16 U.S.C. § 460o–1: Acquisition of lands

Summary

The Secretary of the Army must buy lands and land rights inside the area shown on a September 1962 map called “Proposed Tocks Island National Recreation Area.” He can use any legal methods available to him, but he cannot trade for federal lands unless those federal lands are in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York. After buying the lands, he must hand control of them to the Secretary of the Interior. Starting on November 10, 1978, the Secretary of the Interior may buy lands inside the same boundaries, and on that date other federal agencies must give any lands they already bought and any unspent money for buying land in the area to the Secretary of the Interior. In buying land, priority is given to finishing properties already in condemnation, helping individual owners who would suffer hardship, stopping land about to be developed in ways that would hurt the park, buying from owners who will sell but need to keep living there briefly, buying scenic easements when enough to meet park goals, and buying land needed to keep the area whole. The Secretary of the Interior may, after talking with local officials, leave out up to 300 acres next to Milford, Pennsylvania and up to 1,000 acres in Sussex County, New Jersey. The Interior Secretary must also study and report to the President and Congress about adding the upstream part of Tocks Island Reservoir and nearby land to the park; any actual boundary change needs a law from Congress. If an individual (not a corporation) owned an improved residence before January 1, 1965, and the house was started before January 21, 1963 and was the owner’s year‑round home, the owner may keep the right to live there for life (owner or spouse) or up to 25 years, as long as it won’t harm the project. The payment for the property will be reduced by the value of that retained right, and the owner gives up any relocation benefits under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970.

Title 16, §460o–1

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority of Secretary of Army; transfer of jurisdiction over lands to Secretary of the Interior; authority of such Secretary; retention of use and occupancy rights; termination and transfer of authority and funds; acquisition priorities

The Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to acquire, by such means as he may deem to be in the public interest, and as a part of his acquisition of properties for the project, lands and interests therein within the boundaries of the area, as generally depicted on the drawing entitled “Proposed Tocks Island National Recreation Area” dated and numbered September 1962, NRA–TI–7100, which drawing is on file in the Office of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. In acquiring these lands, the Secretary of the Army may utilize such statutory authorities as are available to him for the acquisition of project lands: Provided, That the Secretary of the Army shall acquire no lands or interests in land by exchange for lands or interests in land in Federal ownership unless the latter are in the States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York. Periodically, and as soon as practicable after such lands and interests within the area are acquired, the Secretary of the Army shall transfer jurisdiction thereover to the Secretary of the Interior for the purposes of this subchapter. Beginning on November 10, 1978, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to acquire for purposes of the recreation area established under this subchapter all lands and interests therein within the exterior boundaries of the area depicted on the drawing referred to in this subsection (including any lands within such exterior boundaries designated for acquisition by the Secretary of the Army in connection with the project referred to in this subsection). In exercising such authority, the Secretary of the Interior may permit the retention of rights of use and occupancy in the same manner as provided in the case of acquisitions by the Secretary of the Army under subsection (d). On November 10, 1978, the acquisition authorities of any other Federal agency contained in this subsection shall terminate and the head of any other Federal agency shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior jurisdiction over all lands and interests therein acquired by said agency under the authority of this subchapter, or any other authority of law which lands are within the exterior boundaries of the area depicted on the drawing referred to in this subsection. On November 10, 1978, all unexpended balances available to any other Federal agency for acquisition of land within the exterior boundaries referred to in the preceding sentence shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Interior to be used for such purposes. In carrying out his acquisition authority under this section the Secretary shall give priority to the following:

(1)completion of acquisition of lands for which condemnation proceedings have been started pursuant to the authorization of the project referred to in this subsection;

(2)acquisition of lands of beneficial owners, not being a corporation, who in the judgment of the Secretary would suffer hardship if acquisition of their lands were delayed;

(3)acquisition of lands on which, in the judgment of the Secretary, there is an imminent danger of development that would be incompatible with the purposes of the recreation area;

(4)acquisition of lands of beneficial owners, not being a corporation, who are willing to sell their lands provided they are able to continue to use it for noncommercial residential purposes for a limited period of time which will not, in the judgment of the Secretary, unduly interfere with the development of public use facilities for such national recreation area, pursuant to the authorization for such area;

(5)acquisition of scenic easements when, in the judgment of the Secretary, such easements are sufficient to carry out the purposes for which such national recreation area was authorized; and

(6)acquisition of lands necessary to preserve the integrity of the recreation area.

(b)Omission of designated lands from area

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized, after consultation with appropriate public officials of the affected political subdivisions of the States of Pennsylvania or New Jersey, as the case may be, to designate not more than three hundred acres adjacent and contiguous to the Borough of Milford, Pennsylvania, and not more than one thousand acres in Sussex County, New Jersey, for omission from the Delaware Valley National Recreation Area and the lands so designated shall not be acquired for said national recreation area under authority of this subchapter.

(c)Extension of boundaries; study and report to Congress

The Secretary of the Interior shall investigate, study, and report to the President and the Congress on the feasibility and usefulness of extending the boundaries of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to include, in whole or in part, that portion of Tocks Island Reservoir which lies upstream from the northern terminus of the national recreation area as shown on the map hereinbefore referred to and lands adjacent to said portion of said reservoir. No such extension of boundaries, however, shall be made until authorized by Act of Congress.

(d)Noncommercial residential occupancy for life or fixed term of years; price for property; “improved residential property” defined; waiver of relocation assistance benefits or rights

The beneficial owner, not being a corporation, of a freehold interest acquired before January 1, 1965, in improved residential property within the area to be acquired by the Secretary of the Army under authority of this subchapter, the continued use of which property for noncommercial residential purposes for a limited time will not, in the judgment of the Secretary of the Interior, unduly interfere with the development of public-use facilities for the national recreation area and will not, in the judgment of the Secretary of the Army, unduly interfere with the operation of the Tocks Island Reservoir project, may retain a right of use and occupancy of such property for noncommercial residential purposes for, as said owner may elect, either (i) a period terminating upon his death or the death of his spouse, whichever occurs later, or (ii) a term of not more than twenty-five years: Provided, That in no case shall the period or term for which such right of use and occupancy is retained extend beyond the term of the freehold interest acquired by the United States. The price payable to the owner of such property shall be reduced by an amount equal to the value of the right retained. As used in this subchapter “improved residential property” means a single-family year-round dwelling, the construction of which was begun before January 21, 1963, which dwelling serves as the owner’s permanent place of abode at the time of its acquisition by the United States, together with not more than three acres of land on which the dwelling and appurtenant buildings are located which land the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of the Army, as the case may be, finds is reasonably necessary for the owner’s continued use and occupancy of the dwelling: Provided, further, That whenever an owner of property elects to retain a right of use and occupancy pursuant to this subchapter, such owner shall be deemed to have waived any benefits or rights under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 [42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.].

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, referred to in subsec. (d), is Pub. L. 91–646, Jan. 2, 1971, 84 Stat. 1894, which is classified principally to chapter 61 (§ 4601 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 4601 of Title 42 and Tables.

Amendments

1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–625 authorized acquisition of lands within the exterior boundaries of the area by the Secretary of the Interior, retention of use and occupancy rights, termination of Federal agency authority over lands and transfer of authority and funds to the Secretary of the Interior, and prescribed acquisition priorities for the Secretary of the Interior. 1972—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 92–575 provided for waiver of benefits or rights under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, upon election to retain right of use and occupancy pursuant to this subchapter.

§460o–1 Acquisition of Lands