[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3131 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3131
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource
study to evaluate resources in the Hudson River Valley in the State of
New York to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing
the site as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 17, 2010
Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource
study to evaluate resources in the Hudson River Valley in the State of
New York to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing
the site as a unit of the National Park System, 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 ``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.--The term ``study area''--
(A) means the portion of the Hudson River that
flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward to the
southern-most boundary of Westchester County, New York;
and
(B) 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 as follows:
(1) The Hudson River Valley possesses important and unique
cultural, historical, natural, recreational and scenic
resources that have been central to the development and
sustainment of our Nation.
(2) The Hudson River Valley encompasses a rich array of
sensitive natural resources ranging from the River itself and
its vast estuarine district, to its wetlands, refuges, parks,
forests, farmlands, preserves, cliffs, mountains, and valleys.
(3) The Hudson River and its tributaries are home to a
number of rare and threatened animal species, habitats, and
plants.
(4) The Hudson River Valley is home to myriad biking,
heritage, pedestrian and scenic trail systems on the eastern
and western sides of the River that are now connected by the
Walkway Over the Hudson bridge, which has been designated as a
National Recreation Trail.
(5) Throughout history, the Hudson River Valley has played
a central role in the development of our nation, starting from
the vibrant Native American communities that first inhabited
the land, to Henry Hudson's voyage up the river later named for
him 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, and the modern labor and environmental
movements.
(6) The Hudson River Valley gave birth to important
movements in American art, architecture and literature through
the work of Andrew Jackson Downing, Alexander Jackson Davis,
Thomas Cole, Frederick Church and their associates from the
Hudson River School of Art, as well as through authors such as
Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen
Bryant, Susan and Anna Warner, and John Burroughs.
(7) The depictions and descriptions of the Hudson River
Valley's renowned scenery and natural resources played a
central role in the recognition of the value of the landscape
and the development of an American esthetic and environmental
ideal.
(8) A 1996 National Park Service study called the Hudson
River Valley ``the landscape that defined America.''.
(9) The Hudson River Valley has been the subject of
multiple State and Federal inventories, studies, and plans that
should greatly assist a National Park Service special resource
study.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY.
(a) In General.--As soon as funds are made available for this
purpose, the Secretary shall complete a study of the Hudson River
Valley in the State of New York to evaluate--
(1) the national significance of the area; and
(2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the 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
Public Law 91-383, as amended by section 303 of the National
Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-391; 112
Stat. 3501); and
(2) closely examine park unit models, in particular
national river and recreation areas, as well as other landscape
protection models, that--
(A) encompass large areas of non-Federal lands
within their designated boundaries;
(B) foster public and private collaborative
arrangements for achieving National Park Service
objectives; and
(C) protect and respect the rights of private land
owners.
SEC. 5. REPORT.
Not later than 24 months after the date that funds are first made
available for this purpose, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report on the
findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study authorized by
this Act.
<all>