Title: San Gabriel Mountains Forever Act of 2017
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
San Gabriel Mountains Forever Act of 2017
This bill designates specified federal lands in Angeles National Forest in California as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
The bill amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the East Fork San Gabriel River, the North Fork San Gabriel River, the West Fork San Gabriel River, and Little Rock Creek in California as wild, recreational, or scenic 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. 3039 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3039

   To designate certain Federal lands in the State of California as 
     wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System, to designate portions of the San Gabriel River and 
Little Rock Creek in that State as components of the National Wild and 
             Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2017

Ms. Judy Chu of California (for herself and Mr. Schiff) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To designate certain Federal lands in the State of California as 
     wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System, to designate portions of the San Gabriel River and 
Little Rock Creek in that State 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; DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``San Gabriel 
Mountains Forever Act of 2017''.
    (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of 
        California.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS, ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Designation.--In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1131 et seq.), the following National Forest System lands in the State 
are designated as wilderness and as components of the National 
Wilderness Preservation System:
            (1) Condor peak wilderness.--Certain Federal land in the 
        Angeles National Forest, comprising approximately 8,417 acres, 
        as generally depicted on the map entitled ``Condor Peak 
        Wilderness--Proposed'' and dated _____, which shall be known as 
        the Condor Peak Wilderness.
            (2) San gabriel wilderness additions.--Certain Federal land 
        in the Angeles National Forest, comprising approximately 2,027 
        acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled ``San Gabriel 
        Wilderness Additions'' and dated _____, which is incorporated 
        in, and considered to be a part of, the San Gabriel Wilderness 
        designated by Public Law 90-318 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 82 Stat. 
        131).
            (3) Sheep mountain wilderness additions.--Certain Federal 
        land in the Angeles National Forest, comprising approximately 
        13,851 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled ``Sheep 
        Mountain Wilderness Additions'' and dated _____, which is 
        incorporated in, and considered to be a part of, the Sheep 
        Mountain Wilderness designated by section 101(a)(29) of the 
        California Wilderness Act of 1984 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public 
        Law 98-425; 98 Stat. 1623).
            (4) Yerba buena wilderness.--Certain Federal land in the 
        Angeles National Forest, comprising approximately 6,774 acres, 
        as generally depicted on the map entitled ``Yerba Buena 
        Wilderness--Proposed'' and dated _____, which shall be known as 
        the Yerba Buena Wilderness.
    (b) Map and Legal Description.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a 
        legal description of the wilderness areas and wilderness 
        additions designated by subsection (a) with--
                    (A) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
                of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
                of the Senate.
            (2) Force of law.--The map and legal description filed 
        under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if 
        included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct any 
        clerical and typographical errors in the map and legal 
        description.
            (3) Public availability.--The map and legal description 
        filed under paragraph (1) shall be on file and available for 
        public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Forest 
        Service.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF WILDERNESS.

