[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 106 (Monday, July 26, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9225-S9227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. Akaka, and Mr. Cleland):
  S. 1434. A bill to amend the National Historic Preservation Act to 
reauthorize that Act, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise on behalf of myself and Senators 
Akaka and Cleland to introduce this legislation that would extend the 
authorization for appropriations for the National Historic Preservation 
Fund, as established by the Historic Preservation Act amendments of 
1976. On September 30, 1997, the authorization for deposits into the 
Historic Preservation Fund from revenues due and payable to the United 
States under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act expired. So we 
introduce this legislation with the purpose of reauthorizing the 
deposits at the same level of $150 million annually through the year 
2005.
  As you are aware, and others in this Chamber, this fund account 
supports roughly one-half of the cost of the Nation's historic 
preservation programs. State governments contribute the other half. 
This is a partnership that is working--preserving our communities, 
creating jobs, and providing opportunities for this partnership to 
flourish.
  States and certain local governments and Native American tribes carry 
out our historic preservation programs under the act for the Secretary 
of the Interior and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. This 
program involves the identification of historic places, working with 
property owners in nominating significant places to the National 
Register, consulting with Federal agencies on projects that may 
adversely impact historic places, advising investors on important tax 
credits for the rehabilitation of historic buildings, and offering 
information and educational opportunities to the private and public 
sectors on historic preservation.
  This program is made possible through the Historic Preservation Fund, 
and it contributes significantly, as I have said, to community 
revitalization and to economic development.
  We believe it is extremely worthwhile, it is a program that works, 
and we must reauthorize this fund so the State historic preservation 
offices and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation may continue 
this important work.
  I would just like to state for the Record some very brief examples of 
how this has worked around the Nation.
  One example is from my hometown in New Orleans. The Maginnis Cotton 
Mill, which was constructed in 1884, was the largest textile 
manufacturing plant in the South. It was once a ``model institution'' 
employing 450 workers. The Maginnis Mill remained the largest in the 
South until it closed in 1944. Over 50 years had passed before

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any restorative work was done to the mill.
  In 1996, while maintaining the original ascetic integrity of this 
enormous complex in downtown New Orleans, the Historic Restoration 
Group, Inc., converted the old mill into 267 apartments. It has now 
been completed. It is a beautiful renovation project. It is now the 
home for 267 residents and their families, and it has increased the 
housing in that area by 26 percent. The building, which has been called 
a ``freeze frame'' of the development of the city, has greatly 
increased property values in that area, not to mention the surrounding 
area.
  Another example is Chinatown, Honolulu. Once nearly engulfed with 
high-rise redevelopment, Chinatown today is protected by a requirement 
that new construction be reviewed by a design commission. Tools used 
include a National Register of Historic Places nomination, Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation review, and the preservation tax 
incentives.
  Another example is the Indianapolis Union Railway Station. A $40 
million rehabilitation project over a decade drew on several Federal 
funding programs and extensive consultation with the State and has 
spurred other adjacent rehabilitations. The station now serves as a 
festival marketplace with hotel and transportation facilities.
  Another example is Formosan Termite Control. A threat to the Vieux 
Carre and other historic districts in the South, the Formosan termite 
is immune to common treatment. A Historic Preservation Fund grant is 
enabling Louisiana State University to study ways of improving 
detection and eradication of the pest.
  Another example is Ledbetter Heights low-income housing, Shreveport. 
Section 8 housing designation and the preservation tax incentives were 
used to purchase and rehabilitate shotgun houses in the St. Paul's 
Bottoms Historic District. Shreveport Landmarks, Inc., cooperated with 
a tenants' council in the process.
  There are literally hundreds of other examples of successful 
renovation projects that would not be possible without the Historic 
Preservation Fund. From Hawaii to Maine, from Louisiana to North 
Dakota, and all in between, there are places in urban and rural areas 
that have greatly benefited by the presence of this fund.
  So I introduce this legislation tonight. I look forward to finding 
the funding for not just a one-time appropriation. As you know, S. 25 
is a bill that seeks to find a permanent source of funding for many 
important environmental and wildlife conservation projects. Perhaps our 
National Historic Fund could become part of that so this permanent 
source of funding could go on to our cities and our communities so they 
would have a steady stream of revenue to continue to improve these 
areas in our communities, both in urban and rural parts of our Nation.
  Mr. AKAKA. I join my colleague, Senator Landrieu, in introducing 
legislation to reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund and the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. As my colleagues may know, 
the authorization for the Historic Preservation Fund expired on 
September 30, 1997, and the authorization for the Advisory Council 
expires on September 30, 2000. This bill would reauthorize the fund and 
the Council through fiscal year 2005.
  There is a growing backlog of preservation needs throughout our 
country that is not being met. To ensure that this situation is not 
exacerbated, and to address these shortfalls on a long-term basis, the 
Historic Preservation Fund should be reauthorized at the earliest 
opportunity.
  The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was amended in 1976 to 
establish the Historic Preservation Fund. Administered by the National 
Park Service, the Fund provides grants-in-aid to States, certified 
local governments, and outlying areas. The National Historic 
Preservation Act provides that $150 million from Outer Continental 
shelf oil and gas receipts is deposited in the Fund each year. The 
revenue remains available in the Fund until appropriated by Congress. 
Since September 30, 1997, no additional deposits from OCS revenues into 
the Fund have been authorized.
  Reauthorization of the Historic Preservation Fund is critical because 
it provides for the continuation of grants used by States, Tribes, 
Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, and local governments to pay the 
costs of surveys, comprehensive historic preservation plans, National 
Register nominations, brochures and educational materials, as well as 
architectural plans, historic structure reports, and engineering 
studies necessary to repair listed properties.
  Since 1968, over $800 million in grant funds has been awarded to 59 
States, territories, local governments, Native Hawaiian organizations, 
Indian tribes, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 
Fiscal Year 1998, the States received a total of $29.4 million in 
historic preservation grants-in-aid, an average allocation of $524,000, 
which typically is matched by $350,000 in non-federal matching share 
contributions.
  During 1998, States surveyed 14.9 million acres of historic resources 
and added 185,100 properties to their inventories. Also in 1998, States 
submitted 1,602 nominations to the National Register of Historic Places 
and reviewed 89,000 Federal projects for compliance with Section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act. In Hawaii, over 38,000 
properties are maintained on the state's inventory of known historic 
properties.
  Besides providing grants-in-aid, the Historic Preservation Fund also 
administers a grant program for Native Hawaiians, Indian Tribes, and 
Alaska Natives for cultural heritage programs. The Tribal Preservation 
Program has directly assisted over 170 tribes through the award of 259 
grants.
  For example, the Hopi Tribe in Arizona received a grant to document 
the rock art sites at Antelope Mesa, resulting in 100 sites being 
included in their Cultural Resources Management Plan. In Alaska, the 
Native Village of Venetie drafted a historic preservation plan for 
Venetie and Arctic Village utilizing a grant from the 
Historic Preservation Fund. The Seneca Nation of Indians in New York 
used a grant to develop educational materials for their school children 
using oral interviews with tribal elders.

