S 45 — Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Wild and Scenic River Act

Summary

Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Wild and Scenic River Act This bill designates specified river segments in the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed in Rhode Island and Connecticut as scenic, recreational, or wild rivers and as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Bill Text

• Introduced Introduced in Senate Current html January 08, 2019

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill designates new river segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

• Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a))

  (214) Wood-pawcatuck watershed, rhode island and connecticut.--The following river segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed, to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council: (A) The approximately 11-mile segment of the Beaver River from its headwaters in Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Richmond, Rhode Island, as a scenic river. (B) The approximately 3-mile segment of the Chipuxet River from the Kingstown Road Bridge, South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to its outlet in Worden Pond, as a wild river. (C) The approximately 9-mile segment of the Green Fall River from its headwaters in Voluntown, Connecticut, to its confluence with the Ashaway River in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, as a scenic river. (D) The approximately 3-mile segment of the Ashaway River from its confluence with the Green Fall River to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, as a recreational river. (E) The approximately 3-mile segment of the Pawcatuck River from the Worden Pond outlet in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to the South County Trail Bridge, Charlestown and South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as a wild river. (F) The approximately 4-mile segment of the Pawcatuck River from South County Trail Bridge, Charlestown and South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to the Carolina Back Road Bridge in Richmond and Charlestown, Rhode Island, as a recreational river. (G) The approximately 21-mile segment of the Pawcatuck River from Carolina Back Road Bridge in Richmond and Charlestown, Rhode Island, to the confluence with Shunock River in Stonington, Connecticut, as a scenic river. (H) The approximately 8-mile segment of the Pawcatuck River from the confluence with Shunock River in Stonington, Connecticut, to the mouth of the river between Pawcatuck Point in Stonington, Connecticut, and Rhodes Point in Westerly, Rhode Island, as a recreational river. (I) The approximately 11-mile segment of the Queen River from its headwaters in Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the Kingstown Road Bridge in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as a scenic river. (J) The approximately 5-mile segment of the Usquepaugh River from the Kingstown Road Bridge to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, as a wild river. (K) The approximately 8-mile segment of the Shunock River from its headwaters in North Stonington, Connecticut, to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River as a recreational river. (L) The approximately 13-mile segment of the Wood River from its headwaters in Sterling and Voluntown, Connecticut, and Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the Arcadia Road Bridge in Hopkinton and Richmond, Rhode Island, as a wild river. (M) The approximately 11-mile segment of the Wood River from the Arcadia Road Bridge in Hopkinton and Richmond, Rhode Island, to the confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Richmond, Rhode Island, as a recreational river.

  This adds several new river segments in the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

• Section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d))

  The Stewardship Plan shall be considered to satisfy each requirement for a comprehensive management plan required under section 3(d) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)).

  The Stewardship Plan is recognized as meeting the requirements for a comprehensive management plan.

• Section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c))

  the Secretary may only acquire parcels of land-- → the Secretary may only acquire parcels of land-- (i) by donation; or (ii) with the consent of the owner of the parcel of land.

  The Secretary's authority to acquire land is limited to donations and acquisitions with owner consent, prohibiting condemnation.

• Section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c))

  In accordance with 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1277(c)), with respect to each river segment, the Secretary may not acquire any parcel of land by condemnation.

  It explicitly prohibits the Secretary from acquiring land by condemnation for the new river segments.

Action History

1. January 08, 2019

   Introduced in Senate

2. January 08, 2019

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S69-70)

Sponsors

• Jack Reed · Primary

Subjects