1.This Act may be cited as the
9/11 Memorial Cross National Monument
Establishment Act of 2011
.
2.Congress finds that—
(1)the 9/11 Memorial Cross is located at the
National 9/11 Memorial Museum at the intersection of Albany and Greenwich
Streets at 1 Albany Street, New York, NY 10006;
(2)after the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on New York City, a massive operation
was launched to clear the site and attempt to find any survivors amongst the
rubble;
(3)when One World
Trade Center collapsed, it sent debris down onto 6 World Trade Center, and
gutted the interior of the building. In the midst of the debris was this intact
cross beam, which its discoverer believes came from One World Trade
Center;
(4)first encountered
by construction worker Frank Silecchia in the vicinity of where 6 World Trade
Center had stood, the 17-foot-tall cross became an icon of hope and comfort
throughout the recovery effort in the wake of the September 11, 2001
attacks;
(5)after a few weeks
an expedited approval from the office of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was
granted to erect it on a pedestal on a portion of the former plaza on Church
Street near Liberty;
(6)the 9/11 Memorial
Cross was moved by crane on October 3, 2001, and installed on October 4, 2001,
where it continued as a shrine and tourist attraction;
(7)on July 23, 2011,
the cross was transported onto the World Trade Center site and lowered into its
permanent setting inside the Museum, which will open to the public in
2012;
(8)the 9/11 Memorial
Cross has received international attention; and
(9)Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey, the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg, have been working together—
(A)to protect the
site; and
(B)to develop further
educational opportunities using artifacts from the site itself to tell the
story of not only what happened on 9/11 but the 9-month recovery period that
followed.
3.In this Act:
(1)The
term City means the city of New York, New York.
(2)The term management plan means the management
plan for the Monument prepared under section 5(c)(1).
(3)The
term map means the map entitled Proposed Boundary
Waco-Mammoth National Monument
, numbered T21/80,000, and dated April
2009.
(4)The
term Monument means the 9/11 Memorial Cross, which is owned by the
Museum.
(5)The term Museum means the
National 9/11 Memorial Museum in the State.
(6)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(7)The
term State means the State of New York.
4.9/11 Memorial
Cross National Monument, New YorkThe 9/11 Memorial Cross is hereby
established as a national monument.
5.Administration of
Monument
(a)The Secretary shall administer the Monument in accordance
with—
(1)this Act;
and
(2)any cooperative
agreements entered into under subsection (b)(1).
(b)
(1)The Secretary may enter into cooperative management
agreements with the Museum and the City, in accordance with section 3(l) of
Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–2(l)).
(2)The Secretary may acquire by donation from the City any land
or interest in land owned by the City within the proposed boundary of the
Monument.
(c)
(1)Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Museum and the City, shall
complete a general management plan for the Monument.
(2)The
management plan shall include, at a minimum—
(A)measures for the
preservation of the resources of the Monument;
(B)requirements for
the type and extent of development and use of the Monument;
(C)identification of
the capacity of the Monument for accommodating visitors; and
(D)opportunities for
involvement by the Museum, City, State, and other local and national entities
in—
(i)developing
educational programs for the Monument; and
(ii)developing and
supporting the Monument.
(d)Prohibition of
use of federal fundsNo Federal funds may be used to pay the
costs of—
(1)carrying out a
cooperative agreement under subsection (b)(1);
(2)acquiring land for
inclusion in the Monument under subsection (b)(2);
(3)developing a
visitor center for the Monument;
(4)operating or
maintaining the Monument;
(5)constructing
exhibits for the Monument; or
(6)developing the
general management plan under subsection (c).
(e)Non-Federal funds may be used to pay any costs
that may be incurred by the Secretary or the National Park Service in carrying
out this section.
(f)Effect on
eligibility for financial assistanceNothing in this Act affects
the eligibility of the Monument for Federal grants or other forms of financial
assistance that the Monument would have been eligible to apply for had National
Park System status not been conferred to the Monument under this Act.
(g)Termination of
national park system status
(1)Designation of the Monument as a unit of the National
Park System shall terminate if the Secretary determines that Federal funds are
required to operate and maintain the Monument.
(2)If
the designation of the Monument as a unit of the National Park System is
terminated under paragraph (1), any land acquired by the Secretary from the
City under subsection (b)(2) shall revert to the City.
6.Nothing in this
Act, the establishment of the Monument, or the management plan shall be
construed to create buffer zones outside of the Monument.