About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

117499 1 (1982-02-05)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacxub0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 COMMUNITY AND CONOMC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION February 5, 1982 The Honorable G. Ray Arnett Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks 49 Dear Mr. Arnett: The General Authorities Act, as amended in 1976, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate with States for con- current jurisdiction in the National Park System.l/ Under con- current jurisdiction, Federal, State and local governments joint- ly provide traditional government services to residents and visi- tors to the National Park System such as law enforcement, sewage disposal, fire protection, rescue operations, and trash removal. In April 1976, the Department of the Interior in commenting on proposed amendments to the General Authorities Act stated it would be beneficial to relinquish to the States the Federal legislative jurisdiction relative to some areas of the National Park System. It pointed out that administration of units of the system under exclusive jurisdiction can deny the National Park Service (NPS), its employees, and citizens residing in such units important rights and privileges of State and local government normally provided to them. NPS, however, does not have policies and procedures for imple- menting the act, has not been actively pursuing concurrent juris- diction transfers with States, and does not know how many areas in the National Park System have potential for concurrent juris- diction status. We received different opinions from various NPS officials on the merits of concurrent jurisdiction and do not know whether the Department still believes concurrent jurisdiction is a good idea. We therefore are asking you to review the matter and inform us of the Department's position. 1/There are three different legislative jurisdictional statuses in which Federal lands may be held. In some areas, exclusive jurisdiction rests with the United States, thus precluding the exercise of any legal authority by State and local agencies. Other areas fall under concurrent jurisdiction, which allows the exercise of appropriate authority by State, local, and Federal agencies. Many National Park System areas are also subject to proprietary jurisdiction, wherein the Federal Government has ac- quired title to land within a State but has not received any measure of the State's authority over the land. /12 ~'~/7

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most