[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 146 (Saturday, October 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
      QUINEBAUG AND SHETUCKET RIVERS VALLEY HERITAGE CORRIDOR ACT

  The text of the substitute amendment, as reported by the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources and agreed to by the Senate on October 6, 
1994, to the bill (H.R. 1348) to establish the Quinebaug and Shetucket 
Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor in the State of Connecticut, 
and for other purposes, is as follows:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Quinebaug and Shetucket 
     Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley in the State 
     of Connecticut is one of the last unspoiled and undeveloped 
     areas in the Northeastern United States and has remained 
     largely intact, including important aboriginal archaeological 
     sites, excellent water quality, beautiful rural landscapes, 
     architecturally significant mill structures and mill 
     villages, and large acreages of parks and other permanent 
     open space;
       (2) the State of Connecticut ranks last among the 50 States 
     in the amount of federally protected park and open space 
     lands within its borders and lags far behind the other 
     Northeastern States in the amount of land set-aside for 
     public recreation;
       (3) the beautiful rural landscapes, scenic vistas and 
     excellent water quality of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers 
     contain significant undeveloped recreational opportunities 
     for people throughout the United States;
       (4) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley is within a 
     2-hour drive of the major metropolitan areas of New York 
     City, Hartford, Providence, Worcester, Springfield, and 
     Boston. With the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors 
     reporting that Americans are taking shorter ``closer-to-
     home'' vacations, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley 
     represents important close-by recreational opportunities for 
     significant population;
       (5) the existing mill sites and other structures throughout 
     the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley were instrumental 
     in the development of the industrial revolution;
       (6) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley contains a 
     vast number of discovered and unrecovered Native American and 
     colonial archaeological sites significant to the history of 
     North America and the United States;
       (7) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley represents 
     one of the last traditional upland farming and mill village 
     communities in the Northeastern United States;
       (8) the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley played a 
     nationally significant role in the cultural evolution of the 
     prewar colonial period, leading the transformation from 
     Puritan to Yankee, the ``Great Awakening'' religious revival 
     and early political development leading up to and during the 
     War of Independence; and
       (9) many local, regional and State agencies businesses, and 
     private citizens and the New England Governors' Conference 
     have expressed an overwhelming desire to combine forces: to 
     work cooperatively to preserve and enhance resources region-
     wide and better plan for the future.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF QUINEBAUG AND SHETUCKET RIVERS 
                   VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR; PURPOSE.

       (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the 
     State of Connecticut the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers 
     Valley National Heritage Corridor.
       (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to provide a 
     management framework to assist the State of Connecticut, its 
     units of local and regional government and citizens in the 
     development and implementation of integrated cultural, 
     historical, and recreational land resource management 
     programs in order to retain, enhance, and interpret the 
     significant features of the lands, water, and structures of 
     the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley.

     SEC. 4. BOUNDARIES AND ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) Boundaries.--The boundaries of the Corridor shall 
     include the towns of Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, 
     Coventry, Eastford, Franklin, Griswold, Hampton, Killingly, 
     Lebanon, Lisbon, Mansfield, Norwich, Plainfield, Pomfret, 
     Preston, Putnam, Scotland, Sprague, Sterling, Thompson, 
     Voluntown, Windham, and Woodstock. As soon as practical after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     publish in the Federal Register a detailed description and 
     map of boundaries established under this subsection.
       (b) Administration.--The Corridor shall be administered in 
     accordance with the provisions of this Act.

     SEC. 5. QUINEBAUG AND SHETUCKET RIVERS VALLEY NATIONAL 
                   HERITAGE CORRIDOR COMMISSION.

