Allows a Federal land manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with gateway communities to provide for coordination between Federal, State, local, and tribal governments in land use inventory, planning, and management activities.
Requires, to the extent practicable, the consolidation and coordination of the plans and planning processes of two or more Federal agencies to facilitate an affected gateway community's participation.
Requires the Federal land agencies to, as soon as practicable (but not later than the scoping process), actively solicit the participation of gateway communities as cooperating agencies when a proposed action is determined to require the preparation of an environmental impact statement.
Allows a Federal land manager to make grants to enable an eligible gateway community (population 10,000 or less) to: (1) participate in Federal land planning or management processes; (2) obtain professional land use or transportation planning assistance necessary as a result of Federal action; (3) address and resolve public infrastructure impacts that are a likely result of the Federal land management decisions and for which sufficient funds are not otherwise available; and (4) provide information and interpretive services.
Provides for funding for grants from the following sources: (1) general land agency funds; (2) funds available to a Federal land manager for planning, construction, or project development; and (3) funds combined by Federal land managers from different Federal land agencies.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4622 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4622
To require Federal land managers to support, and to communicate,
coordinate, and cooperate with, designated gateway communities, to
improve the ability of gateway communities to participate in Federal
land management planning conducted by the Forest Service and agencies
of the Department of the Interior, and to respond to the impacts of the
public use of the Federal lands administered by these agencies, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 30, 2002
Mr. Radanovich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require Federal land managers to support, and to communicate,
coordinate, and cooperate with, designated gateway communities, to
improve the ability of gateway communities to participate in Federal
land management planning conducted by the Forest Service and agencies
of the Department of the Interior, and to respond to the impacts of the
public use of the Federal lands administered by these agencies, 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 ``Gateway Communities Cooperation Act
of 2002''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDERAL LAND MANAGERS AND GATEWAY
COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE LAND MANAGEMENT OF BOTH
FEDERAL AND ADJACENT LANDS.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) Communities that are adjacent to or near Federal lands,
including units of the National Park System, units of the
National Wildlife Refuge System, units of the National Forest
System, and lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management, are vitally impacted by the management and public
use of these Federal lands.
(2) These communities, commonly known as gateway
communities, fulfill an integral part in the mission of the
Federal lands by providing necessary services, such as schools,
roads, search and rescue, emergency, medical, provisioning,
logistical support, living quarters, and drinking water and
sanitary systems, for both visitors to the Federal lands and
employees of Federal land management agencies.
(3) Provision of these vital services by gateway
communities is an essential ingredient for a meaningful and
enjoyable experience by visitors to the Federal lands because
Federal land management agencies are unable to provide, or are
prevented from providing, these services.
(4) Gateway communities serve as an entry point for persons
who visit the Federal lands and are ideal for establishment of
visitor services, including lodging, food service, fuel and
auto repairs, emergency services, and visitor information.
(5) Development in these gateway communities affect the
management and protection of these Federal lands, depending on
the extent to which advance planning for the local development
is coordinated between the communities and Federal land
managers.
(6) The planning and management decisions of Federal land
managers can have unintended consequences for gateway
communities, when the decisions are not adequately communicated
to, or coordinated with, the elected officials and residents of
gateway communities.
(7) Experts in land management planning are available to
Federal land managers, but persons with technical planning
skills are often not readily available to gateway communities,
particularly small gateway communities.
(8) Gateway communities are often affected by the policies
and actions of several Federal land agencies and both the
communities and the agencies would benefit from greater
interagency coordination of those policies and actions.
(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to require Federal land
managers to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with gateway
communities in order to--
(1) improve the relationships among Federal land managers,
elected officials, and residents of gateway communities;
(2) enhance the facilities and services in gateway
communities available to visitors to Federal lands, when
compatible with the management of these lands; and
(3) result in better local land use planning and decisions
by Federal land managers.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Gateway community.--The term ``gateway community''
means a county, city, town, village, or other subdivision of a
State that--
(A) is incorporated or recognized in a county or
regional land use plan; and
(B) a Federal land manager (or the head of the
tourism office for the State) determines is
significantly affected economically, socially, or
environmentally by planning and management decisions
regarding Federal lands administered by that Federal
land manager.
(2) Federal land agencies.--The term ``Federal land
agencies'' means the National Park Service, United States
Forest Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and
the Bureau of Land Management.
