105th CONGRESS
1st Session
To amend the Act designating the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to clarify certain provisions of law regarding activities authorized within the wilderness area, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 22, 1997
Mr. OBERSTAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To amend the Act designating the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to clarify certain provisions of law regarding activities authorized within the wilderness area, and for other purposes.
[Italic->] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, [<-Italic]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `BWCAW Accessibility and Fairness Act of 1997'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.
The Congress finds and declares that it is in the national interest to protect, preserve, and improve for the long term the
diverse resources of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the benefit of the people of the United States.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF ALLOWABLE USES WITHIN CERTAIN PORTION OF
BOUNDARY WATER CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.
(a) SEAGULL LAKE- Section 4(c) of the Act of October 21, 1978, entitled `An Act to designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to establish the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and for other purposes' (Public Law 95-495; 92 Stat. 1649, 1650) is amended as follows:
(1) In paragraph (2), by striking `, that portion generally
east of Threemile Island, Cook County'.
(2) In paragraph (3), by striking `Sea Gull, Cook County,
that portion generally west of Threemile Island, Cook County,
until January 1999'.
(b) MOTORIZED PORTAGES- Section 4(g) of the Act of October 21, 1978, entitled `An Act to designate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to establish the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area, and for other purposes' (Public Law 95-495; 92 Stat. 1649, 1651) is amended to read as follows:
`(g) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent the operation of motorized vehicles and associated equipment to transport boats across the portages between the Moose Lake chain
and Basswood Lake, between Fall Lake and Basswood Lake, and between Vermilion Lake and Trout Lake.'.