[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2511 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2511

 To establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area 
            in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 4, 2000

 Mr. Murkowski (for himself and Mr. Stevens) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area 
            in the State of Alaska, 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 ``Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm 
National Heritage Corridor Area Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm transportation 
        corridor is a major gateway to Alaska and includes a range of 
        transportation routes used first by indigenous people who were 
        followed by pioneers who settled the Nation's last frontier;
            (2) the natural history and scenic splendor of the region 
        are equally outstanding; vistas of nature's power include 
        evidence of earthquake subsidence, recent avalanches, 
        retreating glaciers, and tidal action along Turnagain Arm, 
        which has the world's second greatest tidal range;
            (3) the cultural landscape formed by indigenous people and 
        then by settlement, transportation, and modern resource 
        development in this rugged and often treacherous natural 
        setting stands as powerful testimony to the human fortitude, 
        perseverance, and resourcefulness that is America's proudest 
        heritage from the people who settled the frontier;
            (4) there is a national interest in recognizing, 
        preserving, promoting, and interpreting these resources;
            (5) the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm region is 
        geographically and culturally cohesive because it is defined by 
        a corridor of historical routes-trail, water, railroad, and 
        roadways through a distinct landscape of mountains, lakes, and 
        fjords;
            (6) national significance of separate elements of the 
        region include, but are not limited to, the Iditarod National 
        Historic Trail, the Seward Highway National Scenic Byway, and 
        the Alaska Railroad National Scenic Railroad;
            (7) national heritage area designation provides for the 
        interpretation of these routes, as well as the national 
        historic districts and numerous historic routes in the region 
        as part of the whole picture of human history in the wider 
        transportation corridor including early Native trade routes, 
        connections by waterway, mining trail, and other routes;
            (8) national heritage area designation also provides 
        communities within the region with the motivation and means for 
        ``grassroots'' regional coordination and partnerships with each 
        other and with borough, State, and Federal agencies; and
            (9) resolution and letters of support have been received 
        from the Kenai Peninsula Historical Association, the Seward 
        Historical Commission, the Seward City Council, the Hope and 
        Sunrise Historical Society, the Hope Chamber of Commerce, the 
        Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, the Cooper 
        Landing Community Club, the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and 
        Tourism Association, Anchorage Historic Properties, the 
        Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Cook Inlet 
        Historical Society, the Moose Pass Sportsman's Club, the Alaska 
Historical Commission, the Gridwood Board of Supervisors, the Kenai 
River Special Management Area Advisory Board, the Bird/Indian Community 
Council, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Trails Commission, the Alaska 
Division of Parks and Recreation, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the 
Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council, and the Anchorage Municipal 
Assembly.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to recognize, preserve, and interpret the historic and 
        modern resource development and cultural landscapes of the 
        Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm historic transportation corridor, 
        and to promote and facilitate the public enjoyment of these 
        resources; and
            (2) to foster, through financial and technical assistance, 
        the development of cooperative planning and partnerships among 
        the communities and borough, State, and Federal Government 
        entities.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Heritage area.--The term ``Heritage Area'' means the 
        Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area establish 
        by section 4(a) of this Act.
            (2) Management entity.--The term ``management entity'' 
        means the 11 member Board of Directors of the Kenai Mountains-
        Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area Commission.
            (3) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means 
        the management plan for the Heritage Area.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 4. KENAI MOUNTAINS-TURNAGAIN ARM NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Kenai Mountains-
Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area.
    (b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall comprise the lands in the 
Kenai Mountains and upper Turnagain Arm region generally depicted on 
the map entitled ``Kenai Peninsula/Turnagain Arm National Heritage 
Corridor'', numbered ``Map #KMTA-1'', and dated ``August 1999''. The 
map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the offices 
of the Alaska Regional Office of the National Park Service and in the 
offices of the Alaska State Heritage Preservation Officer.

SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT ENTITY.

    (a) The management entity shall consist of 7 representatives, 
appointed by the Secretary from a list of recommendations submitted by 
the Governor of Alaska, from the communities of Seward, Lawing, Moose 
Pass, Cooper Landing, Hope, Gridwood, Bird-Indian and 4 at large 
representatives, from such organizations as Native Associations, the 
Iditarod Trail Committee, historical societies, visitor associations, 
and private or business entities. Upon appointment, the Commission 
shall establish itself as a non-profit corporation under laws of the 
State of Alaska.
            (1) Terms.--Members of the management entity appointed 
        under section 5(a) shall each serve for a term of 5 years, 
        except that of the members first appointed 3 shall serve for a 
        term of 4 years and 2 shall serve for a term of 3 years; 
        however, upon the expiration of his or her term, an appointed 
        member may continue to serve until his or her successor has 
        been appointed.
            (2) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall be 
        filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was 
        made, and any member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve 
        for the remainder of that term for which his or her predecessor 
        was appointed.
    (b) Non-voting ex-officio representatives, invited by the nonprofit 
corporation from such organizations as the State Division of Parks and 
Outdoor Recreation, State Division Mining, Land and Water, Forest 
Service, State Historic Preservation Office, Kenai Peninsula Borough, 
Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska Railroad, Alaska Department of 
Transportation, and the National Park Service.
    (c) Representation of ex-officio members in the non-profit 
corporation shall be established under the by-laws of the management 
entity.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT
              ENTITY.