    (a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness 
areas and wilderness additions designated by section 2 shall be 
administered by the Secretary in accordance with this section and the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that any reference in 
the Wilderness Act to the effective date of that Act shall be 
considered to be a reference to the date of enactment of this Act.
    (b) Fire Management and Related Activities.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may take such measures in a 
        wilderness area or wilderness addition designated by section 2 
        as are necessary for the control of fire, insects, and diseases 
        in accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)) and House Report 98-40 of the 98th Congress.
            (2) Funding priorities.--Nothing in this Act limits funding 
        for fire and fuels management in the wilderness areas or 
        wilderness additions designated by section 2.
            (3) Revision and development of local fire management 
        plans.--As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, the Secretary shall amend the local fire management 
        plans that apply to the land designated as a wilderness area or 
        wilderness addition by section 2.
            (4) Administration.--Consistent with paragraph (1) and 
        other applicable Federal law, to ensure a timely and efficient 
        response to fire emergencies in the wilderness areas and 
        wilderness additions designated by section 2, the Secretary 
        shall--
                    (A) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of this Act, establish agency approval 
                procedures (including appropriate delegations of 
                authority to the Forest Supervisor, District Manager, 
                or other agency officials) for responding to fire 
                emergencies; and
                    (B) enter into agreements with appropriate State or 
                local firefighting agencies.
    (c) Grazing.--The grazing of livestock in the wilderness areas or 
wilderness additions designated by section 2, if established before the 
date of enactment of this Act, shall be administered in accordance 
with--
            (1) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
        1133(d)(4)); and
            (2) the guidelines set forth in Appendix A of the report of 
        the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives accompanying H.R. 2570 of the 101st Congress 
        (H. Rept. 101-405).
    (d) Fish and Wildlife.--
            (1) In general.--In accordance with section 4(d)(7) of the 
        Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(7)), nothing in this Act 
        affects the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State with 
        respect to fish and wildlife on public land in the State.
            (2) Management activities.--
                    (A) In general.--In furtherance of the purposes and 
                principles of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
                seq.), the Secretary may conduct any management 
                activities that are necessary to maintain or restore 
                fish and wildlife populations and habitats in the 
                wilderness areas and wilderness additions designated by 
                section 2, if the management activities are--
                            (i) consistent with relevant wilderness 
                        management plans; and
                            (ii) conducted in accordance with 
                        appropriate policies, such as the policies 
                        established in Appendix B of House Report 101-
                        405.
                    (B) Inclusions.--Management activities under 
                subparagraph (A) may include the occasional and 
                temporary use of motorized vehicles, if the use, as 
                determined by the Secretary, would promote healthy, 
                viable, and more naturally distributed wildlife 
                populations that would enhance wilderness values while 
                causing the minimum impact necessary to accomplish 
                those tasks.
                    (C) Existing activities.--Consistent with section 
                4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)) 
                and in accordance with appropriate policies, such as 
                those established in Appendix B of House Report 101-
                405, the State may use aircraft (including helicopters) 
                in the wilderness areas and wilderness additions 
                designated by section 2 to survey, capture, transplant, 
                monitor, and provide water for wildlife populations, 
                including bighorn sheep.
    (e) Buffer Zones.--
            (1) In general.--Congress does not intend for the 
        designation of wilderness areas or wilderness additions by 
        section 2 to lead to the creation of protective perimeters or 
        buffer zones around each wilderness area or wilderness 
        addition.
            (2) Activities or uses up to boundaries.--The fact that 
        nonwilderness activities or uses can be seen or heard from 
        within a wilderness area or wilderness addition designated by 
        section 2 shall not, of itself, preclude the activities or uses 
        up to the boundary of the wilderness area or addition.
    (f) Military Activities.--Nothing in this Act precludes--
            (1) low-level overflights of military aircraft over the 
        wilderness areas or wilderness additions designated by section 
        2;
            (2) the designation of new units of special airspace over 
        the wilderness areas or wilderness additions designated by 
        section 2; or
            (3) the use or establishment of military flight training 
        routes over wilderness areas or wilderness additions designated 
        by section 2.
    (g) Horses.--Nothing in this Act precludes horseback riding in, or 
the entry of recreational or commercial saddle or pack stock into, an 
area designated as a wilderness area or wilderness addition by section 
2--
            (1) in accordance with section 4(d)(5) of the Wilderness 
        Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(5)); and
            (2) subject to any terms and conditions determined to be 
        necessary by the Secretary.
    (h) Law Enforcement.--Nothing in this Act precludes law enforcement 
and drug interdiction efforts within the wilderness areas and 
wilderness additions designated by section 2 in accordance with the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
    (i) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness 
areas and wilderness additions designated by section 2 are withdrawn 
from--
            (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under 
        the public land laws;
            (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
            (3) operation of the mineral materials and geothermal 
        leasing laws.
    (j) Incorporation of Acquired Land and Interests.--Any land within 
the boundary of a wilderness area or wilderness addition designated by 
section 2 that is acquired by the United States shall--
            (1) become part of the wilderness area in which the land is 
        located; and
            (2) be managed in accordance with this section, the 
        Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), and any other 
        applicable law.
    (k) Climatological Data Collection.--In accordance with the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and subject to such terms and 
conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may authorize 
the installation and maintenance of hydrologic, meteorologic, or 
climatological collection devices in the wilderness areas or wilderness 
additions designated by section 2 if the Secretary determines that the 
facilities and access to the facilities are essential to flood warning, 
flood control, or water reservoir operation activities.

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS.