       (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established within the 
     Department of the Interior the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers 
     Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission. The Commission 
     shall assist appropriate Federal, State, regional planning 
     organizations, and local authorities in development and 
     implementation of an integrated resource management plan for 
     the lands and water as specified in section 3.
       (b) Membership.--The Commission shall consist of 19 members 
     to be appointed by the Secretary no later than 6 months after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, as follows:
       (1) The Director of the National Park Service, ex officio 
     (or the Director's designee).
       (2) 18 members appointed after considering recommendations 
     submitted by the Governor of Connecticut, who shall 
     represent--
       (A) one member from the Connecticut Department of 
     Environmental Protection;
       (B) one member from the Connecticut Historical Commission;
       (C) one member from the Connecticut Department of Economic 
     Development;
       (D) 6 members appointed from local government or regional 
     planning organizations, of whom, 3 shall be representatives 
     of the 3 regional planning organizations within the Corridor 
     region and 3 shall be local elected officials from the 
     region; and
       (E) 9 members from the general public, who are citizens of 
     the State of Connecticut representing conservation, business, 
     tourism and recreational interests.
       (c) Terms.--(1) Members of the Commission shall be 
     appointed for terms of 3 years and may be reappointed.
       (2) Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before 
     the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was 
     appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such 
     term. Any member of the Commission appointed for a definite 
     term may serve after the expiration of his term until his 
     successor has taken office.
       (3) A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled in the 
     manner in which the original appointments were made.
       (d) Compensation.--Members of the Commission shall receive 
     no pay on account of their service on the Commission but 
     while away from their homes or regular places of business in 
     the performance of services for the Commission, members of 
     the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including 
     per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as 
     persons employed intermittently in the Government service are 
     allowed expenses under section 5703 of title 5, United States 
     Code.
       (e) Chairperson.--The members of the Commission shall elect 
     one member to serve as a Chairperson.
       (f) Quorum.--(1) Eight members of the Commission shall 
     constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
       (2) The affirmative vote of not less than 10 members of the 
     Commission shall be required to approve the budget of the 
     Commission.
       (g) Meetings.--The Commission shall hold its first meeting 
     not later than 90 days after the date on which its members 
     are appointed, and shall meet at least quarterly at the call 
     of the chairperson or 10 of its members. Meetings of the 
     Commission shall be subject to section 552(b) of title 5, 
     United States Code (relating to open meetings).
       (h) Proxy.--Any member of the Commission may vote by means 
     of a signed proxy exercised by another member of the 
     Commission, but any member so voting shall not be considered 
     present for purposes of establishing a quorum.

     SEC. 6. STAFF OF THE COMMISSION.

       (a) In General.--(1) The Commission shall have the power to 
     appoint and fix compensation of such staff as may be 
     necessary to carry out its duties.
       (2) Staff appointed by the Commission--
       (A) shall be appointed subject to the provisions of title 
     5, United States Code, governing appointments in the 
     competitive service; and
       (B) shall be paid in accordance with provisions of chapter 
     51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to 
     classification and General Schedule pay rates.
       (b) Experts and Consultants.--Subject to such rules as may 
     be adopted by the Commission, the Commission may procure 
     temporary and intermittent services to the same extent as is 
     authorized by section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, 
     but at rates determined by the Commission to be reasonable.
       (c) Staff of Federal and State Agencies.--(1) Upon request 
     of the Commission, the head of any Federal agency may detail, 
     on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of such agency 
     to the Commission to assist the Commission in carrying out 
     its duties.
       (2) The Commission may accept the service of personnel 
     detailed from the State, any political subdivision and 
     regional planning organizations, and may reimburse the State, 
     political subdivision, and regional planning organizations 
     for those services.

