# 116-hr-7878: Scenic Trail Viewshed Protection Act

116-hr-7878, Scenic Trail Viewshed Protection Act, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2] (D-NH); status Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7878
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-7878
- Congress: 116
- Title: Scenic Trail Viewshed Protection Act
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Introduced: 2020-07-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2] (D-NH)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Scenic Trail Viewshed Protection Act This bill authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a natural gas pipeline project that crosses or impacts the view from a national scenic trail under certain conditions. Specifically, FERC may issue such certificate only if it determines that the pipeline is the only alternative to meet an overriding public need; the applicant considered alternatives in order to result in no, or minimal, adverse effect to the trail; minimal road construction will be required to construct and operate the pipeline; construction of the pipeline will use the best available technology in order to minimize the potential for leakage; the pipeline will intersect the trail at a point that already has significant infrastructure crossing and only crosses the trail once; the pipeline will not affect the viewshed of a trail in an area of high conservation, recreational, or scenic value, a protected wilderness area, an old-growth forest or alpine area, or the designated location for a shelter or campsite; construction techniques for the pipeline will produce a minimal disturbance to the trail and surrounding conserved lands; plans for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the pipeline ensure that it is done in a way that minimizes impact on the trail; and the applicant acknowledges that it has a duty to protect the trail and ensure the health and safety of the public who use such trail and the surrounding environment.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Neal, Richard E. [D-MA-1] (D-MA), 2020-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] (D-NJ), 2020-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] (D-MD), 2020-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2020-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA), 2020-07-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-8015: Delivering for America Act
- 116-hr-7642: Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act
- 116-hr-7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020
- 116-hr-7092: Great American Outdoors Act
- 116-hr-4104: Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-3589: Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act

## Sources
- [116-hr-7878 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7878)

## Related
- [116-hr-8015: Delivering for America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8015)
- [116-hr-7642: Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7642)
- [116-hr-7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7120)
- [116-hr-7092: Great American Outdoors Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7092)
- [116-hr-4104: Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4104)
- [116-hr-3589: Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-3589)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7878 (as of 2025-11-18).