1.This Act may be cited as the
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007
.
2.Congress finds that—
(1)thousands of individuals, hundreds of
nonprofit organizations, businesses, and local and regional organizations, 35
towns, and 2 States have worked to preserve and enhance the significant
natural, historic, cultural, and scenic resources of the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, an area which is commonly
known as The Last Green Valley
;
(2)the Green Valley Institute, a partnership
between the University of Connecticut and the cooperative extension system of
the University of Massachusetts, has significantly improved the information
base available to the primarily volunteer municipal officers that are
responsible for making land use and natural resource conservation decisions
with respect to The Last Green Valley;
(3)during the 5 years preceding the date of
enactment of this Act, the Green Valley Institute was recognized with a total
of 8 State or national awards for public education;
(4)significant historic structures have been
identified and restored under the programs carried out in the Heritage
Corridor;
(5)museums, attractions, landscapes, and
businesses in the Heritage Corridor have been assembled into cohesive
interpretive projects that tell the stories of The Last Green Valley for
residents and tourists;
(6)as part of the vision to sustain the
traditional land-based economy of the region, the Heritage Corridor has—
(A)developed agritourism and continuing
education programs for the region; and
(B)collected and analyzed data relating to the
vision;
(7)recreational tourism has been enhanced by
the many trails, greenways, river access, and interpretive projects in the
Heritage Corridor;
(8)each of the 35 municipal governments within
the Heritage Corridor has signed a voluntary and nonbinding community compact
in which governments—
(A)accept the goals and objectives of the
management plan for the Heritage Corridor; and
(B)formalize the commitment of the governments
to balance conservation and growth and the collective vision of the governments
for the watershed;
(9)during the past 11 years the Heritage
Corridor has consistently leveraged an average of $19 for every Federal dollar
invested in the Heritage Corridor;
(10)the Heritage Corridor has adopted, and is
implementing, a comprehensive plan, entitled The Trail to 2015, A
Sustainability Plan for The Last Green Valley
, to become
self-sufficient by the year 2015; and
(11)reauthorizing the Heritage Corridor would
leverage significant multiyear commitments and ensure self-sufficiency by 2015
for the programs and projects that are fulfilling the mission of the Heritage
Corridor.
3.Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor
(a)Section 106(b) of the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 461
note; Public Law 103–449) is amended by striking September 30,
2009
and inserting September 30, 2015
.
(b)Authorization of
appropriationsSection 109(a)
of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of
1994 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 103–449) is amended by striking
$10,000,000
and inserting $15,000,000
.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007
.
2.Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor
(a)Section 106(b) of the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 461
note; Public Law 103–449) is amended by striking September 30,
2009
and inserting September 30, 2015
.
(b)Section 106 of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 103–449)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
(c)
(1)Not later than 3 years before the date on which authority
for Federal funding terminates for the Corridor, the Secretary shall—
(A)conduct an evaluation of
the accomplishments of the Corridor; and
(B)prepare a report in
accordance with paragraph (3).
(2)An
evaluation conducted under paragraph (1)(A) shall—
(A)assess the progress of
the management entity with respect to—
(i)accomplishing the
purposes of this title for the Corridor; and
(ii)achieving the goals and
objectives of the management plan for the Corridor;
(B)analyze the Federal,
State, local, and private investments in the Corridor to determine the leverage
and impact of the investments; and
(C)review the management
structure, partnership relationships, and funding of the Corridor for purposes
of identifying the critical components for sustainability of the
Corridor.
(3)
(A)Based on the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1)(A),
the Secretary shall prepare a report that includes recommendations for the
future role of the National Park Service, if any, with respect to the
Corridor.
(B)If the report prepared under subparagraph (A) recommends
that Federal funding for the Corridor be reauthorized, the report shall include
an analysis of—
(i)ways in which Federal
funding for the Corridor may be reduced or eliminated; and
(ii)the appropriate time
period necessary to achieve the recommended reduction or elimination.
(C)On completion of the report, the Secretary shall submit
the report to—
(i)the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the Senate; and
(ii)the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of
Representatives.
.
(c)Authorization of
appropriationsSection 109(a)
of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of
1994 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 103–449) is amended by striking
$10,000,000
and inserting $15,000,000
.
September 17, 2007
Reported with an amendment