S3542Referred to Committee

Upper Raritan River Watershed Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2025

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2025-12-17
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
S
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Cory A. Booker
Cory A. Booker
Democrat · NJ · Senator
Votes with party: 82.7% (817 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/B001288

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

2026-07-21

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Plain-English Summary

This bill would direct the federal government to study whether a section of the Upper Raritan River in New Jersey should be protected as a Wild and Scenic River, a designation that restricts development and preserves the river's natural character. The study would examine the river's ecological, cultural, and recreational value to determine if it meets federal standards for protection. If approved after the study, the designation would limit dam construction, mining, and other industrial activities along that stretch of river while potentially boosting outdoor recreation and tourism in the area.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 3542 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3542 To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Upper Raritan River Watershed in the State of New Jersey for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 17, 2025 Mr. Booker (for himself and Mr. Kim) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Upper Raritan River Watershed in the State of New Jersey for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Upper Raritan River Watershed Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF UPPER RARITAN RIVER WATERSHED IN NEW JERSEY FOR STUDY FOR POTENTIAL ADDITION TO NATIONAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS SYSTEM. (a) Designation.--Section 5(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1276(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(147) Upper raritan river watershed, new jersey.--The segments of the North Branch Raritan River, the South Branch Raritan River, the Black or Lamington River, and their tributaries, within the Upper Raritan River watershed, including the following segments: ``(A) The North Branch Raritan River from its headwaters to its confluence with the South Branch Raritan River. ``(B) The South Branch Raritan River from its headwaters to its confluence with the North Branch Raritan River. ``(C) The Lamington-Black River from its headwaters to its confluence with the North Branch Raritan River. ``(D) All tributaries of the North Branch Raritan River, South Branch Raritan River (including those upstream of the Spruce Run Reservoir), and Lamington- Black River within the Upper Raritan River watershed.''. (b) Deadline for Submission.--Section 5(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1276(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(24) Upper raritan river watershed, new jersey.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are made available to carry out this paragraph, the Secretary of the Interior shall-- ``(A) complete the study of the Upper Raritan River Watershed, New Jersey, described in paragraph (147) of subsection (a); and ``(B) submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes the results of the study.''. <all>
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