Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act

Bill: 119-hr-177
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5]
Introduced: 2025-01-03
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: California

Congressional oversight

Fires

Forests, forestry, trees

Lakes and rivers

Land use and conservation

Outdoor recreation

Parks, recreation areas, trails
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-03
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act</strong></p><p>This bill modifies the Raker Act, which allowed San Francisco to dam&nbsp;the Hetch Hetchy&nbsp;Valley within Yosemite National Park, to (1) increase the annual&nbsp;rent San Francisco pays to the National Park Service (NPS), and (2) direct the&nbsp;NPS to expand public access to the reservoir and lake created by the dam.</p><p>Specifically, the bill increases rent paid by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for the use of the park from $30,000 to $2 million per year. That amount must be adjusted annually to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The commission may not recoup such sums from wholesale water or power customers. The bill allows collected rent to be used by the Department of the Interior for wildfire mitigation activities in the park and other national parks in California.</p><p>The bill also requires the NPS&nbsp;to administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for public recreation, benefit, and use in a manner that will preserve scenic, historic, scientific, or otherwise important features.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 177 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Mr. McClintock (for himself, Mr. Calvert , Mr. LaMalfa , and Mr. Valadao ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), to expand access to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act . 2. Expansion of access to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes (a) In general The Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), is amended— (1) in section 7— (A) in the first sentence— (i) by striking $30,000 and inserting $2,000,000 ; and (ii) by inserting and adjusted annually to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers after July of each year ; (B) by inserting The grantee may not recoup said sums from wholesale water or power customers of the grantee. after the first sentence; and (C) in the second sentence, by inserting and wildfire mitigation activities after other improvements ; and (2) by inserting after section 11 the following: 12. Recreational activity (a) In general The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service (in this section referred to as the Secretary ), shall administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas— (1) for public recreation, benefit, and use; (2) to the extent practicable, in a manner that will preserve, develop, and enhance the public recreation capacity of each such area; and (3) in a manner that will preserve the features of each such area that are scenic, historic, scientific, or otherwise important. (b) Recreational activities Subject to such limitations, conditions, and regulations as the Secretary determines necessary, the following activities shall be allowed within the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes if such activities are not inconsistent with the designated primary or recreational use of each such area: (1) Swimming. (2) Use of non-motorized watercraft. (3) Camping in and around each such area if such camping is not below the respective ordinary high-water marks of each such area. (4) Picnicking in and around each such area. (5) Other recreational activities the Secretary determines appropriate. (6) Use by motorized and non-motorized vehicles of roads required to access each such area to conduct activities described in this subsection if such use has no negative effect on the operation or maintenance of any facility associated with a dam within each such area. . (b) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes the following: (1) An analysis of whether the original intent in the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), regarding access to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for recreational purposes has been followed since such areas were created. (2) An analysis of how revenue collection and the allocation of funds related to the administration of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas can be carried out to best provide equitable access to such areas for recreational purposes by the public, including consideration of— (A) maintenance and support costs of such areas, including— (i) trail maintenance; (ii) road improvements; and (iii) wildfire prevention and suppression; and (B) ways to mitigate such costs, including— (i) adjusting the prices charged for water and power generated by the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power System created by the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242); (ii) treating the City of San Francisco as a concessioner; and (iii) adding to the annual rental fee charged to the City of San Francisco by section 7 of the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), the annual monetary value of the benefits that would be lost if such areas had not been created, including consideration of— (I) recreational activities; and (II) flood control.