,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #caca ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ai1 #bjai,mr4 ,inhofe 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,udall1 and ,mr4 ,risch7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of the ,interior to establish a ,maya ,security and ,conservation ,partnership program1 to authorize appropriations for that program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,mirador-,calakmul ,basin ,maya ,security and ,conservation ,partnership ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the ,mirador-,calakmul ,basin 7referred to in this ,act as the ,basin7 is recognized scientifically as1 and has been termed1 the ,cradle of ,maya ,civilization1 with over #ajj ancient ,maya cities dating back almost #c1jjj years1 and includes the world's largest pyramids in volume1 the tallest pyramids in the ,americas1 the first paved ancient highway systems1 the earliest and largest ancient ,maya cities1 and the home of the ancient ,ka'an 7,kan7 ,kingdom1 which is recognized as one of the first organized political and economic states in the ,americas2 7#b7 the ,basin covers approximately #a1fjj1jjj acres of pristine tropical forest within a geographically contained ecological system2 7#c7 the forest referred to in paragraph 7#b7 is a crucial economic resource for the people of ,central ,america and ,mexico living in villages surrounding the ,basin2 7#d7 the ,basin is a reservoir of genetic diversity that can spark potential advances in medical1 agricultural1 and industrial technology2 and 7#e7 the ,basin is centrally located within the larger ,selva ,maya1 a large block of adjacent protected areas within ,guatemala1 ,mexico1 and ,belize1 within which increased crossboundary trafficking of timber1 gold1 wildlife1 and other resources is taking place with little central government control or law enforcement4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 that the ,united ,states encourages the governments of ,mexico and ,guatemala-- 7,a7 to prioritize the ,basin2 and 7,b7 to establish a formal joint program for the security and conservation of the biodiversity and archeological ruins of the ,basin1 comprising the ,cradle of ,maya ,civilization1 which would be the first ever binational security and conservation program of its size and scale in ,latin ,america2 7#b7 to fund field-based tropical and archeological research1 law enforcement1 and sustainable tourism activities within the ,basin and surrounding communities to support and strengthen protected areas while enlisting local communities in those activities2 and 7#c7 that the implementation of and funding for the policy described in paragraph 7#b7 should emphasize that-- 7,a7 ,united ,states investment under this ,act shall be in addition to existing ,united ,states efforts2 7,b7 the governments of ,guatemala and ,mexico1 multilateral organizations such as the ,central ,american ,bank for ,economic ,integration1 local communities1 and private sector organizations should have a leading role in fostering the partnership to preserve and protect the ,basin2 and 7,c7 ,united ,states funding should leverage investments by the governments of ,guatemala and ,mexico and regional research organizations4 #d4 ,priority for investments in the ,basin ,the ,secretary of the ,interior shall prioritize continued tropical forest and archeological scientific research1 law enforcement1 and sustainable tourism in the scientifically recognized ,basin in northern ,guatemala and southern ,mexico by establishing a collaborative heritage conservation program and sustainable tourism model in collaboration with-- 7#a7 the governments of ,guatemala and ,mexico2 and 7#b7 the ongoing scientific research team of ,united ,states and international universities and institutions performing tropical and archaeological work in the ,basin4 #e4 ,grant program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of the ,interior1 acting through the ,office of ,international ,affairs of the ,department of the ,interior 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary71 as a contribution to the scientific investigation1 heritage conservation1 law enforcement1 and sustainable tourism of the scientifically recognized ,basin in ,guatemala and ,mexico1 shall-- 7#a7 establish a ,maya ,security and ,conservation ,partnership program2 and 7#b7 carry out a program to enter into cooperative agreements or provide grants1 as appropriate1 to support the ,maya ,security and ,conservation ,partnership program4 7b7 ,cooperative agreements and grants ,a cooperative agreement or grant under subsection 7a77#b7 shall1 in part1 support demonstrably effective1 ongoing1 and collaborative research efforts involving a consortium of ,united ,states and local universities and research institutions working in the ,basin4 7c7 ,goal ,the goal of the program established under subsection 7a77#a7 shall be to create a sustainable tourism model designed to provide low impact1 controlled access to the archaeological sites of the ,basin with an emphasis on providing safe and secure economic opportunity for the local communities in and around the ,basin4 7d7 ,limitation on use of funds ,of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year1 #ej percent may not be used until1 as determined by the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,secretary1 the governments of ,guatemala and ,mexico have provided significant direct investment to effectively counter illegal activities within the region that encompasses the ,basin1 including illegal logging and looting of archeological sites along the ,guatemala-,mexico border and within the ,basin4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this section #ab1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbf1 to remain available until expended4