Home > 105th Congressional Bills > S. 1693 (is) To renew, reform, reinvigorate, and protect the National Park System. ...S. 1693 (is) To renew, reform, reinvigorate, and protect the National Park System. ...
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1693
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide for improved management and increased accountability for
certain National Park Service programs, 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 ``Vision 2020 National Parks System
Restoration Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act, the term--
(1) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior, and
(2) ``park'' or ``national park'' means a unit of the
National Park System.
TITLE I--NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CAREER DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING AND
MANAGEMENT
SEC. 101. PROTECTION, INTERPRETATION AND RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL PARK
SYSTEM.
Recognizing the ever increasing societal pressures being placed
upon America's unique natural and cultural resources contained in the
National Park System, the Secretary shall continually improve the
ability of the National Park Service to provide state-of-the-art
management, protection, and interpretation of and research on the
resources of the National Park System.
SEC. 102. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE EMPLOYEE TRAINING.
The Secretary shall develop a comprehensive training program for
employees in all professional careers in the work force of the National
Park Service for the purpose of assuring that the work force has
available the best, up-to-date knowledge, skills and abilities with
which to manage, interpret and protect the resources of the National
Park System.
SEC. 103. MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING.
The Secretary shall develop a clear plan for management training
and development, whereby career, professional National Park Service
employees from any appropriate academic field may obtain sufficient
training, experience, and advancement opportunity to enable those
qualified to move into park management positions, including explicitly
the position of park superintendent.
SEC. 104. PARK BUDGETS AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) Strategic Plans.--Each unit of the National Park System shall
prepare and make available to the public a 5-year strategic plan and an
annual performance plan. Such plans shall reflect the National Park
Service policies, goals and outcomes represented in the Service-wide
Strategic Plan, prepared pursuant to the provisions of the Government
Performance and Results Act (Public Law 103-62).
(b) Park Budget.--As a part of each park's annual performance plan
prepared pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, following receipt
of each park's appropriation from the Operations of the National Park
System account (but no later than January 1 of each year), each park
superintendent shall develop and make available to the public the
budget for the current fiscal year for that park. The budget shall
include, at a minimum, funding allocations for resource preservation
(including resource management), visitor services (including
maintenance, interpretation, law enforcement, and search and rescue)
and administration. The budget shall also include allocations into each
of the above categories of all funds retained from fees collected for
that year, including but not limited to special use permits, concession
franchise fees, and recreation use and entrance fees.
TITLE II--NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM RESOURCE INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT
SEC. 201. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this title are--
(1) to more effectively achieve the mission of the National
Park Service;
(2) to enhance management and protection of national park
resources by providing clear authority and direction for the
conduct of scientific study in the National Park System and to
use the information gathered for management purposes;
(3) to ensure appropriate documentation of resource
conditions in the National Park System;
(4) to encourage others to use the National Park System for
study to the benefit of park management as well as broader
scientific value, where such study is consistent with the Act
of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2-4); and
(5) to encourage the publication and dissemination of
information derived from studies in the National Park System.
SEC. 202. RESEARCH MANDATE.
The Secretary is authorized and directed to assure that management
of units of the National Park System is enhanced by the availability
and utilization of a broad program of the highest quality science and
information.
SEC. 203. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.
(a) Cooperative Study Units.--The Secretary is authorized and
directed to enter into cooperative agreements with colleges and
universities, including but not limited to land grant schools, in
partnership with other Federal and State agencies, to establish
cooperative study units to conduct multi-disciplinary research and
develop integrated information products on the resources of the
National Park System, or the larger region of which parks are a part.
(b) Report.--Within one year of the date of enactment of this
title, the Secretary shall report to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on
Resources of the House of Representatives on progress in the
establishment of a comprehensive network of such college and university
based cooperative study units as will provide full geographic and
topical coverage for research on the resources contained in units of
the National Park System and their larger regions.
SEC. 204. INVENTORY AND MONITORING PROGRAM.
The Secretary shall undertake a program of inventory and monitoring
of National Park System resources to establish baseline information and
to provide information on the long-term trends in the condition of
National Park System resources. The monitoring program shall be
developed in cooperation with other Federal monitoring and information
collection efforts to ensure a cost-effective approach.
SEC. 205. AVAILABILITY FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may solicit, receive, and consider
requests from Federal or non-Federal public or private agencies,
organizations, individuals, or other entities for the use of any unit
of the National Park System for purposes of scientific study.
