Ouachita National Forest Overnight Camping Act

Ouachita National Forest Overnight Camping Act

This bill requires the Forest Service to identify and develop campsites and related facilities within the Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas to be reopened for overnight camping.

Overnight camping within that area has been prohibited since several people died in a major flood on June 11, 2010.

Specifically, the Forest Service must identify areas within the Albert Pike Recreation Area that may be suitable for overnight camping and select and establish campsites and related facilities for public use within the identified areas.

The Forest Service must ensure that (1) at least 54 campsites are available, of which at least 8 have electric and water hookups; and (2) each campsite and related facility identified or established is located outside of the recreation area's 100-year floodplain, which is an area that has a 1% chance of flooding in any given year.

Not later than 30 days after the enactment of this bill, the Forest Service shall open each existing campsite within the recreation area that is located outside of the 100-year floodplain.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1667 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1667

    To require the Secretary of Agriculture to identify and develop 
    campsites and related facilities for public use in the Ouachita 
                National Forest, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2023

Mr. Westerman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of Agriculture to identify and develop 
    campsites and related facilities for public use in the Ouachita 
                National Forest, 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 ``Ouachita National Forest Overnight 
Camping Act''.

SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF OVERNIGHT CAMPSITES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, identify areas within Albert Pike Recreation Area 
        that may be suitable for overnight camping; and
            (2) not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act--
                    (A) review each area identified under paragraph 
                (1); and
                    (B) from the areas so identified, select and 
                establish campsites and related facilities within 
                Albert Pike Recreation Area for public use.
    (b) Requirements Related to Campsites and Related Facilities.--The 
Secretary shall--
            (1) ensure that at least 54 campsites are available under 
        subsection (a), of which not less than 8 shall have electric 
        and water hookups; and
            (2) ensure that each campsite and related facility 
        identified or established under subsection (a) is located 
        outside of the 1 percent annual exceedance probability flood 
        elevation.
    (c) Reopening of Certain Sites.--Not later than 30 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall open each 
campsite within Albert Pike Recreation Area that--
            (1) exists on the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) is located outside of the 1 percent annual exceedance 
        probability flood elevation.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Albert pike recreation area.--The term ``Albert Pike 
        Recreation Area'' means the Albert Pike Recreation Area and 
        grounds associated with such area located in the Ouachita 
        National Forest, approximately six miles north of Langley, 
        Arkansas in southern Montgomery County, Arkansas.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
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