General Authorities Act

General Authorities Act 1970

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,
1970 (84 Stat. 825)

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 interrelated 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.

SEC.2. (a) Section 1 of the Act of August 8, 1953 (67 Stat. 496; 16 U.S.C. 1b), is amended by deleting "and miscellaneous areas administered in connection therewith" and "and miscellaneous areas" wherever they appear.

(b) Section 2 of the Act of August 8, 1953 (67 Stat. 496; 16 U.S.C. 1c), is amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 2. (a) The 'national park system' shall include any area of land and water now or hereafter administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service for park, monument, historic, parkway, recreational, or other purposes.

"(b) Each area within the national park system shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of any statute made specifically applicable to that area. In addition, the provisions of this Act, and the various authorities relating to the administration and protection of areas under the administration of the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service, including but not limited to the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1, 2-4), the Act of March 4, 1911 (36 Stat. 1253), as amended (16 U.S.C. 5) relating to rights-of-way, the Act of June 5, 1920 (41 Stat. 917), as amended (16 U.S.C. 6), relating to donation of land and money, sections 1, 4, 5, and 6 of the Act of April 9, 1924 (43 Stat. 90), as amended (16 U.S.C. 8 and 8a-8c), relating to roads and trails, the Act of March 4, 1931 (46 Stat. 1570; 16 U.S.C. 8d) relating to approach roads to national monuments, the Act of June 3, 1948 (62 Stat. 334), as amended (16 U.S.C. 8e-8f), relating to conveyance of roads to States, the Act of August 31, 1954 (68 Stat. 1037), as amended (16 U.S.C. 452a), relating to acquisitions of inholdings, section 1 of the Act of July 3, 1926 (44 Stat. 900), as amended (16 U.S.C. 12), relating to aid to visitors in emergencies, the Act of March 3, 1905 (33 Stat. 873; 16 U.S.C. 10), relating to arrests, sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Act of May 26, 1930 (46 Stat. 381), as amended (16 U.S.C. 17b, 17c, 17d, and 17e), relating to services or other accommodations for the public, emergency supplies and services to concessioners, acceptability of travelers checks, care and removal of indigents, the Act of October 9, 1965 (79 Stat. 696; 16 U.S.C. 20-20g), relating to concessions, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as amended, and the Act of July 15, 1968 (82 Stat. 355), shall, to the extent such provisions are not in conflict with any such specific provision, be applicable to all areas within the national park system and any reference in such Act to national parks, monuments, recreation areas, historic monuments, or parkways shall hereinafter not be construed as limiting such Acts to those areas."

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 are not adequately served by commercial transportation, and (2) such transportation is incidental to official transportation services;

(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 expenses as authorized by section 5 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946 (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, 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 there from to the appropriation bearing the cost of such exhibits and demonstrations.

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." Approved August 18, 1970. 16 U.S.C. la et seq.