[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2473 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2473

To authorize funding within the Department of the Interior to implement 
    the plan of the Steel Industry Heritage Project, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 12, 1995

  Mr. Coyne introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize funding within the Department of the Interior to implement 
    the plan of the Steel Industry Heritage Project, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Steel Industry American Heritage 
Area Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) the industrial and cultural heritage of southwestern 
        Pennsylvania, including the city of Pittsburgh, and the 
        counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, 
        Washington, and Westmoreland, related directly to steel and 
        steel-related industries, is nationally significant;
            (2) these industries include steelmaking, iron making, 
        aluminum, specialty metals, glass, coal mining, coke 
        production, machining and foundries, transportation, and 
        electrical industries;
            (3) the industrial and cultural heritage of the steel and 
        related industries in this region includes the social history 
        and living cultural traditions of the people of the region;
            (4) the labor movement of the region played a significant 
        role in the development of the Nation, including the formation 
        of many key unions such as the Congress of Industrial 
        Organizations (CIO) and the United Steel Workers of America 
        (USWA), and crucial struggles to improve wages and working 
        conditions, such as the Rail Strike of 1877, the Homestead 
        Strike of 1892, and the Great Steel Strike of 1919;
            (5) the Department of the Interior is responsible for 
        protecting the Nation's cultural and historic resources, and 
        there are significant examples of these resources, within this 
        seven-county region to merit the involvement of the Federal 
        Government to develop programs and projects, in cooperation 
        with the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, the Commonwealth 
        of Pennsylvania, and other local and governmental bodies, to 
        adequately conserve, protect, and interpret this heritage for 
        future generations, while providing opportunities for education 
        and revitalization; and
            (6) the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation would be an 
        appropriate management entity for a Heritage Area established 
        in the region.
    (b) Statement of Purpose.--The objectives of the Steel Industry 
American Heritage Area are--
            (1) to foster a close working relationship with all levels 
        of government, the private sector, and the local communities in 
        the steel industry region of southwestern Pennsylvania and 
        empower the communities to conserve their heritage while 
        continuing to pursue economic opportunities; and
            (2) to conserve, interpret, and develop the historical, 
        cultural, natural, and recreational resources related to the 
        industrial and cultural heritage of the seven-county region of 
        southwestern Pennsylvania.

SEC. 3. STEEL INDUSTRY AMERICAN HERITAGE AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established a Steel Industry 
American Heritage Area (in this Act referred to as the ``Heritage 
Area'').
    (b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall be comprised of the 
counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Washington, 
and Westmoreland in Pennsylvania.
    (c) Management Entity.--The management entity for the Heritage Area 
shall be the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation.

SEC. 4. COMPACT.

    To carry out the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall enter 
into a compact with the management entity. The compact shall include 
information relating to the objectives and management of the area, 
including the following:
            (1) A delineation of the boundaries of the proposed 
        American Heritage Area.
            (2) A discussion of the goals and objectives of the 
        proposed American Heritage Area, including an explanation of 
        the proposed approach to conservation and interpretation and a 
        general outline of the protection measures committed to by the 
        partners referred to in clause (iv).
            (3) An identification and description of the management 
        entity that will administer the proposed American Heritage 
        Area.
            (4) A list of the initial partners to be involved in 
        developing and implementing the management plan referred to in 
        paragraph (3) for the proposed American Heritage Area, and a 
        statement of the financial commitment of the partners.
            (5) A description of the role of the State or States in 
        which the proposed American Heritage Area is located.
The compact shall be prepared with public participation. Actions called 
for in the compact shall be likely to be initiated within a reasonable 
time after designation of the proposed American Heritage Area and shall 
ensure effective implementation of the State and local aspects of the 
compact.

SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN.

    The management entity shall develop a management plan for the 
Heritage Area that presents comprehensive recommendations for the 
Heritage Area's conservation, funding, management and development. Such 
plan shall take into consideration existing State, county, and local 
plans and involve residents, public agencies, and private organizations 
working in the Heritage Area. It shall include actions to be undertaken 
by units of government and private organizations to protect the 
resources of the Heritage Area. It shall specify the existing and 
potential sources of funding to protect, manage, and develop the 
Heritage Area. Such plan shall include specifically as appropriate the 
following:
            (1) An inventory of the resources contained in the Heritage 
        Area, including a list of any property in the Heritage Area 
        that is related to the themes of the Heritage Area and that 
        should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or 
        maintained because of its natural, cultural, historic, 
        recreational, or scenic significance.
            (2) A recommendation of policies for resource management 
        which consider and detail application of appropriate land and 
        water management techniques, including but not limited to, the 
        development of intergovernmental cooperative agreements to 
        protect the Heritage Area's historical, cultural, recreational, 
        and natural resources in a manner consistent with supporting 
        appropriate and compatible economic viability.
            (3) A program for implementation of the management plan by 
        the management entity, including plans for restoration and 
        construction, and specific commitments of the identified 
        partners for the first 5 years of operation.
            (4) An analysis of ways in which local, State, and Federal 
        programs may best be coordinated to promote the purposes of the 
        Act.
            (5) An interpretation plan for the Heritage Area.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT ENTITY.

