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 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 lands under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the United States 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) land use inventory, planning, and management activities administered by such Secretary; and (2) 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 such lands.
Requires, when the plans and activities of two or more federal agencies are anticipated to have a significant 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 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.
Terminates the authority of the Secretary to carry out any provisions of this Act ten years after the enactment of this Act.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 585 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 585
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 2, 2005
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''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDERAL LAND MANAGERS AND GATEWAY
COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE LAND MANAGEMENT OF BOTH
FEDERAL AND ADJACENT LANDS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Many communities that abut or are 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) Some of 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 service, medical support,
logistical support, living quarters, and drinking water and
sanitary systems for 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) Many 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, auto repairs, emergency services, and visitor
information.
(5) Development in some gateway communities may impact the
management and protection of these Federal lands.
(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 management agencies and 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.--The purpose of this section is 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 in gateway
communities and decisions by the relevant Secretary.
(c) Definitions.--For the purpose of this section, the following
definitions apply:
(1) Gateway community.--The term ``gateway community''
means a county, city, town, village, or other subdivision of a
State, a federally recognized 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) the relevant Secretary (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 the relevant
Secretary.
(2) Relevant secretary.--The term ``relevant Secretary''
means the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of
Agriculture, as appropriate.
(d) Participation in Federal Planning and Land Use.--
(1) Participation in planning.--At the earliest possible
time, the relevant Secretary shall solicit the involvement of
elected and appointed officials of governments of 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 lands under the jurisdiction
of these Federal agencies that are likely to have a significant
impact on these gateway communities.
(2) Information provided.--To facilitate such involvement,
the relevant Secretary shall provide the appropriate officials,
at the earliest possible time but not later than the scoping
process, with the following:
(A) A summary, in nontechnical language, of the
assumptions, purposes, goals, and objectives of the
plan, decision, project, or policy.
(B) A description of any anticipated significant
impact of the plan, decision, project, or policy on
gateway communities.
(C) Information regarding the technical assistance
and training available to the gateway community.
(3) Training sessions.--At the request of a gateway
community, the relevant Secretary shall offer training sessions
for elected and appointed officials of gateway communities at
which such officials can obtain a better understanding of--
(A) the 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 a gateway
community, the relevant Secretary shall make available
personnel, on a temporary basis, to assist gateway communities
in development of mutually compatible land use or management
plans.
(5) Coordination of land use.--The relevant Secretary may
enter into cooperative agreements with gateway communities to
coordinate the management of--
(A) the land use inventory, planning, and
management activities for the Federal lands
administered by the relevant Secretary; 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.
(6) Interagency cooperation and coordination.--To the
extent practicable, when the plans and activities of 2 or more
Federal agencies are anticipated to have a significant impact
on a gateway community, the Federal agencies involved shall
consolidate and coordinate their plans and planning processes
to facilitate the participation of affected gateway communities
in the planning processes.
(7) Treatment as cooperating agencies.--To the earliest
extent practicable, but not later than the scoping process,
when a proposed action is determined to require an
environmental impact statement, the relevant Secretary shall
allow any affected gateway communities the opportunity to be
recognized as cooperating agencies under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
(e) Grants to Small Gateway Communities.--
(1) In general.--The relevant Secretary may make grants to
any gateway community with a population of 10,000 or less to
carry out the purposes of this section.
(2) Authorization of appropriations for grantmaking.--There
are hereby authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each
fiscal year for grants under this subsection.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are hereby authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act (other than for grants under
subsection (e)), $10,000,000 for each fiscal year.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
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 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 Forests and Forest Health.
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
Mr. Radanovich moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
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Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H11042-11043)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 585.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H11042)
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H11042)
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.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held.