zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Natural Resource Projects and Programs Authorization Act of 2007 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Department of Energy concerning, among other things, national monuments, conservation areas, resource protection, historic sites, national trails, national heritage areas, and the clean coal power initiative. Makes amendments to various public laws, including the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act, the National Trails System Act, the Steel Industry American Heritage Area Act of 1996, the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Act of 1988, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994, the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992, and the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Withdraws specified National Forest System land and federally owned minerals located within the boundaries of the Bridger-Teton National Forest (the Wyoming Range withdrawal area) from: (1) all forms of appropriation or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing. Requires that if any such right is relinquished or otherwise acquired by the United States (including through donation under this Act), the land subject to that right shall be withdrawn. Prohibits anything in this section from requiring: (1) the creation of a protective perimeter or buffer area outside the boundaries of the Wyoming Range withdrawal area; or (2) any prohibition on activities outside the boundaries of the withdrawal area that can be seen or heard from within the boundaries. Makes the Bridger-Teton National Land and Resource Management Plan, including any revisions, applicable to any land within the Wyoming Range withdrawal area. Provides that, if there is a conflict between this Act and the Management Plan, this Act shall apply. Bars anything in this section from prohibiting the Secretary of the Interior from taking any action necessary to issue, deny, remove the suspension of, or cancel a lease, or any sold lease parcel that has not been issued, pursuant to any lease sale conducted prior to enactment of this Act, including the completion of any requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Authorizes the Secretary to lease oil and gas resources in the Wyoming Range withdrawal area which are within one mile of the boundary of the area in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act and subject to conditions that: (1) the lease may only be accessed by directional drilling from a lease held by production on National Forest System land that is adjacent to, and outside of, the Wyoming Range withdrawal area; (2) the lease shall prohibit, without exception or waiver, surface occupancy and surface disturbance for any activities, including activities related to exploration, development, or production; and (3) the directional drilling may extend no further than one mile inside the boundary of the Wyoming Range withdrawal area. (Sec. 4) Sets forth provisions for the retirement and repurchase of valid existing mining or leasing rights within the Wyoming Range withdrawal area. Requires the Secretary to prepare a list of interested holders of such a mining or leasing right and to make the list available to any non-federal entity or person interested in acquiring that right. Prohibits the Secretary from using any federal funds to purchase any such valid existing mining or leasing right.

Date: 2007-10-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Public Land Fire Regulations Enforcement Act - Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the National Park Service Organic Act, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, and other federal law to provide that: (1) any person who knowingly violates the provisions of such an Act concerning the management, use, and protection of covered lands shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and subject to fine and/or imprisonment; and (2) any person who otherwise violates the provisions of such an Act concerning the management, use, and protection of such covered lands shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and subject to fine and/or imprisonment. Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the National Park Service Organic Act, and other federal law to set a minimum fine of $500 for certain fire usage violations on BLM, National Park System, and National Forest System land.

Date: 2007-10-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Preserving our Equine Heritage on Public Land Act - Provides for: (1) the continued preservation and use of pack and saddle stock animals on public land administered by the National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Forest Service on which there is a historical tradition of the use of pack and saddle stock animals; and (2) defining the term "historical tradition of the use of pack and saddle stock animals" for purposes of this Act.

Date: 2007-11-01
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Elimination of Double Subsidies for the Hardrock Mining Industry Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the percentage depletion allowance for hardrock mines located on land currently subject to the general mining laws, or on land patented under such laws. Establishes in the Treasury the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Trust Fund. Appropriates to such Fund amounts equal to 25% of the additional revenues received due to the disallowance of the depletion allowance for hardrock mines proposed by this Act. Prescribes guidelines under which such Fund shall be available to the Secretary of the Interior for reclamation and restoration of lands and water resources adversely affected by mineral and mineral material mining (excluding coal and fluid minerals).

Date: 2007-11-01
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.

Date: 2007-11-07
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amend the International Center Act to authorize the lease or sublease of property identified by the District of Columbia as tax lots 803, 804, 805, and 806 to an entity other than a foreign government or international organization, so long as the Secretary of State maintains the right to approve the occupant and the intended use of the property.