    (a) Management Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the Secretary 
        enters into a cooperative agreement with the management entity, 
        the management entity shall develop a management plan for the 
        Heritage Area, taking into consideration existing Federal, 
        State, borough, and local plans.
            (2) Contents.--The management plan shall include, but not 
        be limited to--
                    (A) comprehensive recommendations for conservation, 
                funding, management, and development of the Heritage 
                Area;
                    (B) a description of agreements on actions to be 
                carried out by Government and private organizations to 
                protect the resources of the Heritage Area;
                    (C) a list of specific and potential sources of 
                funding to protect, manage, and develop the Heritage 
                Area;
                    (D) an inventory of resources contained in the 
                Heritage Area; and
                    (E) a description of the role and participation of 
                other Federal, State and local agencies that have 
                jurisdiction on lands within the Heritage Area.
    (b) Priorities.--The management entity shall give priority to the 
implementation of actions, goals, and policies set forth in the 
cooperative agreement with the Secretary and the heritage plan, 
including assisting communities within the region in--
            (1) carrying out programs which recognize important 
        resource values in the heritage corridor;
            (2) encouraging economic viability in the affected 
        communities;
            (3) establishing and maintaining interpretive exhibits in 
        the Heritage Area;
            (4) improving and interpreting heritage trails;
            (5) increasing public awareness and appreciation for the 
        natural, historical, and cultural resources and modern resource 
        development of the Heritage Area;
            (6) restoring historic buildings and structures that are 
        located within the boundaries of the heritage corridor; and
            (7) ensuring that clear, consistent, and appropriate signs 
        identifying public access points and sites of interest are 
        placed throughout the Heritage Area.
    (c) Consideration of Interest of Local Groups.--Projects 
incorporated in the heritage plan by the management entity shall be 
initiated by local groups and developed with the participation and 
support of the affected local communities. Other organizations may 
submit projects or proposals to the local groups for consideration.
    (d) Public Meetings.--The management entity shall conduct 2 or more 
public meetings each year regarding the initiation and implementation 
of the management plan for the Heritage Area. The management entity 
shall place a notice of each such meeting in a newspaper of general 
circulation in the Heritage Area and shall make the minutes of the 
meeting available to the public.

SEC. 7. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.

    (a) The Secretary, in consultation with the Governor of Alaska, or 
his designee, is authorized to enter into a cooperative agreement with 
the management entity. The cooperative agreement shall be prepared with 
public participation.
    (b) In accordance with the terms and conditions of the 
cooperative agreement and upon the request of the management entity, 
subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary shall provide 
administrative, technical, financial, design, development, and 
operations assistance to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 8. SAVINGS PROVISIONS.

    (a) Regulatory Authority.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to grant powers of zoning or management of land use to the management 
entity of the Heritage Area.
    (b) Effect on Authority of Governments.--Nothing in this Act shall 
be construed to modify, enlarge, or diminish any authority of the 
Federal, State, or local governments to regulate any use of land as 
provided for by law or regulation.
    (c) Effect on Business.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to 
obstruct or limit business activity on private development or resource 
development activities.

SEC. 9. PROHIBITION ON THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY.

    The management entity may not use funds appropriated to carry out 
the purposes of this Act to acquire real property or interest in real 
property.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) First Year.--For the first year $350,000 is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the purposes of this Act, and is made 
available upon the Secretary and the management entity completing a 
cooperative agreement.
    (b) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated not more 
than $1,000,000 to carry out the purposes of this Act for any fiscal 
year after the first year. Not more than $10,000,000, in the aggregate, 
may be appropriated for the Heritage Area.
    (c) Matching Funds.--Federal funding provided under this Act shall 
be matched at least 25 percent by other funds or in-kind services.
    (d) Sunset Provision.--The Secretary may not make any grant or 
provide any assistance under this Act beyond 15 years from the date 
that the Secretary and management entity complete a cooperative 
agreement.
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