Title: To provide for the establishment of the Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge in California.
Interior must include within the boundaries of the refuge the lands and waters within the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area that are owned by the federal government, a state, or a political subdivision of a state upon the establishment of the refuge.
Interior may enter into cooperative agreements with the State of California, any of its political subdivisions, or any other persons to (1) manage lands that are owned by California, the subdivision, or the other person and located within the refuge; and (2) promote public awareness of the natural resources of the conservation area; or (3) encourage participation by the public in the conservation of such resources.
Interior may acquire by donation, purchase, or exchange the lands and waters or interests in them (including conservation easements) within the refuge, except those which are owned by California and its political subdivisions may be acquired by donation only.
Federal property in the refuge must be assessed for inclusion in the refuge and must be transferred to Interior if deemed suitable for inclusion.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2956 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2956

   To provide for the establishment of the Western Riverside County 
                            Wildlife Refuge.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2019

 Mr. Calvert (for himself, Mr. Aguilar, and Mr. Takano) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for the establishment of the Western Riverside County 
                            Wildlife Refuge.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior (in this Act 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish as a national 
wildlife refuge the lands, waters, and interests therein acquired under 
section 4, at such time as the Secretary determines that sufficient 
property has been acquired by the United States to constitute an area 
that can be effectively managed as a national wildlife refuge for the 
purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this section. The national 
wildlife refuge shall be known as the Western Riverside County National 
Wildlife Refuge (in this Act referred to as the ``Wildlife Refuge'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Wildlife Refuge shall be--
            (1) to conserve, manage, and restore wildlife habitats for 
        the benefit of present and future generations of Americans;
            (2) to conserve wildlife listed as endangered species or 
        threatened species;
            (3) to support the recovery and protection of threatened 
        and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
        (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); and
            (4) to provide for wildlife habitat connectivity and 
        migratory corridors within the Western Riverside County 
        Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area.
    (c) Notification of Establishment.--The Secretary shall publish 
notice of the establishment of the Wildlife Refuge in the Federal 
Register.

SEC. 2. BOUNDARIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall include within the boundaries 
of the Wildlife Refuge the lands and waters within the Western 
Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area (as 
depicted on maps and described in the Final Western Riverside County 
Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan dated June 17, 2003) that 
are owned by the Federal government, a State, or a political 
subdivision of a State on the date on which the Secretary establishes 
the Wildlife Refuge under section 1(a).
    (b) Boundary Revisions.--The Secretary may from time to time make 
such revisions to the boundaries of the Wildlife Refuge as may be 
appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Wildlife Refuge as 
specified in section 1(b) if such revisions do not extend the 
boundaries of the Wildlife Refuge beyond the boundaries of the Western 
Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--Upon the establishment of the Wildlife Refuge and 
thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the Western Riverside 
County Regional Conservation Authority which administers the Western 
Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Area, shall 
administer all federally owned lands, waters, and interests in the 
Wildlife Refuge in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) and this Act. The 
Secretary may use such additional statutory authority as may be 
available to the Secretary for the conservation, management, and 
restoration of fish and wildlife and natural resources, the development 
of wildlife dependent outdoor recreation opportunities, and the 
facilitation of fish and wildlife interpretation and education as the 
Secretary considers appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Act.
    (b) Cooperative Agreements Regarding Non-Federal Lands.--The 
Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the State of 
California, any political subdivision thereof, or any other person--
            (1) for the management, in a manner consistent with this 
        Act and the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat 
        Conservation Plan, of lands that are owned by such State, 
        subdivision, or other person and located within the boundaries 
        of the Wildlife Refuge;
            (2) to promote public awareness of the natural resources of 
        the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat 
        Conservation Plan Area; or
            (3) to encourage public participation in the conservation 
        of those resources.

SEC. 4. ACQUISITION AND TRANSFERS OF LANDS AND WATERS FOR WILDLIFE 
              REFUGE.

    (a) Acquisitions.--The Secretary may acquire by donation, purchase 
with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange the lands and water, or 
interest therein (including conservation easements), within the 
boundaries of the Wildlife Refuge, except that the lands, water, and 
interests therein owned by the State of California and its political 
subdivisions may be acquired only by donation.
    (b) Transfers.--
            (1) In general.--The head of any Federal department or 
        agency other than the Department of the Interior that has 
        jurisdiction of any Federal property located within the 
        boundaries of the Wildlife Refuge as described by this Act 
        shall, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
        this Act, submit to the Secretary an assessment of the 
        suitability of such property for inclusion in the Wildlife 
        Refuge.
            (2) Assessment.--Any assessment under paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) parcel descriptions and best existing land 
                surveys for such property;
                    (B) a list of existing special reservations, 
                designations, or purposes of the property;
                    (C) a list of all known or suspected hazardous 
                substance contamination of such property, and any 
                facilities, surface water, or groundwater on such 
                property;
                    (D) the status of withdrawal of such property 
                from--
                            (i) the Mineral Leasing Act; and
                            (ii) the General Mining Act of 1872; and
                    (E) a recommendation as to whether such property is 
                or is not suitable for inclusion in the Wildlife 
                Refuge.
            (3) Inclusion in wildlife refuge.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall, not later 
                than 60 days after receiving an assessment submitted 
                pursuant to paragraph (1), determine if the property 
                described in such assessment is suitable for inclusion 
                in the Wildlife Refuge.
                    (B) Transfer.--If the Secretary determines the 
                property in an assessment submitted under paragraph (1) 
                is suitable for inclusion in the Wildlife Refuge, the 
                head of the Federal department or agency that has 
                jurisdiction of such property shall transfer such 
                property to the administrative jurisdiction of the 
                Secretary for the purposes of this Act.
            (4) Property unsuitable for inclusion.--Property determined 
        by the Secretary to be unsuitable for inclusion in the Wildlife 
        Refuge based on an assessment submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall be subsequently transferred to the Secretary for purposes 
        of this Act by the head of the department or agency that has 
        jurisdiction of such property if such property becomes suitable 
        for inclusion in the Wildlife Refuge as determined by the 
        Secretary in consultation with the head of the department or 
        agency that has jurisdiction of such property.
            (5) Public access.--If property transferred to the 
        Secretary under this subsection allows for public access at the 
        time of transfer, such access shall be maintained unless such 
        access--
                    (A) would be incompatible with the purposes of the 
                Wildlife Refuge;
                    (B) would jeopardize public health or safety; or
                    (C) must be limited due to emergency circumstances.
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