Date: 2007-11-07
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: International affairs
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to convey four specified parcels of land in Twin Falls, Idaho, to the city of Twin Falls for use to support public purposes of the Auger Falls Project, including a limited agricultural exemption to allow for water quality and wildlife habitat improvements. Prohibits the use of the conveyed land for residential or commercial purposes, except for the limited agricultural exemption described above. Authorizes the Secretary to require additional terms and conditions as considered appropriate to protect U.S. interests. Requires, if, the conveyed land is no longer used in accordance with this Act: (1) such land shall revert to the United States, at the discretion of the Secretary; and (2) if the Secretary chooses to have such land revert, and if it is environmentally contaminated, the city or any other person responsible for the contamination to remediate such contamination. Requires the city to pay all survey and other administrative costs.

Date: 2007-11-14
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Pisgah National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act of 2007 - Modifies the boundaries of the Pisgah National Forest in McDowell County, North Carolina, to provide for the inclusion of certain private land and Forest Service land in the Forest. Requires an owner's consent to acquire the private land.

Date: 2007-11-15
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Releases any reversionary interests of the United States (including interests under the Union Pacific Railroad Act) in and to specified railroad lands in the City of Reno, Nevada, that were originally granted to the Union Pacific Railroad under the provisions of such Act.

Date: 2007-12-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Wyoming Forest and Watershed Restoration Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service and until September 30, 2017, to enter into a cooperative agreement with Wyoming to allow Wyoming to conduct certain forest and watershed restoration services, including the treatment of insect-infected trees and the reduction of hazardous fuels.

Date: 2007-12-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 with respect to fiscal year distributions by the Secretary of the Interior from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund for states having an approved abandoned mine reclamation program (in particular, the active mining threshold required of states to meet the minimum funding threshold).Exempts minimum program states from specified mandatory reductions in such distributions (because they fail to meet the active mining threshold requirement).

Date: 2007-12-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Colorado Northern Front Range Mountain Backdrop Protection Study Act - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to review the lands within the study area (certain lands in or adjacent to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in southern Boulder, northern Jefferson, and northern Gilpin Counties, Colorado) and report to specified officials and to Congress on: (1) the present ownership of such lands; (2) which undeveloped land may be at risk of development; and (3) actions that could be taken by the United States, Colorado, a political subdivision, or any other parties to preserve the open and undeveloped character of such lands.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Wild Monongahela Act: A National Legacy for West Virginia's Special Places - Designates specified federal lands in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia, as wilderness and as either a new component, or as an addition to an existing component, of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Date: 2008-01-30
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Forest Landscape Restoration Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Chief of the Forest Service, to establish a Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program to select and fund ecological restoration treatments for priority forest landscapes. Sets forth provisions concerning the eligibility criteria for, and nomination and selection of, collaborative forest landscape restoration proposals for carrying out such treatments. Requires the Secretary to establish a scientific advisory panel to evaluate, and provide recommendations on, any proposal. Requires the panel to include experts in ecological restoration, fire ecology, fire management, rural economic development, strategies for ecological adaptation to climate change, fish and wildlife ecology, and woody biomass and small-diameter tree utilization. Establishes the Collaborative Forest Landscape Fund, to be used for paying up to 50% of the cost of carrying out and monitoring ecological restoration treatments on National Forest System land for each proposal selected. Permits, the cost of carrying out ecological restoration treatments, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, to include cancellation and termination costs required to be obligated for contracts to carry out such treatments for each such proposal. Sets forth limitations on expenditures made from the Fund. Requires establishment of an accounting and reporting system for the Fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Requires: (1) creation of implementation work plans and budgets to implement proposals; (2) submission of annual reports on the accomplishments of selected proposals; (3) use of a multiparty monitoring, evaluation, and accountability process to assess the ecological, social, and economic effects of projects implementing proposals; and (4) submission of reports every five years on the Program. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this Act.

