PUBLIC LAW 105-83 —NOV. 14, 1997 111 STAT. 1615 section, up to $65,000,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund is authorized to be appropriated to acquire identified lands and interests in lands referred to in the Agreement of August 12, 1996 to protect and preserve Yellowstone National Park. (b) CONDITIONS OF ACQUISITION AUTHORITY.— The Secretary of Agriculture may not acquire the District Property until: (1) the parties to the Agreement have entered into and lodged with the United States District Court for the District of Montana a consent decree as required under the Agreement that requires, among other things, Crown Butte to perform response or restoration actions (or both) or pay for such actions in accordance with the Agreement; (2) an appraisal of the District Property has been undertaken, such appraisal has been reviewed for a period not to exceed 30 days by the Comptroller General of the United States, and such appraisal has been provided to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations; (3) after the Secretary of Agriculture issues an opinion of value to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations for the land and property to be acquired by the Federal Government; and (4) the applicable requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act have been met. (c) ACQUISITION. —Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amount paid by the United States to acquire identified lands and interests in lands referred to in the Agreement of August 12, 1996 to protect and preserve Yellowstone National Park may exceed the value contained in the appraisal required by section 502(b)(2) if the Secretary of Agriculture certifies, in writing, to Congress that such action is in the best interest of the United States. (d) DEPOSIT IN ACCOUNT. — Immediately upon receipt of pay- ments from the United States, Crown Butte shall deposit $22,500,000 in an interest bearing account in a private, federally chartered financial institution that, in accordance with the Agreement, shall be— (1) acceptable to the Secretary of Agriculture; and (2) available to carry out response and restoration actions. The balance of amounts remaining in such account after completion of response and restoration actions shall be available to the Secretary of Agriculture for use in the New World Mining District for any environmentally beneficial purpose otherwise authorized by law. (e) MAINTENANCE AND REHABILITATION OF BEARTOOTH HIGH- WAY. — (1) MAINTENANCE.The Secretary of Agriculture shall, consistent with the funds provided herein, be responsible for— (A) snow removal on the Beartooth Highway from milepost 0 in Yellowstone National Park, into and through Wyoming, to milepost 43.1 on the border between Wyoming and Montana; and
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