    (a) Authorities of the Management Entity.--The management entity 
may, for purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan 
under section 5, use Federal funds made available through this Act--
            (1) to make loans and grants to, and enter into cooperative 
        agreements with, States and their political subdivisions, 
        private organizations, or any person; and
            (2) to hire and compensate staff.
    (b) Duties of the Management Entity.--The management entity shall--
            (1) develop and submit to the Secretary for approval a 
        management plan as described in section 5 within 3 years after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act;
            (2) give priority to implementing actions set forth in the 
        compact and the management plan, including taking steps to--
                    (A) assist units of government, regional planning 
                organizations, and nonprofit organizations in 
                preserving the Heritage Area;
                    (B) assist units of government, regional planning 
                organizations, and nonprofit organizations in 
                establishing, and maintaining interpretive exhibits in 
                the Heritage Area;
                    (C) assist units of government, regional planning 
                organizations, and nonprofit organizations in 
                developing recreational resources in the Heritage Area;
                    (D) assist units of government, regional planning 
                organizations, and nonprofit organizations in 
                increasing public awareness of and appreciation for the 
                natural, historical and architectural resources and 
                sites in the Heritage Area;
                    (E) assist units of government, regional planning 
                organizations and nonprofit organizations in the 
                restoration of any historic building relating to the 
                themes of the Heritage Area;
                    (F) encourage by appropriate means economic 
                viability in the Heritage Area consistent with the 
                goals of the plan;
                    (G) encourage local governments to adopt land use 
                policies consistent with the management of the Heritage 
                Area and the goals of the plan; and
                    (H) assist units of government, regional planning 
                organizations and nonprofit organizations to ensure 
                that clear, consistent, and environmentally appropriate 
                signs identifying access points and sites of interest 
                are put in place throughout the Heritage Area;
            (3) consider the interests of diverse governmental, 
        business, and nonprofit groups within the Heritage Area;
            (4) conduct public meetings at least quarterly regarding 
        the implementation of the management plan;
            (5) submit substantial changes (including any increase of 
        more than 20 percent in the cost estimates for implementation) 
        to the management plan to the Secretary for the Secretary's 
        approval;
            (6) for any year in which Federal funds have been received 
        under this Act, submit an annual report to the Secretary 
        setting forth its accomplishments, its expenses and income, and 
        the entity to which any loans and grants were made during the 
        year for which the report is made; and
            (7) for any year in which Federal funds have been received 
        under this Act, make available for audit all records pertaining 
        to the expenditure of such funds and any matching funds, and 
        require, for all agreements authorizing expenditure of Federal 
        funds by other organizations, that the receiving organizations 
        make available for audit all records pertaining to the 
        expenditure of such funds.
If a management plan is not submitted to the Secretary as required 
under paragraph (1) within the specified time, the Heritage Area shall 
no longer qualify for Federal funding.
    (c) Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The 
management entity may not use Federal funds received under this Act to 
acquire real property or an interest in real property. Nothing in this 
Act shall preclude any management entity from using Federal funds from 
other sources for their permitted purposes.
    (d) Eligibility for Receiving Financial Assistance.--
            (1) Eligibility.--The management entity shall be eligible 
        to receive funds appropriated through this Act for a period of 
        13 years after the day on which the compact under section 4 is 
        signed by the Secretary and the management entity, except as 
        provided in paragraph (2).
            (2) Exception.--The management entity's eligibility for 
        funding under this Act may be extended for a period of not more 
        than 5 additional years, if--
                    (A) the management entity determine such extension 
                is necessary in order to carry out the purposes of this 
                Act and notify the Secretary not later than 180 days 
                prior to the termination date;
                    (B) the management entity, not later than 180 days 
                prior to the termination date, present to the Secretary 
                a plan of their activities for the period of the 
                extension, including provisions for becoming 
                independent of the funds made available through this 
                Act; and
                    (C) the Secretary, with the advice of the Governor 
                of Pennsylvania approves such extension of funding.

SEC. 7. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Duties and Authorities of the Secretary.--
            (1) Technical and financial assistance.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary may, upon request of 
                the management entity, provide technical and financial 
                assistance to the Heritage Area to develop and 
                implement the management plan. In assisting the 
                Heritage Area, the Secretary shall give priority to 
                actions that in general assist in--
                            (i) conserving the significant natural, 
                        historic, and cultural resources which support 
                        its themes; and
                            (ii) providing educational, interpretive, 
                        and recreational opportunities consistent with 
                        its resources and associated values.
                    (B) Spending for nonfederally owned property.--The 
                Secretary may spend Federal funds directly on 
                nonfederally owned property to further the purposes of 
                this Act, especially in assisting units of government 
                in appropriate treatment of districts, sites, 
                buildings, structures, and objects listed or eligible 
                for listing on the National Register of Historic 
                Places. The Historic American Building Survey/Historic 
                American Engineering Record shall conduct those studies 
                necessary to document the industrial, engineering, 
                building, and architectural history of the region.
            (2) Approval and disapproval of compacts and management 
        plans.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation 
                with the Governor of Pennsylvania shall approve or 
                disapprove a compact or management plan submitted under 
                this Act not later than 90 days after receiving such 
                compact or management plan.
                    (B) Action following disapproval.--If the Secretary 
                disapproves a submitted compact or management plan, the 
                Secretary shall advise the management entity in writing 
                of the reasons therefor and shall make recommendations 
                for revisions in the compact or plan. The Secretary 
                shall approve or disapprove a proposed revision within 
                90 days after the date it is submitted.
            (3) Approving amendments.--The Secretary shall review 
        substantial amendments to the management plan for the Heritage 
        Area. Funds appropriated pursuant to this Act may not be 
        expended to implement the changes until the Secretary approves 
        the amendments.
            (4) Promulgating regulations.--The Secretary shall 
        promulgate such regulations as are necessary to carry out the 
        purposes of this Act.
    (b) Duties of Federal Entities.--Any Federal entity conducting any 
activity directly affecting the Heritage Area shall consider the 
potential effect of the activity on the management plan for the area 
and shall consult with the Governor of Pennsylvania with respect to the 
activity to minimize the adverse effects of the activity on the area.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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