Date: 2008-02-05
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Abandoned Mine Reclamation Act of 2008 - Applies this Act to any mining claim, millsite claim, or tunnel site claim: (1) located under the general mining laws; or (2) used for beneficiation or mineral processing activities, regardless of whether legal and beneficial title to the mineral is held by the United States. Subjects production of locatable minerals from any mining claim, including mineral concentrates or products derived from such minerals, to a royalty of 8% of the gross income from mining. Imposes a 4% royalty upon federal lands subject to an existing operations permit and producing valuable locatable minerals in commercial quantities. Establishes a civil penalty for failure to comply with royalty requirements, including underreporting. Requires a hardrock mining claim maintenance fee and a location fee for each unpatented mining claim, mill, or tunnel site on federally owned lands, whether located before, on, or after enactment of this Act. Establishes a fee for transfer of ownership of an unpatented mining claim, mill, or tunnel site. Requires each operator of a hardrock minerals mining operation to pay a reclamation fee of 0.3 % of the gross income of the hardrock minerals mining operation for each calendar year. Establishes the Abandoned Mine Cleanup Fund for reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past mineral activities on certain federal lands. Requires deposit in the Fund of all royalties, fees, and civil penalties.

Date: 2008-03-12
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, with respect to the allocation of surface mining reclamation funds to states and Indian tribes, to modify limitations on such allocations to provide for payments for filling voids and sealing tunnels and entryways (of non-coal mines as well as coal mines).Requires uncertified states or Indian tribes to use such allocated funds to fill voids and seal tunnels and entryways (of non-coal as well as coal mines). ("Uncertified states and Indian tribes" are those which have not certified to the Secretary of the Interior that all priorities specified under the Act for eligible lands and waters have been achieved.)

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2008 - Designates specified public lands in Utah as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Provides for the acquisition of land or interests in any such area designated as wilderness. Releases certain wilderness study areas in Washington County, Utah, from further study for designation as wilderness. Designates specified federal land in Zion National Park in Washington County as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, which shall be known as the Zion Wilderness. Establishes the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area in Utah. Designates specified segments of the Virgin River and its tributaries across federal land within and adjacent to Zion National Park as components of the national wild and scenic rivers system. Requires development of a comprehensive Washington County travel management plan. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to designate a trail which shall be known as the "High Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Trail." Provides for the conveyance of certain public land in Washington County. Grants the Washington County Water Conservancy District nonexclusive rights-of-way for specified reservoirs. Sets forth provisions regarding the management of priority biological areas in Washington County. Authorizes grants and cooperative agreements for the carrying out of initiatives related to the restoration or conservation of such areas.Provides for the conveyance of specified federal land in Dixie National Forest in Utah.

Date: 2008-04-09
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Gray Wolf Livestock Loss Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary to the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a five-year demonstration program to provide grants to states and Indian tribes to assist livestock producers, with respect to activities and losses that may occur on federal, state, private, or Indian land, to undertake proactive, nonlethal, activities to reduce the risk of livestock loss as a result of predation by wolves. Requires the Secretaries to establish criteria and requirements to implement the demonstration program and when promulgating regulations for the implementation of such program, to consult with states that have implemented state programs that provide assistance to livestock producers. Sets forth requirements states and Indian tribes shall meet to be eligible to receive a grant. Prescribes criteria for the allocation of funding. Limits the federal share of the cost of any activity provided assistance under this Act to half of the total cost of that activity. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2008-04-16
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Help to Access Land for the Education of Scouts or HALE Scouts Act - Requires the conveyance of specified National Forest System land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America.

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control Act - Provides for the release of approximately 65 acres of land known as the Orchard Detention Basin in the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area, Clark County, Nevada, from wilderness designation.

Date: 2008-04-22
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Maple Tapping Access Program Act of 2008 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a voluntary public access program under which states and tribal governments may apply for grants to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily make such land available for public maple-tapping activities.

