[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3213 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3213
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire and manage lands
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to provide for the protection of
critical aquifers and watersheds that serve as a principal water supply
for Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 1, 2001
Mr. Acevedo-Vila (for himself, Ms. McKinney, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mrs.
Christensen, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Towns, and Mr. Menendez) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to acquire and manage lands
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to provide for the protection of
critical aquifers and watersheds that serve as a principal water supply
for Puerto Rico, 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 ``Puerto Rico Karst Conservation Act
of 2001''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND DEFINITIONS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Karst Region of Puerto Rico is a unique geological
formation that is critical to the maintenance of aquifers and
watersheds which constitute a principal water supply for much
of Puerto Rico.
(2) The Karst Region is threatened by development, which,
if unchecked, could permanently damage aquifers supplying fresh
water and cause irreparable damage to natural and environmental
assets that are unique to the United States and Puerto Rico.
(3) Puerto Rico has one of the highest population densities
in the United States, which further makes the protection of the
Karst Region an imperative for the maintenance of the public
health and welfare of the citizens of Puerto Rico.
(4) The Karst Region possesses extraordinary ecological
diversity, including the habitats of several endangered and
threatened species and tropical migrants and is, therefore, an
area of critical value to research in tropical forest
management.
(5) Coordinated efforts at land protection by the Federal
Government and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will be
necessary to conserve the environmentally critical Karst
Region.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to authorize the
Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, to undertake a program of land conservation, acquisition,
and research to protect and manage the geological and ecological values
of the Karst Region, with particular emphasis on the maintenance of
biodiversity within a tropical forest ecosystem and protection of the
aquifers which are vital to the health and well being of the citizens
of Puerto Rico.
(c) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Karst region.--The term ``Karst Region'' means those
areas in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico generally depicted on
the map entitled ``Karst Region Conservation Area'' and dated
March 2001. The map shall be on file and available for public
inspection in the Office of the Secretary, Puerto Rico
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and the
Office of the Chief of the Forest Service.
(2) Land.--The term ``land'' includes lands, waters, and
interests in lands and waters.
(3) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Puerto Rico Karst
Conservation Fund'' established by section 4.
(4) Forest legacy program.--The term ``Forest Legacy
Program'' means the program established pursuant to section 7
of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C.
2103c).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
SEC. 3. KARST REGION CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES.
(a) Land Acquisition.--
(1) Authorization.--In furtherance of the purposes of this
Act, the Secretary may acquire land in the Karst Region or
immediately adjacent to the Karst Region.
(2) Willing sellers.--All acquisitions of land by the
Secretary on behalf of the United States under paragraph (1)
shall be for fair market value on a willing seller basis.
(3) Funding Source.--The Secretary may carry out land
acquisition activities under paragraph (1) using amounts in the
Fund, amounts appropriated for the Forest Legacy Program,
amounts in the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and any other
moneys made available for such purpose.
(b) Management.--The Secretary shall manage land acquired under
subsection (a) pursuant to this Act, the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 620 et seq.), and the laws
and regulations applicable to the National Forest System.
(c) Cooperative Approach.--The Secretary may make grants to and
enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, other Federal agencies, organizations, and corporations
for the acquisition, protection, and management of Federal and non-
Federal land in the Karst Region.
(d) Relation to Other Authorities.--Nothing in this Act shall
diminish any other authority that the Secretary may have to acquire,
protect, and manage natural resources in Puerto Rico.
SEC. 4. PUERTO RICO KARST CONSERVATION FUND.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established on the books of the
Treasury an interest bearing account to be known as the ``Puerto Rico
Karst Conservation Fund''.
(b) Credits to Funds.--There shall be credited to the Fund the
following:
(1) Amounts authorized for and appropriated to the Fund.
(2) All moneys generated from the Caribbean National
Forest, except the following:
(A) Amounts required to be paid to the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico pursuant to the sixth paragraph under
the heading ``FOREST SERVICE'' in the Act of May 23,
1908, or section 13 of the Act of March 1, 1911 (16
U.S.C. 500).
(B) Amounts required to be retained for the
construction and maintenance of roads and trails
pursuant to the fourteenth paragraph under the heading
``FOREST SERVICE'' in the Act of March 4, 1913 (16
U.S.C. 501).
(C) Amounts collected under the Recreation Fee
Demonstration Program authorized pursuant to section
315 of the Department of the Interior and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (as contained in
section 101(c) of Public Law 104-134; 16 U.S.C. 460l-6a
note).
(3) All moneys received by the Administrator of General
Services from the disposal of surplus real property in Puerto
Rico pursuant to the Federal Property and Administrative
Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 471 et seq.).
(4) Interest derived from amounts in the Fund and any other
moneys donated for deposit in the Fund.
(c) Use of Fund.--Amounts in the Fund shall be available to the
Secretary until expended, without further appropriation, for the
purchase of land in the Karst Region and related acquisition management
expenses as authorized by section 3.
SEC. 5. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.
(a) Donations.--The Secretary may accept for deposit in the Fund
donations made by public and private agencies, corporations,
organizations, and individuals in furtherance of the purposes of this
Act. The Secretary may accept such donations even though the donor
conducts business with or is regulated by the Department of Agriculture
or any other department or agency of the United States.
(b) Relation to Forest Legacy Program.--
(1) In general.--All lands in the Karst Region shall be
eligible for inclusion in the Forest Legacy Program.
(2) Cost sharing.--The Secretary may credit donations made
under subsection (a) to satisfy any cost sharing requirements
of the Forest Legacy Program.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 to be credited
to the Fund.
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