National Parks and Public Lands Wilderness Management Act

Summary

National Parks and Public Lands Wilderness Management Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to establish and maintain wilderness management programs within the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (Park Service) (BLM) to protect and restore the pristine wilderness portions of the National Wilderness Preservation System (System) managed by such agencies. Requires the Directors of the Park Service and of BLM (Directors) each to appoint a Wilderness Division Chief for their respective agencies to supervise management of that agency's portions of the System. Requires the President's budget to the Congress for each fiscal year after the enactment of this Act to identify specifically, in a line item for each agency separate from other programs, funds to be expended by the Park Service and BLM on wilderness management. Declares that such appropriated funds shall be spent on wilderness management only. Requires the Directors to establish and maintain a national wilderness monitoring system, based on the best available science, to monitor the condition of the wilderness resource within each agency's portions of the System. Requires the Secretary, beginning in 1995 and every five years thereafter, to report to the President and specified congressional committees on the condition of the wilderness resource on Park Service and BLM lands, identifying steps the Secretary plans to take to reverse any degradation or deterioration. Requires the Directors to: (1) develop guidelines for a personnel evaluation system for each line officer with wilderness management responsibilities; and (2) establish a field wilderness ranger program for specified lands managed by the agencies. Requires the Director of BLM to take certain steps to improve the efficiency of the wilderness management program and give it needed emphasis. Requires the Park Service and BLM to complete Wilderness Management Plans for each wilderness area designated on or before the enactment of this Act. Directs such agencies, within two years after non-designated areas have been designated, to complete wilderness management plans for them. Requires the Secretary and other U.S. departments that manage wilderness to establish a national wilderness education program to educate the American people on wilderness laws and policies, values of wilderness, wilderness ecological processes, and ways to minimize visitor impacts on the wilderness resource. Directs BLM to: (1) conduct cadastral boundary surveys before offering timber on tracts adjacent to its public lands for sale to locate the legal boundaries of the wilderness areas; and (2) take necessary actions to ensure that timber harvesting is restricted on them. Requires the Secretary to: (1) protect cultural resource sites in wilderness areas; (2) encourage specified scientific research in them; and (3) establish wilderness research programs within the Park Service and BLM. Requires the President's budget to the Congress for each fiscal year after the enactment of this Act to identify specifically, in a line item for each agency separate from other programs, funds to be spent by them on wilderness research. Authorizes appropriations.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 26 February 1992

   Introduced

   Referred to the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 26 February 1992

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 26 February 1992

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 10 March 1992

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands.

   Source: Committee

5. 23 March 1992

   Committee

   Executive Comment Requested from Interior.

   Source: Committee

6. 23 June 1992

   Committee

   Subcommittee Hearings Held.

   Source: Committee

7. 6 August 1992

   Committee

   Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

   Source: Committee

8. 6 August 1992

   Committee

   Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended).

   Source: Committee

9. 12 August 1992

   Committee

   Unfavorable Executive Comment Received from Justice.

   Source: Committee

10. 12 August 1992

    Committee

    Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

    Source: Committee

11. 12 August 1992

    Reported

    Ordered to be Reported (Amended).

    Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in House · undated · Official file

Documents

2 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 26 February 1992

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Vento, Bruce F. [D-MN-4] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Smith, Neal Edward [D-IA-4] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Hughes, William J. [D-NJ-2] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Beilenson, Anthony C. [D-CA-23] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Brown, George E., Jr. [D-CA-36] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Andrews, Thomas H. [D-ME-1] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Mrazek, Robert J. [D-NY-3] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Jontz, Jim [D-IN-5] · D · Cosponsor
• · hsii00 · Standing

Related records

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