  In all, more than $9 million in grant funds has been used to assist 
tribes in assuming State Historic Preservation Office responsibilities, 
in drafting preservation ordinances, implementing cultural resource 
management plans, identifying and protecting historic sites, and 
conducting preservation needs assessments.
  In addition, the Fund provides matching grants to Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities to preserve threatened historic buildings 
located on their campuses. Funding for preservation projects has been 
used at Fisk University and Knoxville College in Tennessee; Miles 
College, Talladega College, Selma University, Stillman College, 
Concordia College in Alabama; Allen University, Claflin College, 
Voorhees College in South Carolina; and Rust College and Tougaloo 
University in Mississippi.
  In addition to the Historic Preservation Fund, Congress created the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation under the National Historic 
Preservation Act of 1966. As an independent federal agency, in 
cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, the Council is the 
major policy advisor to the Federal government on historic 
preservation. The Council administers programs including, but not 
limited to, the Historic Preservation Fund, the National Register, and 
programs of the National Trust. The Council also reviews the policies 
of Federal agencies in implementing the National Historic Preservation 
Act, conducts training and educational programs, and encourages public 
participation in historic preservation. The Council's authorization 
expires in Fiscal Year 2000.
  The Council's role in working with Federal agencies to support the 
National Historic Preservation Act is essential for protecting this 
country's historical resources. The Council coordinates many different 
preservation programs. The Council works with the Housing and Urban 
Development's HOME program for affordable housing, promotes 
preservation of historic properties during natural disasters, and 
promotes preservation and reuse of historic properties during military 
base closures. The Council, working with State and local governments 
through State Historic Preservation Officers, has significantly 
enhanced our ability to preserve our national heritage.

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  Both the Historic Preservation Fund and the Advisory Council 
contribute to ongoing Federal, Native Hawaiian, Tribal, State, local 
and private partnerships in historic preservation. Matching funds are 
contributed by the States and local and private partners to enhance the 
investment in our historic heritage. Federal and State funding for 
historic preservation creates jobs, promotes economic development, and 
helps leverage commitments from private and public sources.
  Historic sites in our country are tangible reminders of our diverse 
and rich heritage and provide us with a sense of continuity with our 
past. The Historic Preservation Fund has provided numerous 
opportunities for preserving our country's irreplaceable historic and 
archeological resources. For example, in Hawaii, preservation projects 
in the Oahu Market in Chinatown and at the Mission Houses were funded 
through Historic Preservation Fund grants. Similarly, New Hampshire 
used preservation funding to assist with the transformation of the 1925 
Goffstown High School into an apartment complex for the town's older 
inhabitants. The Alaska Gold Rush Centennial was developed as a 
heritage tourism initiative of the Alaska State Historic Preservation 
Office using historic preservation funds to establish State-community 
partnerships. Also, the Save America's Treasures program funded by the 
Historic Preservation Fund has provided grants for preservation 
projects of national scope and significance, including restoration of 
the Star-Spangled Banner and the Declaration of Independence.

  A similar bill introduced by the Senator from Louisiana (Ms. 
Landrieu) passed the Senate last year by unanimous consent but was not 
acted on by the House. I hope that the legislation we are offering 
today--a simple reauthorization of the Fund and Council through 2005--
can be adopted expeditiously.
  This legislation is supported by the National Trust for Historic 
Preservation, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation 
Officers, the National Alliance of Statewide Preservation 
Organizations, the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of 
History, Preservation Action, the Society for American Archaeology, and 
the American Historical Association. I urge my colleagues to support 
this measure as well.
                                 ______