     SEC. 7. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

       (a) Hearings.--(1) The Commission may, for the purposes of 
     carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at such 
     times and places, take such testimony, and receive such 
     evidence, as the Commission considers appropriate.
       (2) The Commission may not issue subpoenas or exercise any 
     subpoena authority.
       (b) Powers of Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of 
     the Commission, if so authorized by the Commission, may take 
     any action which the Commission is authorized to take by this 
     Act.
       (c) Administrative Support Services.--The Administrator of 
     the General Services Administration shall provide to the 
     Commission on a reimbursable basis, such administrative 
     support services as the Commission may request.
       (d) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails 
     in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
     departments and agencies of the United States.
       (e) Use of Funds To Obtain Money.--The Commission may use 
     its funds to obtain money from any source under any program 
     or law requiring the recipient of such money to make a 
     contribution in order to receive such money.
       (f) Gifts.--Except as provided in subsection (g)(2)(B), the 
     Commission may, for purposes of carrying out its duties, 
     seek, accept, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or donations of 
     money, personal property, or services, received from any 
     source: Provided, That such gifts are used for public 
     purposes.
       (g) Acquisition of Real Property.--(1) Except as provided 
     in paragraph (2) and except with respect to any leasing of 
     facilities under subsection (c), the Commission shall not 
     acquire any real property or interest in real property.
       (2) Subject to paragraph (3), the Commission may acquire 
     real property or interest in real property in the Corridor--
       (A) by gift or devise; or
       (B) by purchase from a willing seller with money that was 
     donated, appropriated, or bequeathed to the Commission on the 
     condition that such money would be used to purchase real 
     property, or interest in real property, in the Corridor.
       (3) Any real property or interest in real property acquired 
     by the Commission under paragraph (2) shall be conveyed by 
     the Commission to an appropriate public or private land 
     management agency, as determined by the Commission. Any such 
     conveyance shall be made--
       (A) as soon as practicable after such acquisition;
       (B) without consideration; and
       (C) on the condition that the real property or interest in 
     real property so conveyed is used for public purposes.
       (h) Cooperative Agreements.--For purposes of carrying out 
     the plan, the Commission may enter into cooperative 
     agreements with the State of Connecticut, with any political 
     subdivision, or with any person or organization. Any such 
     cooperative agreement shall, at a minimum, establish 
     procedures for providing notice to the Commission of action 
     proposed by the State, such political subdivision, or such 
     person which may affect implementation of the plan referred 
     to in section 8.

     SEC. 8. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

       (a) Preparation of Plan.--Within 2 years after the 
     Commission conducts its first meeting, it shall submit to the 
     Secretary and the Governor for review and approval a Cultural 
     Heritage and Corridor Management Plan. The plan shall be 
     based on existing Federal, State, and local plans, but shall 
     coordinate those plans and present a comprehensive historic 
     preservation, interpretation, and recreational plan for the 
     Corridor. The plan shall--
       (1) recommend non-binding advisory standards and criteria 
     pertaining to the construction, preservation, restoration, 
     alteration and use of properties within the Corridor, 
     including an inventory of such properties which potentially 
     could be preserved, restored, managed, developed, maintained, 
     or acquired based upon their historic, cultural or 
     recreational significance;
       (2) develop an historic interpretation plan to interpret 
     the history of the Corridor;
       (3) develop an inventory of existing and potential 
     recreational sites which are developed or which could be 
     developed within the Corridor;
       (4) recommend policies for resource management which 
     consider and detail application of appropriate land and water 
     management techniques, including but not limited to, the 
     development of intergovernmental cooperative agreements to 
     protect the Corridor's historical, cultural, recreational, 
     scenic, and natural resources in a manner consistent with 
     supporting appropriate and compatible economic revitalization 
     efforts;
       (5) detail ways in which local, State, and Federal programs 
     may best be coordinated to promote the purposes of this Act; 
     and
       (6) contain a program for implementation of the plan by the 
     State and its political subdivisions.
       (b) Implementation of Plan.--After review and approval of 
     the plan by the Secretary and the Governor as provided in 
     section 10(a), the Commission shall implement the plan by 
     taking appropriate steps to assist in the preservation and 
     interpretation of historic resources, and to assist in the 
     development of recreational resources within the Corridor. 
     These steps may include, but need not be limited to--
       (1) assisting the State and local governmental entities or 
     regional planning organizations, and non-profit organizations 
     in preserving the Corridor and ensuring appropriate use of 
     lands and structures throughout the Corridor;
       (2) assisting the State and local governmental entities or 
     regional planning organizations, and non-profit organizations 
     in establishing and maintaining visitor centers and other 
     interpretive exhibits in the Corridor;
       (3) assisting the State and local governmental entities or 
     regional planning organizations, and non-profit organizations 
     in developing recreational programs and resources in the 
     Corridor;
       (4) assisting the State and local governmental entities or 
     regional planning organizations, and non-profit organizations 
     in increasing public awareness of and appreciation for the 
     historical and architectural resources and sites in the 
     Corridor;
       (5) assisting the State and local governmental or regional 
     planning organizations and non-profit organizations in the 
     restoration of historic buildings within the Corridor 
     identified pursuant to the inventory required in section 
     8(a)(1);
       (6) encouraging by appropriate means enhanced economic and 
     industrial development in the Corridor consistent with the 
     goals of the plan;
       (7) encouraging local governments to adopt land use 
     policies consistent with the management of the Corridor and 
     the goals of the plan; and
       (8) assisting the State and local governmental entities or 
     regional planning organizations to ensure that clear, 
     consistent signs identifying access points and sites of 
     interest are put in place throughout the Corridor.

