The Secretary shall administer the recreation area in accordance with the provisions of the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2–4),[1] as amended and supplemented. In the administration of the recreation area the Secretary may utilize such statutory authority available to him for the conservation and management of wildlife and natural resources as he deems appropriate to carry out the purposes of this subchapter: Provided, That the Secretary shall administer and protect the islands and waters within the Jamaica Bay Unit with the primary aim of conserving the natural resources, fish, and wildlife located therein and shall permit no development or use of this area which is incompatible with this purpose.
The Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of New York and New Jersey, or any political subdivision thereof, for the rendering, on a reimbursable basis, of rescue, firefighting, and law enforcement services and cooperative assistance by nearby law enforcement and fire preventive agencies.
The authority of the Secretary of the Army to undertake or contribute to water resource developments, including shore erosion control, beach protection, and navigation improvements (including the deepening of the shipping channel from the Atlantic Ocean to the New York harbor) on land and/or waters within the recreation area shall be exercised in accordance with plans which are mutually acceptable to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Army and which are consistent with both the purpose of this subchapter and the purpose of existing statutes dealing with water and related land resource development.
The authority of the Secretary of Transportation to maintain and operate existing airway facilities and to install necessary new facilities within the recreation area shall be exercised in accordance with plans which are mutually acceptable to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Transportation and which are consistent with both the purpose of this subchapter and the purpose of existing statutes dealing with the establishment, maintenance, and operation of airway facilities: Provided, That nothing in this section shall authorize the expansion of airport runways into Jamaica Bay or air facilities at Floyd Bennett Field.
The Secretary shall permit hunting, fishing, shellfishing, trapping, and the taking of specimens on the lands and waters under his jurisdiction within the Gateway National Recreation Area in accordance with the applicable laws of the United States and the laws of the States of New York and New Jersey and political subdivisions thereof, except that the Secretary may designate zones where and establish periods when these activities may not be permitted, for reasons of public safety, administration, fish or wildlife management, or public use and enjoyment.
In the Sandy Hook and Staten Island Units, the Secretary shall inventory and evaluate all sites and structures having present and potential historical, cultural, or architectural significance and shall provide for appropriate programs for the preservation, restoration, interpretation, and utilization of them.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary is authorized to accept donations of funds from individuals, foundations, or corporations for the purpose of providing services and facilities which he deems consistent with the purposes of this subchapter.
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the United States hereby conveys to the city of New York all rights to the methane gas and associated byproducts resulting from solid waste decomposition on the area within the Jamaica Bay Unit known as the Fountain Avenue Landfill site, subject to payments to the United States of 50 per centum of the revenue received by the city of New York, if any, from the development of such rights. The Secretary shall grant to the City, its lessee or assignee, all rights-of-way and other permits necessary from the Department of the Interior to extract and transport the gas from the site: Provided, That the rights-of-way and other permits shall provide for reasonable restoration of the site, including removal of any processing or storage facilities used in the disposal, development, or extraction of the gas, access by the Secretary to the site for safety and other recreation area purposes, and such other reasonable conditions as the Secretary deems necessary to further purposes of the recreation area. All such payments to the United States shall be credited to the appropriations of the National Park Service for the development and improvement of Gateway National Recreation Area.
The Secretary of the Interior may grant, to any State or local government, an easement or right-of-way over Federal lands within Gateway National Recreation Area for construction, operation, and maintenance of projects for control and prevention of flooding and shoreline erosion.
The Secretary may grant such an easement or right-of-way without charge for the value of the right so conveyed, except for reimbursement of costs incurred by the United States for processing the application therefore and managing such right. Amounts received as such reimbursement shall be credited to the relevant appropriation account.
The Secretary of the Interior may grant, to any State or local government, an easement or right-of-way permit over Federal lands within Golden Gate National Recreation Area for operation and maintenance of projects for control and prevention of flooding and shoreline erosion and associated structures for continued public access.
The Secretary may grant such an easement or right-of-way permit without charge for the value of the use so conveyed, except for reimbursement of costs incurred by the United States for processing the application therefore and managing such use. Amounts received as such reimbursement shall be credited to the relevant appropriation account.