(3) Federal land manager.--The term ``Federal land
manager'' means--
(A) the superintendent of a unit of the National
Park System;
(B) the manager of a national wildlife refuge;
(C) the field office manager of a Bureau of Land
Management area; or
(D) the supervisor of a unit of the National Forest
System.
(d) Participation in Federal Planning and Land Use.--
(1) Participation in planning.--The Federal land agencies
shall provide for and accept meaningful public involvement at
the earliest possible time by elected and appointed officials
of governments of local gateway communities in the development
of land use plans, programs, land use regulations, land use
decisions, transportation plans, general management plans, and
any other plans, decisions, or policies for Federal public
lands under the jurisdiction of these agencies that will have a
significant impact on these gateway communities. To facilitate
such involvement, the Federal land agencies shall provide these
officials, at the earliest possible time, with a summary in
nontechnical language of the assumptions, purposes, goals, and
objectives of such a plan, decision, or policy and a
description of any anticipated significant impact of the plan,
decision, or policy on gateway communities.
(2) Early notice of proposed decisions.--To the extent
practicable, the Federal land agencies shall provide local
gateway communities with early public notice of proposed
decisions of these agencies that may have a significant impact
on gateway communities.
(3) Training sessions.--The Federal land agencies shall
offer training sessions for elected and appointed officials of
gateway communities at which such officials can obtain a better
understanding of--
(A) agency planning processes; and
(B) the methods by which they can participate most
meaningfully in the development of the agency plans,
decisions, and policies referred to in paragraph (1).
(4) Technical assistance.--At the request of the government
of a gateway community, a Federal land agency shall assign, to
the extent practicable, an agency employee or contractor to
work with the community to develop data and analysis relevant
to the preparation of agency plans, decisions, and policies
referred to in paragraph (1).
(5) Review of federal land management planning.--At the
request of a gateway community, a Federal land manager shall
assist the gateway community to conduct a review of land use,
management, or transportation plans of the Federal land manager
likely to affect the gateway community.
(6) Coordination of land use.--To the extent consistent
with the laws governing the administration of the Federal
public lands, a Federal land manager may enter into a
cooperative agreement with a gateway community to provide for
coordination between--
(A) the land use inventory, planning, and
management activities for the Federal lands
administered by the Federal land manager; and
(B) the land use planning and management activities
of other Federal agencies, agencies of the State in
which the Federal lands are located, and local and
tribal governments in the vicinity of the Federal
lands.
(7) Interagency cooperation and coordination.--To the
extent practicable, when the plans and activities of two or
more Federal land agencies are anticipated to have an impact on
a gateway community, the Federal land agencies involved shall
consolidate and coordinate their plans and planning processes
to facilitate the participation of the gateway community in the
planning processes.
(8) Treatment as cooperating agencies.--Upon request of a
gateway community, a Federal land manager shall certify the
gateway community as a cooperating agency for purposes of
complying with the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et.seq.) with respect to
Federal lands administered by the Federal land manager.
(e) Grants To Assist Gateway Communities.--
(1) Grants authorized; purposes.--A Federal land manager
may make grants to an eligible gateway community to enable the
gateway community--
(A) to participate in Federal land planning or
management processes;
(B) to obtain professional land use or
transportation planning assistance necessary as a
result of Federal action;
(C) to address and resolve public infrastructure
impacts that are identified through these processes as
a likely result of the Federal land management
decisions and for which sufficient funds are not
otherwise available; and
(D) to provide public information and interpretive
services about the Federal lands administered by the
Federal land manager and the gateway community.
(2) Eligible gateway communities.--To be eligible for a
grant under this subsection, a gateway community may not have a
population in excess of 10,000 persons.
(f) Funding Sources.--
(1) General agency funds.--A Federal land agency may use
amounts available for the general operation of the agency to
provide funds to Federal land managers of that agency to make
grants under subsection (e).
(2) Other Planning or project development funds.--Funds
available to a Federal land manager for planning, construction,
or project development may also be used to fund programs under
subsection (d) and make grants under subsection (e).
(3) Combination of funds.--Federal land managers from
different Federal land agencies may combine financial resources
to make grants under subsection (e).
<all>
Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Executive Comment Received from Interior.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
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Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Discharged.
Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health Discharged.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 107-653, Part I.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 107-653, Part I.
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Sept. 11, 2002.
Committee on Agriculture discharged.
Committee on Agriculture discharged.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 400.