[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 153 Referred in House (RFH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 153
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2005
Referred to the Committee on Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a resource study of
the Rim of the Valley Corridor in the State of California to evaluate
alternatives for protecting the resources of the Corridor, 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 ``Rim of the Valley Corridor Study
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Corridor.--
(A) In general.--The term ``Corridor'' means the
land, water, and interests of the area in the State
known as the ``Rim of the Valley Corridor''.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``Corridor'' includes the
mountains surrounding the San Fernando, La Crescenta,
Santa Clarita, Simi, and Conejo valleys in the State.
(2) Recreation area.--The term ``Recreation Area'' means
the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in the
State.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of
California.
SEC. 3. RESOURCE STUDY OF THE RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR, CALIFORNIA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a resource study of
the Corridor to evaluate various alternatives for protecting the
resources of the Corridor, including designating all or a portion of
the Corridor as a unit of the Recreation Area.
(b) Requirements.--In conducting the study under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall--
(1) seek to achieve the objectives of--
(A) protecting wildlife populations in the
Recreation Area by preserving habitat linkages and
wildlife movement corridors between large blocks of
habitat in adjoining regional open space;
(B) establishing connections along the State-
designated Rim of the Valley Trail System for the
purposes of--
(i) creating a single contiguous Rim of the
Valley Trail; and
(ii) encompassing major feeder trails
connecting adjoining communities and regional
transit to the Rim of the Valley Trail System;
(C) preserving recreational opportunities;
(D) facilitating access to open space for a variety
of recreational users;
(E) protecting--
(i) rare, threatened, or endangered plant
and animal species; and
(ii) rare or unusual plant communities and
habitats;
(F) protecting historically significant landscapes,
districts, sites, and structures; and
(G) respecting the needs of communities in, or in
the vicinity of, the Corridor;
(2) analyze the potential impact of each alternative on
staffing and other potential costs to Federal, State, and local
agencies and other organizations; and
(3) analyze the potential impact that designating all or a
portion of the Corridor as a unit of the Recreation Area would
have on land in or bordering the area that is privately owned
as of the date on which the study is conducted.
(c) Consultation.--In conducting the study, the Secretary shall
consult with appropriate Federal, State, county, and local government
entities.
(d) Applicable Law.--Section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C.
1a-5(c)) shall apply to the conduct and completion of the study
required by subsection (a).
SEC. 4. REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which
funds are first made available for the study, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate
and to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives a
report that describes the results of the study conducted under section
3.
(b) Inclusion.--The report submitted under subsection 4(a) shall
include the concerns of private landowners within the boundaries of the
Recreation Area.
Passed the Senate July 26, 2005.
Attest:
EMILY J. REYNOLDS,
Secretary.