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10/1/2004-- Look
at the list of House Resources Committee members below, if you
know someone on the list, or
you are from a state represented, please Google their name, get
their Washington, DC office phone number and call - you can state
your support for Senate Bill 931 with the person that answers
the phone, or you can ask for the natural resources staff person
and state your support with them. If you are not connected to
someone on the list, you can call the chair of the Subcommittee:
Congressman Greg Walden
1404 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Ph: (202) 225-6730
Fax: (202) 225-5774
e-mail: http://walden.house.gov/contactgreg
Contact list:
Mr. Greg Walden, Oregon, Chairman
Mr. Jay Inslee, Washington, Ranking Democrat
Member
John J. Duncan, Jr., TN
Dale Kildee, MI
Walter B. Jones, NC
Tom Udall, NM
John E. Peterson, PA, Vice Chair
Mark Udall, CO
Thomas G. Tancredo, CO
Anibal Acevedo-Vila, PR
J.D. Hayworth, AZ
Brad Carson, OK
Jeff Flake, AZ
Betty McCollum, MN
Dennis Rehberg, MT
Vacancy
Rick Renzi, AZ
Vacancy
Stevan Pearce, NM
Nick J. Rahall, II, WV, ex officio
Richard W. Pombo, CA, ex officio
The Bill: Federal Land Recreational
Visitor Protection Act of 2003
S 931 IS
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 931
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program
to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches
on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other
recreational users of public land .
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 29, 2003
Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Hatch,
Mr. Inouye, and Ms. Murkowski) 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 undertake a program
to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches
on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other
recreational users of public land .
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 `Federal Land Recreational Visitor
Protection Act of 2003'.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act :
(1) PROGRAM- The term `program' means the avalanche protection
program established under section 3(a).
(2) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the
Interior.
SEC. 3. AVALANCHE PROTECTION PROGRAM.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary shall establish a coordinated
avalanche protection program--
(1) to provide early identification of the potential for avalanches
that could endanger the safety of visitors to units of the National
Park System and recreational users of public land , including
skiers, backpackers, snowboarders, and campers; and
(2) to reduce the risks and mitigate the effects of avalanches
on visitors, recreational users, neighboring communities, and
transportation corridors.
(b) COORDINATION-
(1) IN GENERAL- In developing and implementing the program, the
Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Agriculture, and
coordinate the program, to ensure adequate levels of protection
for recreational users of public land and forests under the jurisdiction
of the Secretary of Agriculture, including National Recreation
Areas, wilderness and backcountry areas, components of the National
Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and other areas that are subject
to the potential threat of avalanches.
(2) RESOURCES- In carrying out this section, the Secretary and
the Secretary of Agriculture--
(A) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use the resources
of the National Avalanche Center of the Forest Service; and
(B) may use such other resources as the Secretary has available
in the development and implementation of the program.
(c) ADVISORY COMMITTEE-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture
shall jointly establish an advisory committee to assist in the
development and implementation of the program.
(2) MEMBERSHIP-
(A) IN GENERAL- The Advisory Committee shall consist of 11 members,
appointed by the Secretaries, who represent authorized users
of artillery, other military weapons, or weapons alternatives
used for avalanche control.
(B) REPRESENTATIVES- The membership of the Advisory Committee
shall include representatives of--
(i) Federal land management agencies and concessionaires or permittees
that are exposed to the threat of avalanches;
(ii) State departments of transportation that have experience
in dealing with the effects of avalanches; and
(iii) Federal - or State-owned railroads that have experience
in dealing with the effects of avalanches.
(d) CENTRAL DEPOSITORY- The Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture,
and the Secretary of the Army shall establish a central depository
for weapons, ammunition, and parts for avalanche control purposes,
including an inventory that can be made available to Federal
and non-Federal entities for avalanche control purposes under
the program.
(e) GRANTS-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture
may make grants to carry out projects and activities under the
program--
(A) to assist in the prevention, forecasting, detection, and
mitigation of avalanches for the safety and protection of persons,
property, and at-risk communities;
(B) to maintain essential transportation and communications affected
or potentially affected by avalanches;
(C) to assist avalanche artillery users to ensure the availability
of adequate supplies of artillery and other unique explosives
required for avalanche control in or affecting--
(i) units of the National Park System; and
(ii) other Federal land used for recreation purposes; and
(iii) adjacent communities, and essential transportation corridors,
that are at risk of avalanches; and
(D) to assist public or private persons and entities in conducting
research and development activities for cost-effective and reliable
alternatives to minimize reliance on military weapons for avalanche
control.
(2) APPORTIONMENT OF FUNDS-
(A) IN GENERAL- Subject to subparagraph (B), for each fiscal
year for which funds are made available under section 4, the
Secretary shall apportion the amount of funds made available
for the fiscal year among States with avalanche zones based on
the ratio that the total area of avalanche zones located in each
State bears to the total area of all avalanche zones in all States.
(B) PRIORITY- In providing grants under this subsection, the
Secretary shall give priority to projects and activities carried
out in avalanche zones--
(i) with a high frequency or severity of avalanches; or
(ii) in which deaths or serious injuries to individuals, or loss
or damage to public facilities and communities, have occurred
or are likely to occur.
(f) SURPLUS ORDINANCE- Section 549(c)(3) of title 40, United
States Code, is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking `or' after the semicolon
at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and
inserting `; or'; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
`(C) in the case of surplus artillery ordinance that is suitable
for avalanche control purposes, to a user of such ordinance.'.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary
to carry out this Act .
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