Date: 2008-04-30
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Community Safety Initiative Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make grants in FY2009-FY2014 to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to carry out its Community Safety Initiative.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area Act - Establishes the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area in Colorado to conserve and protect the unique and nationally important values of certain public land and the water resources of area streams that are necessary to support aquatic, riparian, and terrestrial species and communities. Requires management of the Conservation Area as a component of the National Landscape Conservation System. Specifies the uses of the Conservation Area, including allowing the use of motorized vehicles in the Area. Designates certain lands in Mesa, Montrose, and Delta Counties in Colorado as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to be known as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area. Sets forth provisions for the management of the Conservation Area and the Wilderness, including with regard to: (1) grazing leases and permits and the grazing of livestock; (2) the control of fire, insects, diseases, and nonnative invasive plants and noxious weeds; and (3) water rights. Withdraws all federal land within the Conservation Area and the Wilderness and all land and interests in land acquired by the United States within such area and wilderness from: (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire non-federal land within the boundaries of the Conservation Area or the Wilderness only through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller. Provides for the continuation of adequate access by private landowners to inholdings in the Conservation Area. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) develop a comprehensive management plan for the long-term protection and management of the Conservation Area; and (2) establish the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Advisory Council to advise the Secretary on the preparation and implementation of the management plan. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2008-05-22
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Browns Canyon Wilderness Act - Designates certain lands in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and certain lands in the Royal Gorge Resource Area of the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System to be known as Browns Canyon Wilderness.

Date: 2008-05-22
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Designates certain Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Oregon as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, which shall be known as the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. Requires any land or interest in land within the boundary of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness that is acquired by the United States to become part of the Wilderness.Permits established livestock grazing in the Wilderness to continue. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide to any owner of private property within the boundary of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness adequate access to such property. Designates a certain corridor of BLM-managed land with a width of 25 feet as potential wilderness. Permits authorized and existing nonconforming uses to continue in the potential wilderness. Designates the potential wilderness as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System and incorporated into the Oregon Badlands Wilderness on the date on which the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register notice that such nonconforming uses have terminated. (Sec. 4) Releases specified portions of the Badlands wilderness study area that are not designated as the Oregon Badlands Wilderness or as potential wilderness by this Act from further study for designation for preservation as wilderness. (Sec. 5) Provides for the following land exchanges: (1) the Clarno land exchange; and (2) the Central Oregon Irrigation District land exchange. Sets forth requirements for the valuation, appraisal, and equalization of the federal and non-federal lands to be exchanged under this section. Requires any cash equalization payments received by the Secretary to be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account established by the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act and used in accordance with such Act. Provides for the federal government and the owner of the non-federal land in a land exchange described above to equally share all costs related to the exchange, including the costs of appraisals, surveys, and any necessary environmental clearances. Subjects the exchange of federal and non-federal lands under this section to any easements, rights-of-way, and other valid existing rights. Expresses the intent of Congress that such land exchanges be completed within two years after the enactment of this Act. (Sec. 6) Specifies this Act's effect with respect to the protection of the treaty rights of any Indian tribe, including the off-reservation reserved rights secured by the Treaty with the Tribes and Bands of Middle Oregon of June 25, 1855.

Date: 2008-06-05
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Spring Basin Wilderness Act of 2008 - Designates certain Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Oregon as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to be known as the Spring Basin Wilderness. Requires any land or interest within the boundary of the Wilderness acquired by the United States to become part of such Wilderness. Permits established livestock grazing in the Wilderness to continue. (Sec. 4) Releases specified portions of the Spring Basin wilderness study area that are not designated as the Spring Basin Wilderness by this Act from further study for designation for preservation as wilderness. (Sec. 5) Provides for the following land exchanges in Oregon: (1) the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation land exchange; (2) the McGreer land exchange; (3) the Keys land exchange; and (4) the Bowerman land exchange. Withdraws the non-federal land acquired by the Secretary of the Interior from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent, under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under any law relating to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. Sets forth requirements for the valuation, appraisal, and equalization of the federal and non-federal lands to be exchanged under this section. Requires any cash equalization payments received by the Secretary to be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account established by the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act and used in accordance with such Act. Provides for the federal government and the owner of the non-federal land in a land exchange described above to equally share all costs related to the exchange, including the costs of appraisals, surveys, and any necessary environmental clearances.Subjects the exchange of federal and non-federal lands under this section to any easements, rights-of-way, and other valid existing rights. Expresses the intent of Congress that such land exchanges be completed within two years after the enactment of this Act. (Sec. 6) Specifies this Act's effect with respect to the protection of the treaty rights of any Indian tribe, including the off-reservation reserved rights secured by the Treaty with the Tribes and Bands of Middle Oregon of June 25, 1855.

