Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act

Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to manage: (1) the river segments in accordance with the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Management Plan, dated June 2011; and (2) coordinate the management responsibilities of the Secretary under this Act relating to such segments with the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee.

Makes the provisions of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act prohibiting federal acquisition of lands by condemnation applicable to the designated segments. Limits the authority of the Secretary to acquire lands for the purposes of such segments to acquisition by donation or with the owner's consent and subject to additional management plan criteria.

Prohibits the designation made by this Act from being construed as: (1) prohibiting the potential future licensing or re-licensing of the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir (including associated transmission lines and other project works) by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as a federally licensed hydroelectric generation project, or (2) affecting the operations of a hydroelectric facility at the Dam and Reservoir.

Bars the Lower Farmington River from being administered as part of the National Park System or being subject to System regulations.

Revises the description of a specified designated segment of the Farmington River in Connecticut.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2286 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2286

 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments 
of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut as 
components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 17, 2012

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments 
of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut as 
components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, 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 ``Lower Farmington River and Salmon 
Brook Wild and Scenic River Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Study Act 
        of 2005 (Public Law 109-370) authorized the study of the 
        Farmington River downstream from the segment designated as a 
        recreational river by section 3(a)(156) of the Wild and Scenic 
        Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(a)(156)) to its confluence with the 
        Connecticut River, and the segment of the Salmon Brook 
        including its main stem and east and west branches for 
        potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
        System;
            (2) the studied segments of the Lower Farmington River and 
        Salmon Brook support natural, cultural, and recreational 
        resources of exceptional significance to the citizens of 
        Connecticut and the Nation;
            (3) concurrently with the preparation of the study, the 
        Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Study 
        Committee prepared the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook 
        Management Plan, June 2011, that establishes objectives, 
        standards, and action programs that will ensure the long-term 
        protection of the outstanding values of the river segments 
        without Federal management of affected lands not owned by the 
        United States;
            (4) the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and 
        Scenic Study Committee has voted in favor of Wild and Scenic 
        River designation for the river segments, and has included this 
        recommendation as an integral part of the management plan;
            (5) there is strong local support for the protection of the 
        Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook, including votes of 
        support for Wild and Scenic designation from the governing 
        bodies of all ten communities abutting the study area;
            (6) the State of Connecticut General Assembly has endorsed 
        the designation of the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook 
        as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System 
        (Public Act 08-37); and
            (7) the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir are located entirely 
        outside of the river segment designated by section 3 of this 
        Act, and, based on the findings of the study of the Lower 
        Farmington River pursuant to Public Law 109-370, operation of 
        this hydroelectric project (including associated transmission 
        lines and other project works) is compatible with the 
        designation made by section 3 of this Act.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION.

    Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(208) Lower farmington river and salmon brook, 
        connecticut.--Segments of the main stem and its tributary, 
        Salmon Brook, totaling approximately 62 miles, to be 
        administered by the Secretary of the Interior as follows:
                    ``(A) The approximately 27.2 mile segment of the 
                Farmington River beginning 0.2 miles below the tailrace 
                of the Lower Collinsville Dam and extending to the site 
                of the Spoonville Dam in Bloomfield and East Granby as 
                a recreational river.
                    ``(B) The approximately 8.1-mile segment of the 
                Farmington River extending from 0.5 miles below the 
                Rainbow Dam to the confluence with the Connecticut 
                River in Windsor as a recreational river.
                    ``(C) The approximately 2.4-mile segment of the 
                main stem of Salmon Brook extending from the confluence 
                of the East and West Branches to the confluence with 
                the Farmington River as a recreational river.
                    ``(D) The approximately 12.6-mile segment of the 
                West Branch of Salmon Brook extending from its 
                headwaters in Hartland, Connecticut to its confluence 
                with the East Branch of Salmon Brook as a recreational 
                river.
                    ``(E) The approximately 11.4-mile segment of the 
                East Branch of Salmon Brook extending from the 
                Massachusetts-Connecticut State line to the confluence 
                with the West Branch of Salmon Brook as a recreational 
                river.''.

SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT.

    (a) In General.--The river segments designated by section 3 shall 
be managed in accordance with the management plan and such amendments 
to the management plan as the Secretary determines are consistent with 
this Act. The management plan shall be deemed to satisfy the 
requirements for a comprehensive management plan pursuant to section 
3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)).
    (b) Committee.--The Secretary shall coordinate the management 
responsibilities of the Secretary under this Act with the Lower 
Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee, as 
specified in the management plan.
    (c) Cooperative Agreements.--
            (1) In general.--In order to provide for the long-term 
        protection, preservation, and enhancement of the river segment 
        designated by section 3 of this Act, the Secretary is 
        authorized to enter into cooperative agreements pursuant to 
        sections 10(e) and 11(b)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
        with--
                    (A) the State of Connecticut;
                    (B) the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, East 
                Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartland, Simsbury, and 
                Windsor in Connecticut; and
                    (C) appropriate local planning and environmental 
                organizations.
            (2) Consistency.--All cooperative agreements provided for 
        under this Act shall be consistent with the management plan and 
        may include provisions for financial or other assistance from 
        the United States.
    (d) Land Management.--
            (1) Zoning ordinances.--For the purposes of the segments 
        designated in section 3, the zoning ordinances adopted by the 
        towns in Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, East Granby, Farmington, 
        Granby, Hartland, Simsbury, and Windsor in Connecticut, 
        including provisions for conservation of floodplains, wetlands 
        and watercourses associated with the segments, shall be deemed 
        to satisfy the standards and requirements of section 6(c) of 
        the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)).
            (2) Acquisition of land.--The provisions of section 6(c) of 
        the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)) that 
        prohibit Federal acquisition of lands by condemnation shall 
        apply to the segments designated in section 3 of this Act. The 
        authority of the Secretary to acquire lands for the purposes of 
        the segments designated in section 3 of this Act shall be 
        limited to acquisition by donation or acquisition with the 
        consent of the owner of the lands, and shall be subject to the 
        additional criteria set forth in the management plan.
    (e) Rainbow Dam.--The designation made by section 3 shall not be 
construed to--
            (1) prohibit the potential future licensing or relicensing 
        of the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir (including associated 
        transmission lines and other project works) by the Federal 
        Energy Regulatory Commission as a federally licensed 
        hydroelectric generation project under the Federal Power Act; 
        or
            (2) affect the operations of a hydroelectric facility at 
        Rainbow Dam and Reservoir.
    (f) Relation to National Park System.--Notwithstanding section 
10(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(c)), the Lower 
Farmington River shall not be administered as part of the National Park 
System or be subject to regulations which govern the National Park 
System.

SEC. 5. FARMINGTON RIVER, CONNECTICUT, DESIGNATION REVISION.

    Section 3(a)(156) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1274(a)) is amended in the first sentence--
            (1) by striking ``14-mile'' and inserting ``15.1-mile''; 
        and
            (2) by striking ``to the downstream end of the New 
        Hartford-Canton, Connecticut town line'' and inserting ``to the 
        confluence with the Nepaug River''.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act:
            (1) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means 
        the management plan referred to in section 2(3).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
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