S 3542

Introduced

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

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.

Introduced Dec 17, 2025

Latest action (Jul 21, 2026) Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

Referred to

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Policy area

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Issues

Climate & Energy

Legislative subjects (5)

Congressional oversight Government studies and investigations Lakes and rivers New Jersey Watersheds

Summary

Designates segments of the Upper Raritan River Watershed in New Jersey for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Includes the North Branch Raritan River, South Branch Raritan River, Lamington-Black River, and their tributaries within the Upper Raritan River watershed in the study
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to complete the study within three years of funding becoming available
Requires the Secretary to submit a report to Congress describing the results of the study and the potential for adding the Upper Raritan River Watershed to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ)

1 cosponsor

Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ)

Actions (3)

Jul 21, 2026 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. · senate
Dec 17, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. · senate
Dec 17, 2025 Introduced in Senate

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

Introduced in Senate · Dec 17, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Committee action

What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Hearings to examine S.1674, to modify the boundary of the Mammoth Cave National Park in the State of Kentucky, S.2498, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend certain leases within units of the National Park System without opening the lease to bidding, S.2767 and H.R.5254, bills to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events in Gateway Arch National Park buildings, S.2801, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Canterbury Shaker Village National Heritage Area, S.2887, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Route 66 National Historic Trail, S.2933, to redesignate a playground in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in the State of West Virginia as the "Hearts of Gold Playground: In Honor of West Virginia Children and Families Impacted by Childhood Cancer", S.2969, to amend title 54, United States Code, to provide that State law shall apply to the use of motor vehicles on roads within a System unit, S.3131, to provide for the inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall of the names of the lost crew members of the USS Frank E. Evans killed on June 3, 1969, S.3194, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land in California as the Monterey Bay National Heritage Area, S.3313 and H.R.6365, bills to require the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right-of-way for an emergency exit on certain National Park Service land in the State of Virginia, S.3371, to designate the Museum of the Blind People's Movement in Baltimore, Maryland, as the "National Museum of the Blind People's Movement", S.3456 and H.R.183, bills to amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for a free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass for law enforcement officers and firefighters, S.3501, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana and Illinois, S.3524, to amend title 54, United States Code, to modify certain cost-sharing requirements for grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program, 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, S.3720, to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bay Area Ridge as a national scenic trail, S.3785, to authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the National Park Service and Forest Service for the purpose of retaining, vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of areas of the Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest damaged by certain wildfires, S.3925, to establish the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park, S.4238, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Endless Mountains National Heritage Area in the State of Pennsylvania, S.4399, to provide for certain conveyances under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, S.4538, to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating Washington's Trail-1753 as a national historic trail, S.4595, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the Mullica River watershed in New Jersey for study for potential designation as a wild and scenic river, S.4767, to extend the authorization of the African American Civil Rights Network, H.R.2306, to reauthorize the Adams Memorial Commission, H.R.5729, to authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the National Park Service for the purpose of retaining, vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of the Grand Canyon grounds that have been impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire, and H.R.7618, to amend title 54, United States Code, to modify certain cost-sharing requirements for grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program.Energy and Natural Resources CommitteeJul 21, 2026Hearing

Full text

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

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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Summary

Sponsor (1)

Money behind the sponsor

Actions (3)

Related bills (1)

More bills on these subjects (8)

Similar bills (6)

Text versions (1)

Committee action

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Full text

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