Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Act of 2023

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3683 To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 25, 2023 Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. EDWARDS, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mrs. MCBATH, and Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia) intro- duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Benton MacKaye Na- 4 tional Scenic Trail Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds that the Benton MacKaye Trail— 7 (1) is a scenic, nonmotorized trail that traverses 8 approximately 287 miles over some of the most re- 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Jun 17, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3683.IH H3683 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 3683 IH nowned forests and mountains in the States of Geor- 1 gia, Tennessee, and North Carolina; 2 (2) showcases a wide variety of scenic views, in- 3 cluding high elevation peaks, mature forests, and se- 4 cluded waterfalls, and passes through wilderness rich 5 with biodiversity; 6 (3) passes through six designated Wilderness 7 Areas, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 8 and the Chattahoochee, Cherokee, and Nantahala 9 National Forests; 10 (4) provides a wide array of easily accessible 11 hikes for novice and intermediate hikers, as well as 12 more challenging trails for backpacking; 13 (5) supports economic opportunities for numer- 14 ous rural communities that benefit from the trail’s 15 visitors spending their money on accommodations, 16 food, and outdoor supplies; 17 (6) runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia, 18 through Tennessee, and extends through the Great 19 Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina; 20 and 21 (7) is physically accessible and can be main- 22 tained at a minimal cost because— 23 (A) the Benton MacKaye Trail has been 24 maintained at its current length since 2005; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Jun 17, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3683.IH H3683 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 3683 IH (B) 95 percent of the Benton MacKaye 1 Trail is located on Federal land; and 2 (C) the Benton MacKaye Trail has been 3 successfully constructed, maintained, and man- 4 aged by the Benton MacKaye Trail Association 5 since 1980. 6 SEC. 3. BENTON MACKAYE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL. 7 Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 8 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol- 9 lowing: 10 ‘‘(32) BENTON MACKAYE NATIONAL SCENIC 11 TRAIL.— 12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Benton MacKaye 13 National Scenic Trail, a trail extending approxi- 14 mately 287 miles across the States of Georgia, 15 Tennessee, and North Carolina, as generally de- 16 picted on the map entitled ‘Benton MacKaye 17 Trail Overview Map’, dated January 6, 2022. 18 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map 19 described in subparagraph (A) shall be on file 20 and available for public inspection in the appro- 21 priate offices of the Forest Service and the Na- 22 tional Park Service. 23 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZED USES.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Jun 17, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3683.IH H3683 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 3683 IH ‘‘(i) EXISTING USES.—Existing non- 1 motorized recreational activities, where au- 2 thorized on the day before the date of the 3 enactment of the Benton MacKaye Na- 4 tional Scenic Trail Act of 2023, including 5 equestrian, non-motorized bicycling, and 6 special uses, are authorized on the trail. 7 ‘‘(ii) REQUIRED COMPREHENSIVE 8 PLAN.—The comprehensive plan required 9 under subsection (e) shall address author- 10 ized uses and management of the rec- 11 reational, scenic, and other values for 12 which the trail is established. 13 ‘‘(D) ADMINISTRATION.—The Benton 14 MacKaye National Scenic Trail shall be admin- 15 istered by the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 16 through the Chief of the Forest Service, in con- 17 sultation with— 18 ‘‘(i) other Federal agencies; 19 ‘‘(ii) State, Tribal, regional, and local 20 agencies; and 21 ‘‘(iii) nonprofit organizations and 22 other mutually beneficial cooperators.’’. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:14 Jun 17, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3683.IH H3683 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB