[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 141 (Monday, October 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  CORINTH, MS, BATTLEFIELD ACT OF 1994

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 986) to provide for an interpretive center at the Civil 
War Battlefield of Corinth, Mississippi, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 986

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

         TITLE I--CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD OF CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI

     SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Corinth, Mississippi, 
     Battlefield Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 102. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the 14 sites located in the vicinity of Corinth, 
     Mississippi, that were designated as a National Historic 
     Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 1991 represent 
     nationally significant events in the Siege and Battle of 
     Corinth during the Civil War; and
       (2) the Landmark sites should be preserved and interpreted 
     for the benefit, inspiration, and education of the people of 
     the United States.
       (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to provide for 
     a center for the interpretation of the Siege and Battle of 
     Corinth and other Civil War actions in the region and to 
     enhance public understanding of the significance of the 
     Corinth Campaign in the Civil War relative to the Western 
     theater of operations, in cooperation with State or local 
     governmental entities and private organizations and 
     individuals.

     SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN 
                   INTERPRETIVE CENTER.

       (A) Authorization.--The Secretary of the Interior 
     (hereinafter in this title referred to as the ``Secretary'') 
     is authorized to provide for an interpretive center 
     (hereinafter in this title referred to as the ``center'') in 
     the vicinity of the Corinth Battlefield in the State of 
     Mississippi for the purpose of interpreting the 1862 Civil 
     War Siege and Battle of Corinth.
       (b) Plan and Design.--(1) Within 18 months after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, after 
     consultation with the Governor of Mississippi and in 
     cooperation with such other public, municipal, and private 
     entities as may be necessary and appropriate, shall complete 
     a plan and design for the center, including the following:
       (A) A detailed description of the design of the facility.
       (B) A description of the site.
       (C) The method of acquisition,
       (D) The estimated cost of acquisition, construction, 
     operation and maintenance.
       (E) The manner and extent to which non-Federal entities 
     shall participate in the acquisition, construction, 
     operation, and maintenance of the center.
       (2) In the development of the plan and design for the 
     center the Secretary shall take into consideration the 
     battlefield protection plan prepared for the city of Corinth, 
     Mississippi and the Siege and Battle of Corinth Task Force, 
     and shall provide an opportunity for public comment.
       (3) Upon completion, the Secretary shall submit the plan to 
     the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources of the Senate.
       (c) Implementation.--In order to implement the plan and 
     design under subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary is 
     authorized to acquire lands and interests in lands by 
     donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or 
     exchange for the construction of the center, authorized in 
     subsection (a), provided that such lands or interest therein 
     shall only be acquired with the consent of the owner thereof. 
     Federal funds to carry out this section may only be expended 
     on two-for-one matching basis with non-Federal funds, 
     services, materials, or lands, fairly valued as determined by 
     the Secretary, or any combination thereof.
       (d) Agreement for the Operation and Maintenance of the 
     Center.--Before undertaking the construction of the center, 
     the Secretary shall enter into a binding agreement with a 
     qualified non-Federal entity for conveyance by deed or lease 
     from the Secretary of any structure or property acquired and 
     developed as provided for by this Act. Any such agreement 
     shall provide that--
       (1) the non-Federal entity agree to operate and maintain 
     the center and make no major alteration of the structure or 
     grounds without the express written authorization of the 
     Secretary;
       (2) a plan of operations shall be submitted that is 
     satisfactory to the Secretary;
       (3) the Secretary shall have access to documents relating 
     to the operation and maintenance of the center;
       (4) the Secretary shall have the right of access to the 
     center; and
       (5) the United States shall be held harmless from all 
     events arising from the operation and maintenance of the 
     center.
       (e) Cooperative Agreement for Technical Assistance.--The 
     Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the 
     State of Mississippi, the city of Corinth, and other public 
     or private entities to provide technical assistance with 
     respect to the center.

     SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated not more than 
     $6,000,000 to carry out this title.

              TITLE II--STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

     SEC. 201. EXPANSION OF BATTLEFIELD.

       Section 1(a) of the Act entitled ``An Act to amend the 
     boundaries of Stones River National Battlefield, Tennessee, 
     and for other purposes,'' approved December 23, 1987 (101 
     Stat. 1433; U.S.C. 426n) is amended by striking ``numbered 
     327/80,004B, and dated November 1991'' and inserting ``, 
     numbered 327/80,011, and dated May 1994''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota [Mr. Vento] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Wyoming [Mr. Thomas] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Vento].


                             general leave

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
in the Record on this measure now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 986 the Senate version of the Corinth, Mississippi 
Battlefield Act was approved in the Senate on November 17, 1993, and 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources on November 18, 1993. 
The bill was introduced by Senator Lott, and provides for an 
interpretive center at the Civil War Battlefield of Corinth, MS. 
Similar legislation, H.R. 3714, was introduced by our colleague in the 
House, Representative Whitten on November 22, 1993. Both bills were the 
subject of a hearing before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 
and Public Lands on July 25, 1994.
  Corinth, MS, near the Tennessee border, was the junction of the 
Confederacy's main North-South and East-West railroads. Following the 
Union victory at Shiloh, TN, in April 1862, the Confederate Army 
retreated to Corinth, pursued by the Union Army which secured Corinth 
in October of 1862. Subsequently, slaves from Mississippi, Tennessee, 
and Alabama sought refuge and freedom in Corinth. Known as contrabands 
of war, these freedmen were housed at a camp, but were later 
transferred to Memphis when the Union Army abandoned Corinth to join 
General Sherman's campaign in 1864.
  The Siege and Battle of Corinth today includes a 485-acre national 
historic landmark comprised of 16 noncontiguous sites near Corinth, MS. 
The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission has identified the 1862 Battle 
Site as a priority 1 battlefield, one with ``critical need for 
coordinated nationwide action by the year 2000.'' The Corinth battle 
site is rated as having good or fair integrity, with high or moderate 
threats from development. The Corinth siege site was rated a priority 4 
battlefield, a fragmented battlefield with poor integrity, although the 
commission reported that the siege site represents a class A military 
battle, one that ``has a decisive impact on a military campaign and a 
direct impact on the course of the war.''

  S. 986, as approved by the Senate authorized both the acquisition of 
property from a willing seller in Corinth, MS, and the construction of 
an interpretive center on such property. The interpretive center would 
also be operated as part of Shiloh National Military Park, and Federal 
funding for construction would be limited to $6 million.
  The legislation before us, as amended by the Committee on Natural 
Resources, modifies the provisions of the Corinth Battlefield 
legislation and adds the Stones River legislation--H.R. 4266--as a 
second title.
  While I appreciate the interest for an interpretive center at 
Corinth, I and other Members are concerned about authorizing scarce 
National Park Service resources for construction of facilities for 
resources outside park boundaries which have not been designated as 
units of the National Park System. The city of Corinth, the State of 
Mississippi and other interested groups have been working to plan and 
develop the Corinth Battlefield site. I believe it is appropriate that 
others provide at least some of the resources for construction of the 
interpretive center, and the bill, as amended, provides Federal funding 
which must be matched on a two-to-one basis.
  The amended bill also provides that the facility will be operated and 
maintained by a non-Federal entity. While the National Park Service can 
have a role in assisting in the development of an interpretive center 
at this significant Civil War site, I do not believe the Park Service 
should be responsible for continued operations. My colleagues have, 
numerous times, correctly asserted that the national park system is 
suffering from inadequate operations funding. Authorizing the Park 
Service to operate such a facility would further dissipate the scarce 
dollars available for units of the national park system. The bill's 
language assures the center's continued operation while limiting the 
National Park Service's obligation.
  Title II of the bill incorporates the provisions of H.R. 4266, 
introduced by Representative Bart Gordon, which expands the boundaries 
of the Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee by 800 acres. The 
Battle of Stones River was fought from December 31, 1862, through 
January 2, 1863. In all, more than 23,000 of the 83,000 combined forces 
were killed, injured, or missing in action.
  The Greater Stones River Battlefield Area originally consisted of 
approximately 3,700 acres. Initially authorized in 1927, the 
battlefield and cemetery encompassed 350 acres. When established in 
1927, the battlefield was located in a rural setting. Since the 1980's 
the area surrounding the battlefield has been witness to extreme 
population growth and accompanying development. The 1990 census shows 
that Rutherford County--where the battlefield is located--is the 
fastest growing county in the State of Tennessee and is one of the 50 
fastest growing counties in the country.

  In 1992, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission noted that less than 
10 percent of the 3700-acre greater battlefield was preserved and 
interpreted on park land in five separate units. While the commission 
ranked the Battle of Stones River as one of the significant battles in 
determining the outcome of the Civil War, it observed that development 
around park lands compromises the integrity and fragments the greater 
battlefield.
  In a position paper the commission concluded that the 800 acres of 
land included in H.R. 4266 would, if added to the park, raise the 
integrity of the battlefield since the land represents a significant 
acreage on which important battle events occurred. Prior legislation 
approved by this committee and the Congress in 1987 and 1991, increased 
the original 350-acre battlefield by 53 acres and 280 acres 
respectively.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation is needed to assure the preservation 
and interpretation of significant Civil War resources, and I urge my 
colleagues' support.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to S. 986, a bill which among other 
things provides for an expansion of Stones River National Battlefield 
in Tennessee.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill represents the third time in four sessions of 
Congress that we have considered legislation to expand this park. The 
last time we considered this measure, Congress directed the National 
Park Service to undertake a boundary study of that park. The National 
Park Service is in the middle of that study at this time; with the 
first public meeting on three different alternatives scheduled for the 
next week. The National Park Service has not even completed the 
environmental impact statement on their new plan for public review.
  If we pass this bill now, before the National Park Service finishes 
its study, it will be a virtual guarantee that we will have to revisit 
the boundary at this park again next Congress. For this reason, I 
cannot support this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the measure.
  I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Vento] that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 986, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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