HR2768-119

What This Bill Does

The Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act directs a federal study of whether the Benton MacKaye Trail should become a national scenic trail. The trail is described as an approximately 287-mile scenic, nonmotorized route through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The reported text gives the Secretary of Agriculture two years after enactment to complete the feasibility study and submit it to Congress, after consulting interested organizations including the Benton MacKaye Trail Association. Earlier text included findings on the trail's forests, mountains, waterfalls, wilderness areas, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, national forests, rural economic activity, federal-land footprint, and long-running maintenance by the Benton MacKaye Trail Association.

Who Benefits and How

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association benefits because the bill names it as a consultation partner in the feasibility study. Benton MacKaye Trail hikers benefit because national scenic trail consideration could support better long-term planning and visibility for the trail. Georgia trail communities, Tennessee trail communities, and North Carolina trail communities benefit from congressional attention to visitor spending on accommodations, food, and outdoor supplies. Outdoor recreation businesses near the trail benefit if the study increases interest in eventual national scenic trail designation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Secretary of Agriculture must complete the feasibility study and submit it to Congress within the statutory deadline. The U.S. Forest Service would likely carry much of the practical study work because the trail crosses national forests and federal lands administered under Agriculture. Congress receives the report and may face later decisions on whether to designate the trail. Federal land managers along the route may need to provide information or coordination for the study.

Key Provisions

• Requires a feasibility study on designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail.
• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to consult interested organizations, including the Benton MacKaye Trail Association.
• Provides Congress with a deadline-bound report on the approximately 287-mile trail in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
• Establishes findings in earlier text on the trail's scenery, wilderness areas, national forests, recreation access, rural economic benefits, and low-cost maintenance history.