    (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:
            ``(213) East fork san gabriel river, california.--The 
        following segments of the East Fork San Gabriel River, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in the following 
        classes:
                    ``(A) The 10-mile segment from the confluence of 
                the Prairie Fork and Vincent Gulch to 100 yards 
                upstream of the Heaton Flats trailhead and day use 
                area, as a wild river.
                    ``(B) The 2.7-mile segment from 100 yards upstream 
                of the Heaton Flats trailhead and day use area to 100 
                yards upstream of the confluence with Williams Canyon, 
                as a recreational river.
            ``(214) North fork san gabriel river, california.--The 4.3-
        mile segment of the North Fork San Gabriel River from the 
        confluence with Cloudburst Canyon to .25 miles upstream of the 
        confluence with the West Fork San Gabriel River, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as a recreational 
        river.
            ``(215) West fork san gabriel river, california.--The 
        following segments of the West Fork San Gabriel River, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in the following 
        classes:
                    ``(A) The 6.7-mile segment from 0.25 miles 
                downstream of its source near Red Box Gap in section 
                14, T2N, R12W, to the confluence with the unnamed 
                tributary .25 miles downstream of the power lines in 
                section 22, T2N, R11W, as a recreational river.
                    ``(B) The 1.6-mile segment of the West Fork from 
                0.25 miles downstream of the powerlines in section 22, 
                T2N, R11W, to the confluence with Bobcat Canyon, as a 
                wild river.
            ``(216) Little rock creek, california.--The following 
        segments of Little Rock Creek and tributaries, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in the following 
        classes:
                    ``(A) The 10.3-mile segment from its source on Mt. 
                Williamson in section 6, T3N, R9W, to 100 yards 
                upstream of the confluence with the South Fork Little 
                Rock Creek, as a wild river.
                    ``(B) The 6.6-mile segment from 100 yards upstream 
                of the confluence with the South Fork Little Rock Creek 
                to the confluence with Santiago Canyon, as a 
                recreational river.
                    ``(C) The 1-mile segment of Cooper Canyon Creek 
                from .25 miles downstream of Highway 2 to 100 yards 
                downstream of Cooper Canyon Campground, as a scenic 
                river.
                    ``(D) The 1.3-mile segment of Cooper Canyon Creek 
                from 100 yards downstream of Cooper Canyon Campground 
                to the confluence with Little Rock Creek, as a wild 
                river.
                    ``(E) The 1-mile segment of Buckhorn Creek from 100 
                yards downstream of the Buckhorn Campground to its 
                confluence with Cooper Canyon Creek, as a wild 
                river.''.
    (b) Water Resource Facilities and Water Use.--
            (1) Water resource facilities.--
                    (A) Definition.--In this section, the term ``water 
                resource facility'' means--
                            (i) irrigation and pumping facilities, dams 
                        and reservoirs, flood control facilities, water 
                        conservation works, including debris protection 
                        facilities, sediment placement sites, rain 
                        gauges and stream gauges, water quality 
                        facilities, recycled water pumping, conveyance 
                        distribution systems, and treatment facilities, 
                        aqueducts, canals, ditches, pipelines, wells, 
                        hydropower projects, and transmission and other 
                        ancillary facilities; and
                            (ii) other water diversion, storage, and 
                        carriage structures.
                    (B) No effect on existing water resource 
                facilities.--Nothing in this section shall alter, 
                modify, or affect--
                            (i) the use, operation, maintenance, 
                        repair, construction, reconfiguration, 
                        expansion, or replacement of a water resource 
                        facility downstream of a wild and scenic river 
                        segment designated by this section, provided 
                        that the physical structures of such facilities 
                        or reservoirs shall not be located within the 
                        river areas designated in this section; or
                            (ii) access to a water resource facility 
                        downstream of a wild and scenic river segment 
                        designated by this section.
                    (C) No effect on new water resource facilities.--
                Nothing in this section shall preclude the 
                establishment of new water resource facilities 
                (including instream sites, routes, and areas) 
                downstream of a wild and scenic river segment 
                designated by this section.
            (2) Limitation.--Any new reservation of water or new use of 
        water pursuant to existing water rights held by the United 
        States to fulfill the purposes of the National Wild and Scenic 
        Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.) shall be for non-
        consumptive instream use only within the segments designated by 
        this section.
            (3) Existing law.--Nothing in this section affects the 
        implementation of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
        seq.).

SEC. 5. WATER RIGHTS.

    (a) Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this Act and no action to 
implement this Act--
            (1) shall constitute or be construed to constitute either 
        an express or implied reservation of any water or water rights 
        or authorizing an expansion of water use pursuant to existing 
        water rights held by the United States with respect to the land 
        designated as a wilderness area or wilderness addition by 
        section 2 or land adjacent to the wild and scenic river 
        segments designated by the amendment made by section 4;
            (2) shall affect, alter, modify or condition any water 
        rights in the State existing on the date of enactment of this 
        Act, including any water rights held by the United States;
            (3) shall be construed as establishing a precedent with 
        regard to any future wilderness or wild and scenic river 
        designations;
            (4) shall affect, alter, or modify the interpretation of, 
        or any designation, decision or action made pursuant to, any 
        other Act; or
            (5) shall be construed as limiting, altering, modifying, or 
        amending any of the interstate compacts or equitable 
        apportionment decrees that apportion water among and between 
        the State and other States.
    (b) State Water Law.--The Secretary shall comply with and follow 
the procedural and substantive requirements of the law of the State in 
order to obtain and hold any water rights not in existence on the date 
of enactment of this Act with respect to the wilderness areas and 
wilderness additions designated by section 2, and the wild and scenic 
rivers designated by the amendment made by section 4.
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