HR 177 · 119th CongressIn Committee

Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act

Latest updateJan 3, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor

Tom McClintock

Introduced

January 3, 2025

Latest action

January 3, 2025

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

The Act of December 19, 1913, granted the City of San Francisco rights to develop the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas within Yosemite National Park for water supply and hydroelectric power generation. Under that original grant, recreational access to these areas has been severely restricted. The city pays an annual rental fee of $30,000 to the federal government for these rights, a figure set over a century ago and never adjusted for inflation. Currently, the areas remain largely closed to public recreation, limiting visitor access to one of California's most significant water and power resources.

This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service Director, to administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for public recreation while preserving scenic and historic features. The bill authorizes swimming, non-motorized watercraft use, camping above the ordinary high-water marks, picnicking, and motorized vehicle access on roads needed to reach these areas—all subject to conditions the Secretary determines necessary. The bill also increases San Francisco's annual rental fee from $30,000 to $2,000,000 and requires annual adjustments for inflation. Critically, the bill prohibits the city from recovering these increased payments from its wholesale water and power customers.

The National Park Service must submit a report within one year analyzing whether the 1913 Act's original recreational intent has been followed and recommending how to fund equitable public access through revenue collection and fee adjustments. The report must examine maintenance costs including trail upkeep, road improvements, and wildfire prevention. Implementation begins upon enactment, with the fee increase taking effect immediately. The higher rental payments will fund recreation infrastructure and management, while the prohibition on cost recovery from water and power customers means San Francisco absorbs the increased federal fees as an operational expense rather than passing them to ratepayers.

Key Provisions

1Directs the National Park Service to administer Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for public recreation while preserving scenic, historic, and scientific features of each area.
2Authorizes swimming, non-motorized watercraft, camping above ordinary high-water marks, picnicking, and motorized vehicle access on roads serving these areas, subject to Secretary-determined limitations and conditions.
3Increases the City of San Francisco's annual rental fee from $30,000 to $2,000,000 and requires annual adjustments to reflect Consumer Price Index increases for All Urban Consumers.
4Prohibits the City of San Francisco from recouping the increased rental fee from its wholesale water and power customers.
5Requires the National Park Service to submit a report within one year analyzing historical recreational access and recommending revenue and fee structures to provide equitable public access to these areas.

★ Why this matters

Public access to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas expands significantly, allowing swimming, boating, camping, and picnicking in areas that have been largely closed to visitors for over a century. The National Park Service gains authority to manage these areas for recreation alongside water and power operations. San Francisco's cost to operate the Hetch Hetchy system increases substantially, though the city cannot pass these costs to water and power ratepayers, meaning the expense falls on the city's general budget.

● Who this affects

Recreational visitors and outdoor enthusiasts in California, particularly those seeking access to Yosemite-adjacent water recreation areas. The City of San Francisco and its municipal government, which will pay $2,000,000 annually instead of $30,000 and absorb this cost without raising water or power rates. The National Park Service, which gains new management responsibilities for recreational infrastructure, trail maintenance, and wildfire prevention in these areas. San Francisco's wholesale water and power customers throughout the Bay Area, who will not see rate increases tied to the higher federal rental fee.

Bill Text

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<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 177

To amend the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), to expand access 
    to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for 
             recreational purposes, and for other purposes.

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2025

Mr. McClintock (for himself, Mr. Calvert, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Valadao) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

                                 A BILL

 
To amend the Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), to expand access 
    to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for 
             recreational purposes, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Yosemite National Park Equal Access 
and Fairness Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ACCESS TO HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR AND LAKE ELEANOR 
              BASIN AREAS FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES.

    (a) In General.--The Act of December 19, 1913 (38 Stat. 242), is 
amended--
            (1) in section 7--
                    (A) in the first sentence--
                            (i) by striking ``$30,000'' and inserting 
                        ``$2,000,000''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``and adjusted annually 
                        to reflect increases in the Consumer Price 
                        Index for All Urban Consumers'' after ``July of 
                        each year'';
                    (B) by inserting ``The grantee may not recoup said 
                sums from wholesale water or power customers of the 
                grantee.'' after the first sentence; and
                    (C) in the second sentence, by inserting ``and 
                wildfire mitigation activities'' after ``other 
                improvements''; and
            (2) by inserting after section 11 the following:

``SEC. 12. RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
the Director of the National Park Service (in this section referred to 
as the `Secretary'), shall administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and 
Lake Eleanor Basin areas--
            ``(1) for public recreation, benefit, and use;
            ``(2) to the extent practicable, in a manner that will 
        preserve, develop, and enhance the public recreation capacity 
        of each such area; and
            ``(3) in a manner that will preserve the features of each 
        such area that are scenic, historic, scientific, or otherwise 
        important.
    ``(b) Recreational Activities.--Subject to such limitations, 
conditions, and regulations as the Secretary determines necessary, the 
following activities shall be allowed within the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir …

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Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act

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