A bill to provide for the development and improvement of the recreation facilities and programs of Gateway National Recreation Area through the use of funds obtained from the development of methane gas resources within the Fountain Avenue Landfill site by the City of New York.
Public Law 97-232 · S. 2218 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 9, 1982 · Energy
Sponsor: Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Daniel Moynihan
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Grants to the city of New York all rights to the methane gas and associated byproducts resulting from solid waste decomposition within the Fountain Avenue Landfill site. Requires: (1) 50 percent of all revenues received from such development to be paid to the United States; and (2) the United States to credit such payments to the National Park Service for the improvement of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to grant to the City all rights-of-way and other permits necessary from the Department of the Interior to extract and transport the gas from the site. Requires the rights-of-way and other permits to provide for reasonable restoration of the site.
Extends the term of the Gateway National Recreation Area Advisory Commission from 10 to 20 years.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee
Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Aug 9, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-232.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 4, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 2, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Jul 28, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Jul 22, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 24, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 14, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 9, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- May 28, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- May 13, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 14, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 16, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.