Hudson River Valley Special Resource Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the Hudson River Valley in the state of New York to evaluate: (1) the national significance of the part of the Hudson River that flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to the southernmost boundary of Westchester County, New York (the study area); and (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2636 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2636
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study of the Hudson River Valley, New York.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 9, 2013
Mrs. Lowey (for herself, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr.
Engel, and Mr. Tonko) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
resource study of the Hudson River Valley, New York.
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 ``Hudson River Valley Special Resource
Study Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(2) Study area.--
(A) In general.--The term ``study area'' means the
portion of the Hudson River that flows from Rodgers
Island at Fort Edward to the southernmost boundary of
Westchester County, New York.
(B) Inclusion.--The term ``study area'' includes
any relevant sites and landscapes within the counties
in New York that abut the area described in
subparagraph (A).
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the Hudson River Valley possesses nationally
significant and unique cultural, historical, natural,
recreational, and scenic resources;
(2) the Hudson River Valley is home to a robust and growing
tourism and recreation industry that is an important component
of the regional economy;
(3) throughout history, the Hudson River Valley has played
a crucial role in the development of the United States,
starting from the vibrant Native American communities that
first inhabited the land, to the voyage of Henry Hudson up the
river later named for Hudson in the vessel Half Moon in 1609
and later with the American Revolution, the debate on our
Constitution, the first successful steamboat voyage by Robert
Fulton in 1807, the Industrial Revolution, the establishment of
the Erie Canal and growth of metropolitan New York, and the
inception of the modern labor and environmental movements;
(4) the Hudson River Valley gave birth to important
movements in the art, architecture, and literature of the
United States;
(5) the Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich array of
sensitive natural resources ranging from the Hudson River and
the vast estuarine district of the Hudson River, to the
wetlands, refuges, parks, forests, farmlands, preserves,
cliffs, valleys, and wildlife of the Hudson River;
(6) the depictions and descriptions of the renowned scenery
and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley played a
central role in the recognition of the value of the landscape
and the development of the esthetic and environmental ideal of
the United States;
(7) a 1996 National Park Service study described the Hudson
River Valley as ``the landscape that defined America''; and
(8) the Hudson River Valley has been the subject of
multiple State and Federal inventories, studies, and plans that
should greatly assist in the conduct of a National Park Service
special resource study.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY.
(a) In General.--As soon as funds are made available to carry out
this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study of the study area to
evaluate--
(1) the national significance of the study area; and
(2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the
study area as a unit of the National Park System.
(b) Study Guidelines.--In conducting the study under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall--
(1) use the criteria for the study of areas for potential
inclusion in the National Park System included in section 8 of
the National Park System General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a-
5); and
(2) closely examine models for units of the National Park
System, in particular national river and recreation areas, and
other landscape protection models, that--
(A) encompass large areas of non-Federal land
within designated boundaries;
(B) promote increased heritage tourism and economic
development;
(C) foster public and private collaborative
arrangements for achieving National Park Service
objectives; and
(D) protect and respect the rights of private land
owners and municipalities.
SEC. 5. REPORT.
Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made
available to conduct the study under section 4, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of
the Senate a report on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations
of the study.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.
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