Title: Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act
This bill amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee, in coordination with the Department of the Interior, shall lead and coordinate the implementation of the management plan for the designated river segments according to the amendments to the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Management Plan, dated June 2011, as determined to be consistent with this bill.
The designation made by this bill shall not be construed to: (1) prohibit, pre-empt, or abridge future licensing or re-licensing of the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a federally licensed hydroelectric generation project; or (2) affect the operation of, or impose any flow or release requirements on, the unlicensed hydroelectric facility at the dam and reservoir.
The Lower Farmington River shall not be administered as part of the National Park System (NPS) or be subject to NPS regulations.
The National Park Service may not administratively change the extent of the protection afforded to the river segments designated by this bill.
The bill also revises the description of a specified designated segment of the Farmington River in Connecticut.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1535 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1535

 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments 
of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut as 
components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 15, 2017

  Ms. Esty (for herself and Mr. Larson of Connecticut) 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 segments 
of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut 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 ``Lower Farmington River and Salmon 
Brook Wild and Scenic River Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and 
        Scenic River Study Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-370) authorized 
        the study of the Farmington River downstream from the segment 
        designated as a recreational river by section 3(a)(156) of the 
        Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)(156)) to its 
        confluence with the Connecticut River, and the segment of the 
        Salmon Brook including its main stem and east and west branches 
        for potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
        System;
            (2) the studied segments of the Lower Farmington River and 
        Salmon Brook support natural, cultural, and recreational 
        resources of exceptional significance to the citizens of 
        Connecticut and the Nation;
            (3) concurrently with the preparation of the study, the 
        Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Study 
        Committee prepared the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook 
        Management Plan, June 2011, that establishes objectives, 
        standards, and action programs that will ensure the long-term 
        protection of the outstanding values of the river segments 
        without Federal management of affected lands not owned by the 
        United States;
            (4) the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and 
        Scenic Study Committee has voted in favor of Wild and Scenic 
        River designation for the river segments, and has included this 
        recommendation as an integral part of the management plan;
            (5) there is strong local support for the protection of the 
        Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook, including votes of 
        support for Wild and Scenic designation from the governing 
        bodies of all ten communities abutting the study area;
            (6) the State of Connecticut General Assembly has endorsed 
        the designation of the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook 
        as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System 
        (Public Act 08-37); and
            (7) the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir are located entirely 
        outside of the river segments designated by the amendment made 
        in section 3, and, based on the findings of the study of the 
        Lower Farmington River pursuant to Public Law 109-370, this 
        hydroelectric project (including all aspects of its facilities, 
        operations and transmission lines) is compatible with such 
        designation.

SEC. 3. 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 new paragraph:
            ``(213) Lower farmington river and salmon brook, 
        connecticut.--Segments of the main stem and its tributary, 
        Salmon Brook, totaling approximately 62 miles, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior as follows:
                    ``(A) The approximately 27.2-mile segment of the 
                Farmington River beginning 0.2 miles below the tailrace 
                of the Lower Collinsville Dam and extending to the site 
                of the Spoonville Dam in Bloomfield and East Granby as 
                a recreational river.
                    ``(B) The approximately 8.1-mile segment of the 
                Farmington River extending from 0.5 miles below the 
                Rainbow Dam to the confluence with the Connecticut 
                River in Windsor as a recreational river.
                    ``(C) The approximately 2.4-mile segment of the 
                main stem of Salmon Brook extending from the confluence 
                of the East and West Branches to the confluence with 
                the Farmington River as a recreational river.
                    ``(D) The approximately 12.6-mile segment of the 
                West Branch of Salmon Brook extending from its 
                headwaters in Hartland, Connecticut, to its confluence 
                with the East Branch of Salmon Brook as a recreational 
                river.
                    ``(E) The approximately 11.4-mile segment of the 
                East Branch of Salmon Brook extending from the 
                Massachusetts-Connecticut State line to the confluence 
                with the West Branch of Salmon Brook as a recreational 
                river.''.

SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild 
and Scenic Committee, in coordination with the Secretary, shall lead 
and coordinate implementation of the management plan for the river 
segments designated by the amendment made in section 3 in accordance 
with such amendments to the management plan as the Secretary determines 
are consistent with this Act. The management plan shall be deemed to 
satisfy the requirements for a comprehensive management plan pursuant 
to section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)).
    (b) Cooperative Agreements.--
            (1) In general.--In order to provide for the long-term 
        protection, preservation, and enhancement of the river segments 
        designated by the amendment made in section 3 of this Act, the 
        Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements 
        pursuant to sections 10(e) and 11(b)(1) of the Wild and Scenic 
        Rivers Act with--
                    (A) the State of Connecticut;
                    (B) the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, East 
                Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartland, Simsbury, and 
                Windsor in Connecticut; and
                    (C) appropriate local planning and environmental 
                organizations.
            (2) Consistency.--All cooperative agreements provided for 
        under this Act shall be consistent with the management plan and 
        may include provisions for financial or other assistance from 
        the United States.
    (c) Land Management.--
            (1) Zoning ordinances.--For the purposes of the river 
        segments designated by the amendment made in section 3, the 
        zoning ordinances adopted by the towns in Avon, Bloomfield, 
        Burlington, East Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartland, 
        Simsbury, and Windsor in Connecticut, including provisions for 
        conservation of floodplains, wetlands and watercourses 
        associated with the segments, shall be deemed to satisfy the 
        standards and requirements of section 6(c) of the Wild and 
        Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)).
            (2) Acquisition of land.--The provisions of section 6(c) of 
        the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)) that 
        prohibit Federal acquisition of lands by condemnation shall 
        apply to the river segments designated by the amendment made in 
        section 3 of this Act. The authority of the Secretary to 
        acquire lands and permanent structures for the purposes of the 
        river segments designated by the amendment made in section 3 of 
        this Act shall be limited to acquisition by donation or 
        acquisition with the consent of the owner of the lands, and 
        shall be subject to the additional criteria set forth in the 
        management plan.
    (d) Rainbow Dam.--The designation made by the amendment in section 
3 shall not be construed to--
            (1) prohibit, pre-empt, or abridge the potential future 
        licensing of the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir (including any and 
        all aspects of its facilities, operations and transmission 
        lines) by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a 
        federally licensed hydroelectric generation project under the 
        Federal Power Act; or
            (2) affect the operation of, or impose any flow or release 
        requirements on, the unlicensed hydroelectric facility at 
        Rainbow Dam and Reservoir.
    (e) Relation to National Park System.--Notwithstanding section 
10(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(c)), the Lower 
Farmington River shall not be administered as part of the National Park 
System or be subject to regulations which govern the National Park 
System.
    (f) Protection Afforded by Wild and Scenic River Designation.--The 
National Park Service may not administratively change the extent of the 
protection afforded to the river segments designated by the amendment 
made in section 3.

SEC. 5. FARMINGTON RIVER, CONNECTICUT, DESIGNATION REVISION.

    Section 3(a)(156) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1274(a)) is amended in the first sentence--
            (1) by striking ``14-mile'' and inserting ``15.1-mile''; 
        and
            (2) by striking ``to the downstream end of the New 
        Hartford-Canton, Connecticut town line'' and inserting ``to the 
        confluence with the Nepaug River''.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act:
            (1) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means 
        the management plan referred to in section 2(3).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
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