Unless the Secretary finds, after consultation with local and regional public officials (including local and regional public planning organizations), that the proposed projects to be undertaken within the boundaries in the portion of Erie County, New York, described in subsection (b), are not in the public interest then, subject to subsection (c), those portions of such county that were once part of Lake Erie and are now filled are declared to be nonnavigable waters of the United States.

The portion of Erie County, New York, referred to in subsection (a) is all that tract or parcel of land, situated in the town of Hamburg and the city of Lackawanna, Erie County, New York, being part of Lots 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 of the Ogden Gore Tract and part of Lots 23, 24, and 36 of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, Township 10, Range 8 of the Holland Land Company’s Survey and more particularly bounded and described as follows: [Omitted.]

The declaration under subsection (a) shall apply to those parts of the areas described in subsection (b) that are filled portions of Lake Erie. Any work on these filled portions shall be subject to all applicable Federal statutes and regulations, including sections 401 and 403 of this title, section 1344 of this title, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

If, 20 years from December 11, 2000, any area or part thereof described in subsection (a) is not occupied by permanent structures in accordance with the requirements set out in subsection (c), or if work in connection with any activity permitted in subsection (c) is not commenced within 5 years after issuance of such permits, then the declaration of nonnavigability for such area or part thereof shall expire.

(Pub. L. 106–541, title III, § 346, Dec. 11, 2000, 114 Stat. 2614.)