HR5134-119

What This Bill Does

The Appalachian Trail Centennial Act turns the Appalachian Trail partnership model into a more formal National Trails System framework. It declares that scenic and historic trails are long-term landscape conservation tools built through federal, state, tribal, nonprofit, and volunteer cooperation. It requires the Interior or Agriculture Secretary responsible for a covered trail to designate the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as the Designated Operational Partner for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail within one year, and lets other qualified nonprofit trail organizations receive the same status for other national scenic and historic trails. Those partners can receive appropriated funds without competition, help coordinate volunteers and land stewardship, and submit formal redress requests to the Secretary and U.S. Attorney when trespass or property-right violations harm trail resources. The bill also changes planning by requiring visitor-capacity decisions at the segment level, methods to assess trail economic impact on gateway communities every five years, reports to Congress on trail development needs, consultation with tribes and local communities, and such sums as necessary from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 for planning, reports, facilities, construction, and land or interest acquisition.

Who Benefits and How

Appalachian Trail Conservancy benefits because it receives a statutory operational-partner designation for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Nonprofit trail organizations benefit because qualified 501(c)(3) partners on other national scenic or historic trails can receive operational-partner status and direct appropriated funds. Gateway communities benefit because Interior and Agriculture must develop methods for measuring trail economic impact using state, county, and local data. Trail users benefit because visitor-capacity decisions and facility planning are tied to specific trail segments rather than broad trail-wide assumptions.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Interior Department trail administrators must designate partners, handle redress requests, assess violations, consult with local communities and tribes, and prepare reports. Forest Service trail managers must share economic-impact, visitor-capacity, planning, facility, and land-acquisition responsibilities for Agriculture-managed trails. U.S. Attorney offices must respond to Designated Operational Partner redress submissions within specified timeframes. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of trail planning, reports, land acquisition, construction, and facility development authorized for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.

Key Provisions

• Designates the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as the operational partner for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
• Authorizes qualified nonprofit trail partners on other scenic and historic trails to receive direct appropriated funds without competition.
• Creates a redress process for trail partners to report trespass or property-right violations affecting federal trail resources.
• Requires segment-level visitor-capacity decisions and recurring economic-impact methods for gateway communities.
• Authorizes such sums as necessary from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 for trail planning, reports, facilities, construction, and land acquisition.