Title: Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2019
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act of 2019
This bill designates approximately 30,621 acres of specified Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon as the "Devil's Staircase Wilderness" and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
The bill also designates specified segments of Franklin and Wasson creeks in Oregon as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 999 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 999

To provide for the designation of the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Area 
 in the State of Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin 
  Creeks in the State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2019

 Mr. DeFazio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the designation of the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Area 
 in the State of Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin 
  Creeks in the State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, 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 ``Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREA, DEVIL'S STAIRCASE WILDERNESS, 
              OREGON.

    (a) Devil's Staircase Wilderness.--
            (1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled 
                ``Devil's Staircase Wilderness Proposal'' and dated 
                July 26, 2018.
                    (B) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means--
                            (i) the Secretary, with respect to public 
                        land administered by the Secretary; or
                            (ii) the Secretary of Agriculture, with 
                        respect to National Forest System land.
                    (C) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of 
                Oregon.
                    (D) Wilderness.--The term ``Wilderness'' means the 
                Devil's Staircase Wilderness designated by paragraph 
                (2).
            (2) Designation.--In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the approximately 30,621 acres of Forest 
        Service land and Bureau of Land Management land in the State, 
        as generally depicted on the map, is designated as wilderness 
        and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation 
        System, to be known as the ``Devil's Staircase Wilderness''.
            (3) Map; legal description.--
                    (A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                prepare a map and legal description of the Wilderness.
                    (B) Force of law.--The map and legal description 
                prepared under subparagraph (A) shall have the same 
                force and effect as if included in this subsection, 
                except that the Secretary may correct clerical and 
                typographical errors in the map and legal description.
                    (C) Availability.--The map and legal description 
                prepared under subparagraph (A) shall be on file and 
                available for public inspection in the appropriate 
                offices of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land 
                Management.
            (4) Administration.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
        area designated as wilderness by this subsection shall be 
        administered by the Secretary in accordance with the Wilderness 
        Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that--
                    (A) any reference in that Act to the effective date 
                shall be considered to be a reference to the date of 
                enactment of this Act; and
                    (B) any reference in that Act to the Secretary of 
                Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to 
                the Secretary that has jurisdiction over the land 
                within the Wilderness.
            (5) Fish and wildlife.--Nothing in this subsection affects 
        the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State with respect 
        to fish and wildlife in the State.
            (6) Adjacent management.--
                    (A) In general.--Nothing in this subsection creates 
                any protective perimeter or buffer zone around the 
                Wilderness.
                    (B) Activities outside wilderness.--The fact that a 
                nonwilderness activity or use on land outside the 
                Wilderness can be seen or heard within the Wilderness 
                shall not preclude the activity or use outside the 
                boundary of the Wilderness.
            (7) Protection of tribal rights.--Nothing in this 
        subsection diminishes any treaty rights of an Indian Tribe.
            (8) Transfer of administrative jurisdiction.--
                    (A) In general.--Administrative jurisdiction over 
                the approximately 49 acres of Bureau of Land Management 
                land north of the Umpqua River in T. 21 S., R. 11 W., 
                sec. 32, is transferred from the Bureau of Land 
                Management to the Forest Service.
                    (B) Administration.--The Secretary shall administer 
                the land transferred by subparagraph (A) in accordance 
                with--
                            (i) the Act of March 1, 1911 (commonly 
                        known as the ``Weeks Law'') (16 U.S.C. 480 et 
                        seq.); and
                            (ii) any laws (including regulations) 
                        applicable to the National Forest System.
    (b) Wild and Scenic River Designations, Wasson Creek and Franklin 
Creek, Oregon.--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) Franklin creek, oregon.--The 4.5-mile segment from 
        its headwaters to the private land boundary in sec. 8, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as a wild river.
            ``(215) Wasson creek, oregon.--The 10.1-mile segment in the 
        following classes:
                    ``(A) The 4.2-mile segment from the eastern 
                boundary of T. 21 S., R. 9 W., sec. 17, downstream to 
                the western boundary of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 12, to 
                be administered by the Secretary of the Interior as a 
                wild river.
                    ``(B) The 5.9-mile segment from the western 
                boundary of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 12, downstream to 
                the eastern boundary of the northwest quarter of T. 21 
                S., R. 10 W., sec. 22, to be administered by the 
                Secretary of Agriculture as a wild river.''.
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