Date: 2008-06-05
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the National Cave and Karst Research Institute Act of 1998 to remove a provision limiting federal spending by the Department of the Interior for the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, in New Mexico, to the amount of nonfederal funding received. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2008-06-06
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Outer Continental Shelf Production Incentive Fee Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a fee for any nonproducing oil or gas leases on outer Continental Shelf land in the Gulf of Mexico that are in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2008-06-12
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Energy
Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) accept a conveyance of non-federal land in Gila, Yavapai, Maricopa, Pinal, and Coconino Counties, Arizona, from Resolution Copper Mining, LLC (Resolution Copper); (2) convey to Resolution Copper certain federal land located in Pinal County, Arizona; (3) convey specified land in Pinal County to the town of Superior, Arizona; and (4) appraise lands exchanged or conveyed under this Act.Instructs Resolution Copper to deliver to the Secretary an executed document granting a permanent conservation easement for the easement area (the surface estate of the Apache Leap Conservation Easement Area, Arizona) to an entity that is: (1) a qualified unit of government or Indian tribe; or (2) a land trust or other qualified organization. Requires Resolution Copper to determine whether the area covered by the easement should be managed to establish: (1) additional cultural and historical resource protections or measures; or (2) additional or alternative public access routes, trails, and trailheads to Apache Leap. Makes lands acquired by the Secretary under this Act part of the National Forest within which the land is located.Directs the Secretary to construct in the Global Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest, Arizona, one or more replacement campgrounds for the Oak Flat Campground.Requires Resolution Copper to make value adjustment payments to the United States based upon locatable minerals produced from federal lands in Pinal County, Arizona.

Date: 2008-06-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute Land Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to convey specified land identified as Parcel A (including any improvements) to the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in New Mexico only for research, scientific, or educational use. Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Air Force to complete any real property actions, including the revocation of any federal withdrawals of Parcels A and B, that are necessary to allow the Secretary to convey Parcel A or to transfer administrative jurisdiction over Parcel B to the Secretary of the Air Force.Authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to retain ownership and control of: (1) portions of the utility system and infrastructure on Parcel A; and (2) rights of access determined to be necessary to operate and maintain the utilities on such parcel. Requires the Institute to pay or reimburse costs incurred in the conveyance of Parcel A, including related survey costs. Instructs the Institute to take fee title to Parcel A and any improvements, as contaminated. Makes the Institute responsible for completing all environmental remediation required with respect to such parcel for all environmental conditions related to or arising from contamination. Requires the Institute to indemnify the United States for: (1) any environmental remediation or response costs the United States reasonably incurs if the Institute fails to remediate Parcel A or for contamination at, in, under, from, or on the land for all environmental conditions related to or arising from contamination; (2) indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the United States from any damages, expenses, liabilities, penalties, claim, or demand for loss, including injury or death, resulting from releases, storage, or disposal, or any other acts or omissions by the Institute arising from activities conducted on such parcel on or after October 1, 1996; and (3) reimburse the United States for legal and attorney fees and expenses incurred in association with the defense of any claims described in clause 2. Makes the Secretary of Energy responsible for conducting any necessary environmental remediation or response actions with respect to Parcel A if the Institute does not complete the environmental remediation required by this Act.Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide the Institute with: (1) access for employees and invitees of the Institute across Kirtland Air Force Base to Parcel A; and (2) access to utility services for such parcel. Requires the Secretary of Energy to arrange and pay for the removal of any improvements made to Parcel B.

Date: 2008-06-23
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Oregon Surplus Federal Land Act of 2008 - Requires transfer of administrative jurisdiction over Coast Guard lands in Coos County, Oregon (including Cape Arago Light Station on Chief's Island), in the areas commonly known as Gregory Point and Chief's Island, to the Secretary of the Interior to hold in trust for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians and to be included in the reservation of those tribes. Allows the Coast Guard to retain easements for access to aids to navigation.

