(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on May 20, 2004. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Gateway Communities Cooperation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (the relevant Secretary) to: (1) solicit involvement by government officials of local gateway communities (communities, including recognized Indian tribes or Alaska Native villages, that abut or are near public lands) in the development of land use plans, programs, regulations, and decisions, transportation plans, general management plans, and any other public land plans, decisions, projects, or policies for public lands under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management which are likely to have a significant impact; (2) facilitate such involvement, provide the appropriate officials with a summary of the assumptions, purposes, goals, and objectives of a plan, decision, project, or policy, a description of any anticipated significant impact, and information regarding the technical assistance and training available; (3) at the request of a gateway community, offer training sessions for officials for understanding and participating in agency planning processes and the methods by which they can most meaningfully participate in the development of agency plans, decisions, and policies; and (4) at the request of a gateway community, make available personnel, on a temporary basis, to assist gateway communities in the development of mutually compatible land use or management plans.
Authorizes the relevant Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with gateway communities to coordinate the management of: (1) the land use inventory, planning, and management activities administered by such Secretary; and (2) the land use planning and management activities of other Federal agencies, agencies of the State in which the public lands are located, and local and tribal governments in the vicinity of such lands.
Requires, when the plans of two or more Federal agencies are anticipated to have an impact on a gateway community, the consolidation and coordination of the agencies' plans and planning processes in order to facilitate the participation of affected gateway communities.
Directs the relevant Secretary to allow any affected gateway communities the opportunity to be recognized as cooperating agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 when a proposed action is determined to require an environmental impact statement.
Allows the relevant Secretary to make grants to any gateway community with a population of 10,000 or less to carry out the purposes of this Act.
Authorizes appropriations.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1014 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1014
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
February 27, 2003
Mr. Radanovich (for himself, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. McInnis, Mrs. Cubin,
Mr. Cannon, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Otter, and Mr. Bishop of Utah) 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''.
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 and the Federal lands, 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.
(9) Persuading gateway communities to make decisions and
undertake actions in their communities that would also be in
the best interest of the Federal lands is most likely to occur
when such decisionmaking and actions are built upon a
foundation of cooperation and coordination.
(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section 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, including the
availability of historical and cultural resources; 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, or a federally recognized American Indian tribe or
Alaska Native village, that--
(A) is incorporated or recognized in a county or
regional land use plan or within tribal jurisdictional
boundaries; 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 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, projects, 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, project, or policy and a
description of any anticipated significant impact of the plan,
decision, project, 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, and to the extent practicable,
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 that are 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 a
significant 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.--When a proposed
action is determined to require the preparation of an
environmental impact statement, the Federal land agencies
shall, as soon as practicable, but not later than the scoping
process, actively solicit the participation of gateway
communities as cooperating agencies under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(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 about 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).
(g) Placement of Facilities.--Whenever planning new or expanded
facilities, including administrative, operational, housing, or visitor
information facilities for Federal lands administered by a Federal land
management agency, the Federal land management agency shall give
priority consideration, to the extent practicable, to locating the
facilities in a gateway community.
<all>
Referred to the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Discharged.
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 108-508, Part I.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 108-508, Part I.
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than May 20, 2004.
Committee on Agriculture discharged.
Committee on Agriculture discharged.
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Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 291.
Mr. Hayworth moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5931-5932)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1014.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H5931)
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5931)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.