S. 617: Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-03-14 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 68.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-03-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 68. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act (Sec. 3) This bill amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specified segments of the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. (Sec. 4) The Department of the Interior shall manage: (1) the river segments according to the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Management Plan, dated June 2011; and (2) coordinate the management responsibilities of Interior under this bill relating to such segments with the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee. Interior may enter into cooperative agreements with: (1) the state of Connecticut; (2) the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, East Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartland, Simsbury, and Windsor in Connecticut; and (3) appropriate local planning and environmental organizations. For purposes of the segments designated by this bill, the zoning ordinances adopted by the towns, including provisions for the conservation of floodplains, wetlands, and watercourses associated with such segments, shall be deemed to satisfy the Act's standards and requirements limiting or prohibiting federal acquisition of lands by condemnation. The authority of Interior to acquire lands for the purposes of such segments shall be limited to acquisition by donation or with the owner's consent and shall be subject to additional management plan criteria. The designation made by this bill shall not be construed to: (1) prohibit, pre-empt, or abridge future licensing of the Rainbow Dam and Reservoir by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as a federally licensed hydroelectric generation project, provided that FERC may establish any terms and conditions in a hydropower license for the dam as necessary to reduce impacts that invade or unreasonably diminish the scenic, recreational, and fish and wildlife values of the designated segments; or (2) affect the operation of, or impose any flow or release requirements on, the unlicensed hydroelectric facility at the dam and reservoir. The Lower Farmington River shall not be administered as part of the National Park System (NPS) or be subject to NPS regulations. (Sec. 5) The bill also revises the description of a specified designated segment of the Farmington River in Connecticut.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 617, Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Act (2017-04-10)

Cosponsors on this site

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] reported raising $14.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s617.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s617 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115