§410dddd White Sands National Park

Summary

Creates White Sands National Park in New Mexico to protect its natural, cultural, scientific, and recreational resources and to give visitors a better experience. The old White Sands National Monument is ended and its lands and money become part of the new Park. The Secretary of the Interior will run the Park under the normal National Park rules. The Park cannot be nominated to UNESCO’s World Heritage List unless each county with Park land agrees, and the Secretary of the Army must be told first. Existing rights, permits, agreements (including with the Department of Defense), the military’s control of restricted airspace, and the Park’s Clean Air Act airshed stay the same. Defined terms used in the law: Map — the map dated February 14, 2017 showing the boundary changes; military munitions — the meaning given in 10 U.S.C. 101(e); missile range — White Sands Missile Range; Monument — the White Sands National Monument created by proclamation on January 18, 1933; munitions debris — the meaning in the DoD manual dated February 29, 2008 (as in effect on December 20, 2019); Park — White Sands National Park; Public Land Order — the order dated May 21, 1952; State — New Mexico. About land and boundaries: the Army gives about 2,826 acres (lands inside current boundary) and about 5,766 acres (new additions) to the Interior. The Interior gives about 3,737 acres to the Army. The Park boundary is changed to match the Map. The Interior will file an official map and legal description and will do a boundary survey when funds are available. The Army will update the missile range boundary and the Public Land Order to match the land swaps. How the lands are managed: Interior will run the Army-transferred lands as Park lands. The Army will manage the Interior-transferred lands as part of the missile range but must use low-impact building and run-off measures and protect natural and cultural resources for certain tracts east of Range Road 7 (shown on the Map). The Army must let Interior keep a fence shown on the Map until Interior says it is not needed; if Interior removes it, Interior pays. The two Secretaries may agree to let Interior do research in a marked cooperative area. The Army remains responsible for any cleanup or response for military munitions or munitions debris on the land it transferred to Interior as of December 20, 2019. Interior can ask the Army to investigate munitions on those lands, must give access for investigations, and investigations depend on available funding and follow environmental and other applicable laws.