[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1325 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 286
112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1325

                          [Report No. 112-125]

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and 
feasibility of designating sites in the Lower Mississippi River Area in 
 the State of Louisiana as a unit of the National Park System, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 5, 2011

 Ms. Landrieu introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

                            January 13, 2012

  Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of December 17, 
                2011, by Mr. Bingaman, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and 
feasibility of designating sites in the Lower Mississippi River Area in 
 the State of Louisiana as a unit of the National Park System, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Mississippi River 
National Historic Site Study Act of 2011''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the Lower Mississippi area located south of 
        New Orleans, Louisiana, which is known as ``Plaquemines 
        Parish'', has great historical significance;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) from the earliest Spanish explorers traveling 
        along the banks of the Lower Mississippi River in the 1500s, to 
        Robert de LaSalle claiming all of the land drained by the Lower 
        Mississippi River in 1682, to the petroleum, fisheries, and 
        transportation industries of today, the area is one of the most 
        unique areas in the continental United States;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) while, in 1699, the area became the site of 
        the first fortification on the Lower Mississippi River, known 
        as ``Fort Mississippi'', it has since been home to 10 different 
        fortifications, more than a dozen light houses, and several 
        wildlife refuges, quarantine stations, and pilot 
        stations;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) of particular interest to the area are--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Fort St. Philip, originally built in 
                1749, at which, during the Battle of New Orleans, the 
                British navy was blocked from going up river and a 
                victory for the Colonial Army was ensured; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Fort Jackson, built across from Fort 
                St. Philip at the request of General Andrew Jackson and 
                partially constructed by famous local Civil War General 
                P.G.T. Beauregard, which was the site of the famous 
                Civil War battle known as the ``Battle of the Forts'', 
                which is also referred to as the ``night the war was 
                lost'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) the area is--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) at the end of the longest continuous 
                river road and levee system in the United States; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) a part of the River Road highway 
                system;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) lower Plaquemines Parish is split down the 
        middle by the Mississippi River, surrounded on 3 sides by the 
        Gulf of Mexico, and crossed by numerous bayous, canals, and 
        ditches;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip are located 
        on--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) an ancient Head of Passes site; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) 1 of the most historic areas on the 
                Lower Mississippi River known as ``Plaquemines 
                Bend'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) the modern Head of Passes is only 21 miles 
        south of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip where the Mississippi 
        River splits into a bird foot delta to travel the last 20 miles 
        to the Gulf of Mexico;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) there are numerous geological features that 
        are unique to a large river mouth or delta that could make a 
        national park in the area a particularly intriguing 
        attraction;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) the coastal erosion, subsidence, river 
        hydraulics, delta features, fresh, salt, and brackish water 
        marshes, and other unique features of the area could be an 
        effective classroom for the public on the challenges of 
        protecting our river and coastal zones;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (11) the area includes the beginning of the 
        Mississippi River flyway, which is--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) 1 of the most pristine eco-sites in 
                the United States; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the site of 2 national wildlife 
                refuges and 1 State wildlife refuge;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (12) the area is culturally diverse in history, 
        population, industry, and politics;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (13) many well-known characters lived or performed 
        deeds of great notoriety in the area;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (14) in the area, Creoles, Europeans, Indians, 
        Yugoslav, African-Americans, and Vietnamese all worked together 
        to weave an interesting history of survival and success in a 
        very treacherous environment;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (15) the area has tremendous tourism potential, 
        particularly for historical tourism and eco-tourism, because of 
        the location, pristine ecosystems, and past indifference of the 
        local government to promote tourism in the area; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (16) since Hurricane Katrina, the local government 
        in the area has--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) passed a resolution strongly 
                supporting a national park study; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) shown an interest in developing 
                tourism in the area.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Study area.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--The term ``Study Area'' 
                means the Lower Mississippi River area in the State of 
                Louisiana.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Inclusions.--The term ``Study Area'' 
                includes Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson, the Head of 
                Passes, and any related and supporting historical, 
                natural, cultural, and recreational resources located 
                in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the 
        Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the 
        National Park Service.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. STUDY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
on which funds are made available to carry out this Act under section 6 
or from non-Federal sources, the Secretary, in consultation with the 
State of Louisiana and interested groups and organizations, shall 
complete a special resource study that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) evaluates--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the national significance of the Study 
                Area; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the suitability and feasibility of 
                designating the Study Area as a unit of the National 
                Park System, to be known as the ``Lower Mississippi 
                River National Park'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) includes cost estimates for the acquisition, 
        development, operation, and maintenance of the Study Area; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) identifies alternatives for management, 
        administration, and protection of the Study Area.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Criteria.--In conducting the study under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall use the criteria for the study of areas for 
potential inclusion in the National Park System under section 8(c) of 
Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. REPORT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    On completion of the study under section 4, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
the Senate a report that describes--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the findings and conclusions of the study; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) any recommendations of the 
        Secretary.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are 
necessary to carry out this Act.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Mississippi River Area Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Study area.--The term ``study area'' includes Fort St. 
        Philip, Fort Jackson, the Head of Passes, and any related and 
        supporting historical, cultural, and recreational resources 
        located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

SEC. 3. STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which 
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary, in 
consultation with the State of Louisiana and other interested 
organizations, shall complete a special resource study that evaluates--
            (1) the national significance of the study area; and
            (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the 
        study area as a unit of the National Park System.
    (b) Criteria.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall use the criteria for the study of areas for potential 
inclusion in the National Park System in section 8(c) of National Park 
System General Authorities Act (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
    (c) Content.--The study described in subsection (a) shall--
            (1) include cost estimates for the potential acquisition, 
        development, operation, and maintenance of the study area; and
            (2) identify alternatives for the management, 
        administration, and protection of the study area.

SEC. 4. DONATIONS.

    The Secretary may accept the donation of funds to carry out this 
Act.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
                                                       Calendar No. 286

112th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1325

                          [Report No. 112-125]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and 
feasibility of designating sites in the Lower Mississippi River Area in 
 the State of Louisiana as a unit of the National Park System, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            January 13, 2012

                       Reported with an amendment