     SEC. 9. TERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.

       (a) Termination.--Except as provided in subsection (b), the 
     Commission shall terminate on the day occurring 5 years after 
     the date of enactment of this Act.
       (b) Extension.--The Commission may be extended for a period 
     of not more than 5 years beginning on the day of termination 
     referred to in subsection (a) if, not later than 180 days 
     before such day--
       (1) the Commission determines such extension is necessary 
     in order to carry out the purposes of this Act;
       (2) the Commission submits such proposed extension to the 
     Committee on Natural Resources of the United States House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources of the United States Senate; and
       (3) the Secretary, in consultation with the Governor, 
     approves such extension.

     SEC. 10. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.

       (a) Approval of the Plan.--The Secretary, in consultation 
     with the Governor, shall approve or disapprove a plan 
     submitted under this Act by the Commission not later than 60 
     days after receiving such plan. Such plan, as submitted, 
     shall be approved if--
       (1) the plan would adequately assist in protecting 
     significant historical and cultural resources of the Corridor 
     while providing adequate and appropriate outdoor recreational 
     opportunities and economic activities within the Corridor;
       (2) the Commission has held public hearings and provided 
     adequate opportunity for public and governmental involvement 
     in the preparation of the plan; and
       (3) the Secretary receives adequate assurances from 
     appropriate State officials that the State will implement the 
     plan in a timely and effective manner.
       (b) Disapproval of Plan.--If the Secretary disapproves a 
     plan submitted by the Commission, he shall advise the 
     Commission in writing of the reasons therefor and shall make 
     recommendations for revisions in the plan. The Commission 
     shall within 90 days of receipt of such notice of disapproval 
     revise and resubmit the plan to the Secretary who shall 
     approve or disapprove a proposed revision within 60 days 
     after the date it is submitted.
       (c) Assistance.--The Secretary shall, upon request of the 
     Commission, assist the Commission in the preparation and 
     implementation of the plan.

     SEC. 11. DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL ENTITIES.

       Any Federal entity conducting or supporting activities 
     directly affecting the Corridor shall--
       (1) consult with the Secretary and the Commission with 
     respect to such activities; and
       (2) cooperate with the Secretary and the Commission with 
     respect to such activities and, to the maximum extent 
     practicable, coordinate such activities to minimize any 
     adverse effect on the Corridor.

     SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS.

       For the purposes of this Act:
       (1) The term ``Commission'' means the Quinebaug and 
     Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission 
     established under section 5.
       (2) The term ``State'' means the State of Connecticut.
       (3) The term ``Corridor'' means the Quinebaug and Shetucket 
     Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor under section 3.
       (4) The term ``plan'' means the Cultural Heritage and 
     Corridor Management Plan to be prepared by the Commission 
     pursuant to section 8.
       (5) The term ``Governor'' means the Governor of the State 
     of Connecticut.
       (6) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the 
     Interior.
       (7) The term ``regional planning organization'' means each 
     of the 3 regional planning organizations established by 
     Connecticut State statute chapter 127 and chapter 50 (the 
     Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, the Windham 
     Regional Planning Agency or its successor, and the 
     Southeastern Connecticut Regional Planning Agency or its 
     successor).

     SEC. 13. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
     necessary to carry out this Act: Provided, That not more than 
     $200,000 shall be appropriated for fiscal year 1995, and not 
     more than $250,000 annually thereafter shall be appropriated 
     for the Commission to carry out its duties under this Act: 
     Provided further, That the Federal funding to the Commission 
     shall not exceed 50 percent of the annual costs to the 
     Commission in carrying out such duties.

                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                  ____

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DOLE. I ask that I may proceed as if in morning business.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
minority leader is recognized.

                          ____________________