Date: 2008-06-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2008 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture concerning, among other things, national wilderness preservation, boundary adjustments, national rivers, the national landscape conservation system, national conservation areas, land conveyances and exchanges, watershed management, watershed restoration and enhancement, wildland firefighter safety, forest landscape restoration, national trails, paleontological resources preservation, national parks, studies, national heritage areas, national heritage corridors, and water projects.Makes amendments to various public laws, including the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996, the National Trails System Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Act of 1988, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act, the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act, the Colorado River Storage Project Act, the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992, the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000, and the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act.

Date: 2008-06-26
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act or FLAME Act - Establishes in the Treasury the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Fund (Flame Fund). Requires amounts in the Flame Fund to be made available to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries) to pay the costs of catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities that are separate from amounts annually appropriated for the predicted annual workload for such activities. Provides for amounts in the Flame Fund to be made available to the Secretaries only after such Secretaries issue a declaration that a wildland fire suppression activity is eligible for funding through the Fund. Directs such Secretaries to establish an accounting and reporting system for the Flame Fund.Requires such Secretaries to: (1) report annually to Congress on the use of the funds from the Flame Fund, together with recommendations to improve administrative control and oversight of the Fund; and (2) submit a report to Congress that contains a cohesive wildland fire management strategy, consistent with the recommendations of Comptroller General reports. Requires the Secretaries to conduct a review of wildfires for which expenses exceeding $10 million were incurred. Authorizes the Secretaries to make grants to fire-ready communities, as defined by this Act, to carry out activities to reduce risks from wildfires.

Date: 2008-07-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Carson City Vital Community Act of 2008 - Provides for the conveyance of specified Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land or interest in such land (the federal land) in Nevada by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior in exchange for specified non-federal land by Carson City Consolidated Municipality, Nevada. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to reserve a perpetual conservation easement to the Silver Saddle Ranch and Carson River Area.Releases the reversionary interest of BLM in certain of the conveyed federal land. Provides for the conveyance of such land by the City. Makes the non-federal land part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Transfers administrative jurisdiction over certain Forest Service land from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior. Requires the City to be granted a right-of-way for maintenance of flood management facilities on such land.Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct sales of specified BLM land to qualified bidders. Amends the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 to make amounts in the special account available to the City for the development of parks, trails, and natural areas and up to 10% of amounts in the account available for conservation initiatives on federal land in the City administered by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture. Makes the City eligible to nominate for expenditure amounts to acquire lands or interests for parks and natural areas and for conservation initiatives adjacent to and within the floodplain of Carson River. Provides for specified land to be held in trust for the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. Prohibits the use of such land for class II and class III gaming. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a cooperative agreement ensuring access by the Tribe's members and others in its community across National Forest System land from the City to Lake Tahoe for cultural and religious purposes. Requires the City to notify the Tribe of proposed ground disturbing activities to provide the Tribe with time for inventorying and collecting tribal artifacts.

Date: 2008-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Bottled Water Safety and Right to Know Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify and establish standards for contaminants in bottled water that are at least as protective as standards established by: (1) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for national primary drinking water; or (2) the World Health Organization, the European Union, or the state of California. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for the enforcement of standards adopted under this Act. Transfers all functions of the Secretary relating to inspections and enforcement concerning bottled water to the EPA if the Secretary fails to publish the final regulation concerning such standards within two years. Requires the Secretary to: (1) promulgate regulations that require each manufacturer of bottled water to submit reports on its water and display required information on bottle labels; (2) make such reports available to the public; (3) make certain additional information available to the public about the regulation of contaminants in bottled drinking water; (4) publish information regarding violations of bottled water regulations; and (5) establish a grant program to gather information on such violations. Prohibits a manufacturer of bottled water from failing to submit an annual report or to display the required information on bottle labels in accordance with this Act.

Date: 2008-09-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Space Commerce Act of 2008 - Amends the Technology Administration Act of 1998 to redesignate the Office of Space Commercialization, within the Department of Commerce, as the Office of Space Commerce and revise its functions. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report on the competitiveness of the U.S. space commerce industry.

