ACT OF AUGUST 18, 19701

AN ACT To improve the administration of the national park system by the Secretary of the Interior, and to clarify the authorities applicable to the system, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress declares that the national park system, which began with establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, has since grown to include superlative natural, historic, and recreation areas in every major region of the United States, its territories and island possessions; that these areas, though distinct in character, are united through their inter-related purposes and resources into one national park system as cumulative expressions of a single national heritage; that, individually and collectively, these areas derive increased national dignity and recognition of their superb environmental quality through their inclusion jointly with each other in one national park system preserved and managed for the benefit and inspiration of all the people of the United States; and that it is the purpose of this Act to include all such areas in the System and to clarify the authorities applicable to the system. Congress further reaffirms, declares, and directs that the promotion and regulation of the various areas of the National Park System, as defined in section 2 of this Act, shall be consistent with and founded in the purpose established by the first section of the Act of August 25, 1916, to the common benefit of all the people of the United States. The authorization of activities shall be construed and the protection, management, and administration of these areas shall be conducted in light of the high public value and integrity of the National Park System and shall not be exercised in derogation of the values and purposes for which these various areas have been established, except as may have been or shall be directly and specifically provided by Congress.

SEC. 2. [Amended the Act of August 8, 1953 which appears above in this volume].

SEC. 3. In order to facilitate the administration of the national park system, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized, under such terms and conditions as he may deem advisable, to carry out the following activities:

(a) provide transportation of employees located at isolated areas of the national park system and to members of their families, where (1) such areas not adequately served by commercial transportation, and (2) such transportation is incidental to official transportation services;

1 The Act of Aug. 18, 1970 (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 through la-7), as set forth herein, consists of Public Law 91-383 (84 Stat. 825) and the amendments made by: Public Law 94-458 (Oct. 7, 1976); Public Law 95-250 (Mar. 27, 1978); Public Law 95-625 (Nov. 10, 1978); Public Law 96-199 (March 5, 1980); and Public Law 96-344 (Sept. 8, 1980).

(b) provide recreation facilities, equipment, and services for use by employees and their families located at isolated areas of the national park system;

(c) appoint and establish such advisory committees in regard to the functions of the National Park Service as he may deem advisable, members of which shall receive no compensation for their services as such but who shall be allowed necessary travel expenses as authorized by section 5 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946 (5 U.S.C. 5703);

(d) purchase field and special purpose equipment required by employees for the performance of assigned functions which shall be regarded and listed as park equipment;

(e) enter into contracts which provide for the sale or lease to persons, States, or their political subdivisions, of services, resources, or water available within an area of the national park system, as long as such activity does not jeopardize or unduly interfere with the primary natural or historic resource of the area involved, if such person, State, or its political subdivision

(1) provides public accommodations or services within the immediate vicinity of an area of the national park system to persons visiting the area; and

(2) has demonstrated to the Secretary that there are no reasonable alternatives by which to acquire or perform the necessary services, resources, or water;

(f) acquire, and have installed, air-conditioning units for any Government-owned passenger motor vehicles used by the National Park Service, where assigned duties necessitate long periods in automobiles or in regions of the United States where high temperatures and humidity are common and prolonged;

(g) sell at fair market value without regard to the requirements of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, products and services produced in the conduct of living exhibits and interpretive demonstrations in areas of the national park system, to enter into contracts including cooperative arrangements with respect to such living exhibits and interpretive demonstrations and park programs, and to credit the proceeds therefrom to the appropriation bearing the cost of such exhibits and demonstrations;

(h) promulgate and enforce regulations concerning boating and other activities on or relating to waters located within areas of the National Park System, including waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States: Provided, That any regulations adopted pursuant to this subsection shall be complementary to, and not in derogation of, the authority of the United States Coast Guard to regulate the use of waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States;

(i) provide meals and lodging, as the Secretary deems appropriate, for members of the United States Park Police and other employees of the National Park Service, as he may designate, serving temporarily on extended special duty in areas of the National Park System, and for this purpose he is authorized to use funds appropriated for the expenses of the Department of the Interior.

SEC. 4. The Act of March 17, 1948 (62 Stat. 81), is amended by deleting from section 1 thereof the words "over which the United States has, or hereafter acquires, exclusive or concurrent criminal jurisdiction," and changing section 3 to read as follows:

"SEC. 3. For the purposes of this Act, the environs of the District of Columbia are hereby defined as embracing Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford Counties and the city of Alexandria in Virginia, and Prince Georges, Charles, Anne Arundel, and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.'

SEC. 5. Amended section 11 of the Act of May 26, 1930 (46 Stat. 383; 16 U.S.C. 17j), which appears above in this volume.]

SEC. 6. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior may relinquish to a State, or to a Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, part of the legislative jurisdiction of the United States over National Park System lands or interests therein in that State, Commonwealth, territory, or possession: Provided, That prior to consummating any such relinquishment, the Secretary shall submit the proposed agreement to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States Congress, and shall not finalize such agreement until sixty calendar days after such submission shall have elapsed. Relinquishment of legislative jurisdiction under this section may be accomplished (1) by filing with the Governor (or, if none exists, with the chief executive officer) of the State, Commonwealth, territory, or possession concerned a notice of relinquishment to take effect upon acceptance thereof, or (2) as the laws of the State, Commonwealth, territory, or possession may otherwise provide. The Secretary shall diligently pursue the consummation of arrangements with each State, Commonwealth, territory, or possession within which a unit of the National Park System is located to the end that insofar as practicable the United States shall exercise concurrent legislative jurisdiction within units of the National Park System.

SEC. 7. Notwithstanding subsection 5901(a) of title 5, United States Code (80 Stat. 508), as amended, the uniform allowance for uniformed employees of the National Park Service may be up to $400 annually.

SEC. 8. (a) The Secretary of the Interior is directed to investigate, study, and continually monitor the welfare of areas whose resources exhibit qualities of national significance and which may have potential for inclusion in the National Park System. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the President of the Senate, comprehensive reports on each of those areas upon which studies have been completed. Each such report shall indicate and elaborate on the theme(s) which the area represents as indicated in the National Park System Plan. On this same date, and accompanying such reports, the Secretary shall transmit a listing, in generally descending order of importance or merit, of not less than twelve such areas which appear to be of national significance and which may have potential for inclusion in the National Park System. Threats to resource values, and cost escalation factors shall be considered in listing the order of importance or merit. Such listing may be comprised of any areas heretofore submitted under terms of this section, and which at the time of listing are not included in the National Park System. Accompanying the annual

listing of areas shall be a synopsis, for each report previously submitted, of the current and changed condition of the resource integrity of the area and other relevant factors, compiled as a result of continual periodic monitoring and embracing the period since the previous such submission or initial report submission one year earlier. The Secretary is also directed to transmit annually to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the President of the Senate, at the beginning of each fiscal year, a complete and current list of all areas included on the Registry of Natural Landmarks and those areas of national significance listed on the National Register of Historic places which areas exhibit known or anticipated damage or threats to the integrity of their resources, along with notations as to the nature and severity of such damage or threats. Each report and annual listing shall be printed as a House document: Provided, That should adequate supplies of previously printed identical reports remain available, newly submitted identical reports shall be omitted from printing upon the receipt by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives of a joint letter from the chairman of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives and the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate indicating such to be the case.

For the purposes of carrying out the studies for potential new Park System units and for monitoring the welfare of those resources, there are authorized to be appropriated annually not to exceed $1,000,000. For the purposes of monitoring the welfare and integrity of the national landmarks, there are authorized to be appropriated annually not to exceed $1,500,000.

(b) Within six months of the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate, a comprehensive, "National Park System Plan", which document shall constitute a professional guide for the identification of natural and historic themes of the United States, and from which candidate areas can be identified and selected to constitute units of the National Park System. Such plan shall be revised and updated annually.

SEC. 9. [Amends section 3 of the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461, 463) which appears in part II of this volume.]

SEC. 10. (a) The arrest authority relating to the National Park Service is hereby amended in the following respects:

(1) Section 3 of the Act of March 3, 1897 (29 Stat. 621; 16 U.S.C. 415), as supplemented; relating to certain arrest authority relative to national military parks, is hereby repealed;

(2) The first paragraph of that portion designated "GENERAL EXPENSES-FOREST SERVICE" of the Act of March 3, 1905 (33 Stat. 872; 16 U.S.C. 10, 559), as amended, relating in part to arrest authority relative to laws and regulations applicable to forest reserves and national parks, is amended by deleting the words "and national park service", "and national parks", and "or national parks";

(3) Section 2 of the Act of March 2, 1933 (47 Stat. 1420; 16 U.S.C. 10a), as amended, relating to certain arrest authority