[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1470 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1470

   To require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
    Interior to prioritize the completion of the Continental Divide 
             National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 2025

  Mr. Heinrich (for himself and Mr. Daines) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
    Interior to prioritize the completion of the Continental Divide 
             National Scenic Trail, 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 ``Continental Divide National Scenic 
Trail Completion Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (2) Trail.--The term ``Trail'' means the Continental Divide 
        National Scenic Trail.
            (3) Trail completion team.--The term ``Trail Completion 
        Team'' means the joint Forest Service-Bureau of Land Management 
        Trail completion team established under section 4(a).

SEC. 3. COMPLETION OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL.

    Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary and 
the Secretary of the Interior shall seek to complete the Trail as a 
continuous route not later than 10 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 4. TRAIL COMPLETION TEAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior shall 
establish a joint Forest Service-Bureau of Land Management Trail 
completion team to work in coordination with the administrator of the 
Trail--
            (1) to facilitate the completion and optimization of the 
        Trail, consistent with the purposes of the Trail; and
            (2) to assist in the development of the comprehensive 
        development plan for the Trail under section 5.
    (b) Consultation.--As appropriate, the Trail Completion Team shall 
consult with other Federal agencies, affected State, Tribal, and local 
governments, landowners, affected land-grant mercedes owners and users, 
acequias, and other interested parties in--
            (1) the completion and optimization of the Trail; and
            (2) the development and completion of the comprehensive 
        development plan for the Trail under section 5.

SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE 
              NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
establishment of the Trail Completion Team under section 4(a), the 
Secretary shall complete a comprehensive development plan for the 
Trail.
    (b) Plan Inclusions.--The comprehensive development plan under 
subsection (a) shall--
            (1) identify any gaps in the Trail for which the Secretary 
        and the Secretary of the Interior have not been able to acquire 
        land;
            (2) identify opportunities for the use of easements 
        acquired from willing sellers to facilitate completion of the 
        Trail; and
            (3) include general and site-specific Trail development 
        plans, including anticipated costs of the plans.

SEC. 6. PARTNERSHIPS.

    The Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior shall seek to enter 
into agreements with volunteer and nonprofit organizations, as 
appropriate, to facilitate the completion and administration of the 
Trail.

SEC. 7. EFFECT.

    Nothing in this Act--
            (1) provides any authority to acquire land or interests in 
        land for inclusion in the Trail beyond the authorities provided 
        for the Trail in the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 
        et seq.), including acquisition by eminent domain; or
            (2) makes the acquisition of land or interests in land for 
        the Trail a priority over other land acquisition 
        authorizations.
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