Date: 2008-09-17
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Southern Nevada Higher Education Land Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey three parcels of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land to: (1) the Nevada System of Higher Education for the Great Basin College and the College of Southern Nevada; and (2) the System for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Specifies that the Nevada System of Higher Education may use the conveyed federal land for any purpose relating to the establishment, operation, growth, and maintenance of the System and for any uses related to such purposes, including residential and commercial development that would generally be associated with an institution of higher education.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Carson City Vital Community Act of 2008 - Provides for the conveyance of specified Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land or interest in such land (the federal land) in Nevada by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior in exchange for specified non-federal land by Carson City Consolidated Municipality, Nevada. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to reserve a perpetual conservation easement to the Silver Saddle Ranch and Carson River Area.Releases the reversionary interest of BLM in certain of the conveyed federal land. Provides for the conveyance of such land by the City. Makes the non-federal land part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Provides for the conveyance of specified non-federal land administered by the City to the BLM. Transfers administrative jurisdiction over certain Forest Service land from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior. Requires the City to be granted a right-of-way for maintenance of flood management facilities on such land. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct sales of specified BLM land to qualified bidders. Amends the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 to make amounts in the special account available to the City for the development of parks, trails, and natural areas and up to 10% for conservation initiatives on federal land in the City administered by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture. Makes the City eligible to nominate for expenditure amounts to acquire lands or interests for parks and natural areas and for conservation initiatives adjacent to and within the floodplain of Carson River. Provides for specified land to be held in trust for the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. Prohibits the use of such land for class II and class III gaming. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a cooperative agreement ensuring access by the Tribe's members and others in its community across National Forest System land from the City to Lake Tahoe for cultural and religious purposes. Requires the City to notify the Tribe of proposed ground disturbing activities to provide the Tribe with time for inventorying and collecting tribal artifacts.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Salmon Lake Land Selection Resolution Act - Ratifies the Salmon Lake Area Land Ownership and Consolidation Agreement, which was executed by the Department of the Interior, the state of Alaska, and the Bering Straits Native Corporation on July 18, 2007. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to carry out all actions permitted or required under the Agreement.

Date: 2008-09-29
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), upon licensee request, to extend to: (1) December 6, 2009, the deadline to commence construction of project number 9042 (West Virginia); and (2) 60 years the period of the license. Requires FERC to reinstate the license if it expires before enactment of this Act.

Date: 2008-10-01
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Energy
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, if the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, California, offers to convey to the Secretary a parcel of non-federal land that is acceptable to the Secretary and the Secretary accepts the offer, to convey approximately five acres of certain identified National Forest System land (the federal land) in Santa Barbara County to the Foundation. Subjects the land exchange to provisions under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 related to exchanges of public lands and interests therein within the National Forest System. Expresses the intent of Congress that the land exchange be completed within two years of enactment of this Act. Allows the Secretary to offer to sell to the White Lotus Foundation the federal land for fair market value if such exchange is not completed by such time. Makes the land exchange subject to specified additional terms and conditions, including to valid existing rights and the White Lotus Foundation paying the reasonable costs of surveys, appraisals, and other administrative costs associated with the exchange or sale. Requires land conveyed by exchange or sale under this Act to be appraised by an independent appraiser selected by the Secretary and such an appraisal to be conducted in accordance with nationally recognized appraisal standards. Requires any proceeds received by the Secretary from any cash equalization payment or sale under this Act to be deposited in a special account in the Treasury and to be made available for the acquisition of land or interests in the Los Padres National Forest.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Los Padres National Forest Land Exchange Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey specified National Forest System (NFS) lands to the United Water Conservation District of California in exchange for the conveyance of specified non-federal lands to the Secretary by the District.Makes the completion of such land exchange a priority for the Forest Service. Instructs the Forest Service to endeavor to complete the exchange within one year after the enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to reserve easements for all trails and roads that are considered necessary to provide for administrative purposes and to ensure public access to the NFS lands.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
General Slocum Memorial Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to study in Bronx County, New York, the shoreline of the area roughly bounded by 149th Street on the west and Oak Point Rail Yard spurs on the east, including North Brother Island, to evaluate the national significance of the area and the suitability and feasibility of designating the area as a unit of the National Park System.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources