.
                    (B) River segment.--The term ``river segment'' 
                means a river segment designated by paragraph (214) of 
                section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
                U.S.C. 1274(a)) (as added by subsection (a)).
                    (C) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the 
                Secretary of the Interior.
                    (D) Stewardship plan.--The term ``Stewardship 
                Plan'' means the plan entitled the ``Wood-Pawcatuck 
                Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Plan for the Beaver, 
                Chipuxet, Green Fall-Ashaway, Pawcatuck, Queen-
                Usquepaugh, Shunock, and Wood Rivers'' and dated June 
                2018, which takes a watershed approach to the 
                management of the river segments.
            (2) Wood-pawcatuck wild and scenic rivers stewardship 
        plan.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
                the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship 
                Council, shall manage the river segments in accordance 
                with--
                            (i) the Stewardship Plan; and
                            (ii) any amendment to the Stewardship Plan 
                        that the Secretary determines is consistent 
                        with this subsection.
                    (B) Watershed approach.--In furtherance of the 
                watershed approach to resource preservation and 
                enhancement described in the Stewardship Plan, the 
                covered tributaries are recognized as integral to the 
                protection and enhancement of the river segments.
                    (C) Requirements for comprehensive management 
                plan.--The Stewardship Plan shall be considered to 
                satisfy each requirement for a comprehensive management 
                plan required under section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic 
                Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)).
            (3) Cooperative agreements.--To provide for the long-term 
        protection, preservation, and enhancement of each river 
        segment, in accordance with sections 10(e) and 11(b)(1) of the 
        Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(e), 1282(b)(1)), the 
        Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements (which may 
        include provisions for financial or other assistance from the 
        Federal Government) with--
                    (A) the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island;
                    (B) political subdivisions of the States of 
                Connecticut and Rhode Island, including--
                            (i) the towns of North Stonington, 
                        Sterling, Stonington, and Voluntown, 
                        Connecticut; and
                            (ii) the towns of Charlestown, Exeter, 
                        Hopkinton, North Kingstown, Richmond, South 
                        Kingstown, Westerly, and West Kingstown, Rhode 
                        Island;
                    (C) the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers 
                Stewardship Council; and
                    (D) any appropriate nonprofit organization, as 
                determined by the Secretary.
            (4) Relation to national park system.--Notwithstanding 
        section 10(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
        1281(c)), each river segment shall not be--
                    (A) administered as a unit of the National Park 
                System; or
                    (B) subject to the laws (including regulations) 
                that govern the administration of the National Park 
                System.
            (5) Land management.--
                    (A) Zoning ordinances.--The zoning ordinances 
                adopted by the towns of North Stonington, Sterling, 
                Stonington, and Voluntown, Connecticut, and 
                Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, North Kingstown, 
                Richmond, South Kingstown, Westerly, and West 
                Greenwich, Rhode Island (including any provision of the 
                zoning ordinances relating to the conservation of 
                floodplains, wetlands, and watercourses associated with 
                any river segment), shall be considered to satisfy the 
                standards and requirements described in section 6(c) of 
                the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)).
                    (B) Villages.--For purposes of section 6(c) of the 
                Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)), each 
                town described in subparagraph (A) shall be considered 
                to be a village.
                    (C) Acquisition of land.--
                            (i) Limitation of authority of secretary.--
                        With respect to each river segment, the 
                        Secretary may only acquire parcels of land--
                                    (I) by donation; or
                                    (II) with the consent of the owner 
                                of the parcel of land.
                            (ii) Prohibition relating to the 
                        acquisition of land by condemnation.--In 
                        accordance with 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic 
                        Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)), with respect to 
                        each river segment, the Secretary may not 
                        acquire any parcel of land by condemnation.
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