(b) Criteria.--A request for use of a unit of the National Park
System under subsection (a) may only be approved if the Secretary
determines that the proposed study--
(1) is consistent with applicable laws and National Park
Service management policies; and
(2) will be conducted in a manner as to pose no significant
threat to or broad impairment of park resources or public
enjoyment derived from those resources.
(c) Fee Waiver.--The Secretary may waive any park admission or
recreational use fee in order to facilitate the conduct of scientific
study under this section.
SEC. 206. INTEGRATION OF STUDY RESULTS INTO MANAGEMENT DECISIONS.
The Secretary shall take such measures as are necessary to assure
the full and proper utilization of the results of scientific study for
park management decisions. In each case in which a park resource may be
adversely affected by an action undertaken by the National Park
Service, the administrative record shall reflect the manner in which
unit resource studies have been considered.
SEC. 207. CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION.
Information concerning the nature and location of a park resource
which is endangered, threatened, rare, or commercially valuable, or for
an object of cultural patrimony within a unit of the National Park
System, may be withheld from the public in response to a request under
section 552 of title 5, United States Code, unless the Secretary
determines that--
(1) disclosure of the information would further the
purposes of the park unit in which the resource is located and
would not create a substantial risk of harm, theft, or
destruction of the resource, including individual specimens of
any resource population; and
(2) disclosure is consistent with other applicable laws
protecting the resource.
TITLE III--PROCEDURES FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW UNITS OF THE NATIONAL
PARK SYSTEM
SEC. 301. STUDIES OF AREAS FOR POTENTIAL INCLUSION IN THE NATIONAL PARK
SYSTEM.
Section 8 of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by inserting ``General Author- ity.--'' after
``(a)'';
(B) by striking the second through sixth sentences;
and
(C) by striking ``For the purposes of carrying
out'' and inserting the following:
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purposes of
carrying out''; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Studies of Areas for Potential Inclusion in the National Park
System.--
``(1)(A) At the beginning of each calendar year, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on
Resources of the United States House of Representatives a list
of areas recommended for study for potential inclusion as new
units in the National Park System.
``(B) If the Secretary determines during a specific
calendar year that no areas are recommended for study for
potential inclusion in the National Park System, the Secretary
is not required to submit the list referenced in subparagraph
(A).
``(2) In developing the list submitted under this
subsection, the Secretary shall consider--
``(A) areas that have the greatest potential for
meeting the established criteria of national
significance, suitability, and feasibility;
``(B) themes, sites, and resources not adequately
represented in the National Park System; and
``(C) public proposals and Congressional requests.
``(3) Nothing in this subsection shall limit the authority
of the Secretary to conduct preliminary planning activities,
including--
``(A) the conduct of a preliminary resource
assessment;
``(B) collection of data on a potential study area;
``(C) provision of technical and planning
assistance;
``(D) preparation or processing of a nomination for
an administrative designation;
``(E) updating of a previous study; or
``(F) completion of a reconnaissance survey of an
area.
``(4) National wild and scenic rivers system; national
trails system.--Nothing in this section applies to, affects, or
alters the study of--
``(A) any river segment for potential addition to
the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; or
``(B) any trail for potential addition to the
National Trails System.
``(5) In conducting a study under this subsection, the
Secretary shall--
``(A) provide adequate public notice and an
opportunity for public involvement, including at least
one public meeting in the vicinity of the area under
study; and
``(B) make reasonable efforts to notify potentially
affected landowners and State and local governments.
``(6) In conducting a study of an area under this
subsection, the Secretary--
``(A) shall consider whether the area--
``(i) possesses nationally significant
natural, historic or cultural resources, or
outstanding recreational opportunities;
``(ii) represents one of the most important
examples (singly or as part of a group) of a
particular resource type in the United States;
and
``(iii) is a suitable and feasible addition
to the National Park System;
``(B) shall consider--
``(i) the rarity and integrity of the
resources of the area;
``(ii) the threats to resources;
``(iii) whether similar resources are
already protected in the National Park System
or in other public or private ownership;
``(iv) benefits to the public;
``(v) the interpretive and educational
potential of the area;
``(vi) costs associated with acquisition,
development, and operation of the area and the
source or revenue to pay for the cost;
``(vii) the socioeconomic impacts of
inclusion of the area in the National Park
System;
``(viii) the level of local and general
public support for the inclusion;
``(ix) whether the area is of appropriate
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