This bill would add the Upper Raritan River watershed in New Jersey to the list of river areas to be studied for possible addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The rivers and streams included are the North Branch Raritan River (from its headwaters to its confluence with the South Branch), the South Branch Raritan River (from its headwaters to its confluence with the North Branch), the Lamington-Black River (from its headwaters to its confluence with the North Branch), and all tributaries of those rivers within the Upper Raritan watershed. The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to finish the study and send a report to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources within three years after funds are made available to carry out the study.
The bill directs a federal study of the Upper Raritan watershed to see if parts of it should become part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill itself does not add the rivers to that system or change land ownership or protections; it only requires the study and a report to Congress.
The bill says the study must be completed within three years after funds are made available, but it does not state how much the study will cost or where the money will come from. No publicly available information on specific funding amounts or cost estimates is provided in the bill text or metadata.
The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim to direct a study of the Upper Raritan watershed for possible Wild and Scenic designation. No other publicly available statements from supporters are included in the bill text or metadata.
No publicly available information on opposition or critics of the bill is included in the bill text or metadata.