[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 183 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5414-H5416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FORT SAN GERONIMO PRESERVATION ACT

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 359) to establish Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron in Puerto 
Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 359

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Fort San Geronimo 
     Preservation Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Fort san geronimo del boqueron.--The term ``Fort San 
     Geronimo del Boqueron'' (also known as ``Fortin de San 
     Geronimo del Boqueron'') means the fort and grounds listed on 
     the National Register of Historic Places and located near Old 
     San Juan, Puerto Rico.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF AFFILIATED AREA.

       (a) In General.--Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron in Puerto 
     Rico is established as an affiliated area of the National 
     Park System.

[[Page H5415]]

       (b) Description of Affiliated Area.--The affiliated area 
     shall consist of the area generally depicted on the map 
     titled ``Fort San Geronimo Proposed Affiliated Area'', 
     numbered 910/176698, and dated July 2021.
       (c) Administration.--The affiliated area shall be managed 
     in accordance with--
       (1) this Act; and
       (2) any law generally applicable to units of the National 
     Park System.
       (d) Management Entity.--The Institute of Puerto Rican 
     Culture shall be the management entity for the affiliated 
     area.
       (e) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may provide 
     technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements 
     with the management entity for the purpose of providing 
     financial assistance for the marketing, marking, 
     interpretation, and preservation of the affiliated area.
       (f) Limited Role of the Secretary.--Nothing in this section 
     authorizes the Secretary to acquire property at the 
     affiliated area or to assume managerial or financial 
     responsibility for the operation, maintenance, or management 
     of the affiliated area.
       (g) Management Plan.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     management entity, shall develop a management plan for the 
     affiliated area.
       (2) Transmittal.--Not later than 3 years after the date on 
     which funds are first made available to carry out this 
     section, the Secretary shall submit the management plan 
     developed under paragraph (1) to the Committee on Natural 
     Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.
       (h) Private Property Protection.--Nothing in this Act 
     affects the land use rights of private property owners 
     adjacent to Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron.
       (i) No Buffer Zones.--
       (1) In general.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to 
     create buffer zones outside of Fort San Geronimo del 
     Boqueron.
       (2) Activity or use outside fort san geronimo del 
     boqueron.--The fact that an activity or use can be seen, 
     heard, or detected from within Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron 
     shall not preclude, limit, control, regulate, or determine 
     the conduct or management of activities or uses outside of 
     Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 359, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-
Colon's bill, the Fort San Geronimo Preservation Act. This legislation 
would establish Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron as an affiliated area of 
the National Park System. I applaud Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-
Colon's leadership on this effort.
  Fort San Geronimo is a small, two-level, stone masonry fort located 
at the easternmost point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Part of 
the massive fortification system built by Spanish military engineers 
between the 16th and 19th centuries to protect San Juan from foreign 
invasions, Fort San Geronimo became a centerpiece of the city's 
defenses and played a crucial role in the 1797 Battle of San Juan. The 
fort was rebuilt in 1799, largely to its original design, and continued 
to be used as a Spanish military post in the 19th century. After Puerto 
Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898, the U.S. Navy used Fort San 
Geronimo as a military post until 1921. Today, Fort San Geronimo is 
owned and managed by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, an agency 
of the Puerto Rican Government.
  Establishing Fort San Geronimo as a national affiliated area is a 
cost-effective way to conserve this important historic and cultural 
site without placing it under Federal ownership or management. Under 
H.R. 359, the fort will continue to be managed by the Institute of 
Puerto Rican Culture, although the National Park Service will be able 
to provide assistance for the marketing, interpretation, and protection 
of the site.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 359, the Fort San Geronimo 
Preservation Act, introduced by my colleague from Puerto Rico, Resident 
Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon.
  The Fort San Geronimo del Boqueron, located in Puerto Rico, was built 
as part of the fortification system to protect San Juan from invasions. 
Today, it is the sole surviving fortification on the island, 
representing the successful defense from a siege by the British 
military in 1797, the Battle of San Juan.
  The bill before us today would establish the Fort San Geronimo del 
Boqueron in Puerto Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park 
System to ensure the fort is maintained and preserved as an important 
historic site.
  I am pleased to support the legislation and congratulate my 
colleague, Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon, for her fine work on 
the legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon), the lead 
sponsor of this bill.
  Mrs. GONZALEZ-COLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman and 
Ranking Member Grijalva for supporting this bill, which is really 
wanted by the people of Puerto Rico.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 359, the Fort San 
Geronimo Preservation Act, legislation that will establish Fort San 
Geronimo del Boqueron as an affiliated area of the National Park 
System.
  Fort San Geronimo is a small, two-level, stone masonry fort located 
at the mouth of the Condado Lagoon in San Juan. Many who have visited 
San Juan will see it from all the hotels in the area. It is part of the 
massive system of fortification built by the Spanish military engineers 
between the 16th and 19th centuries to protect the cities, specifically 
1500.
  Three of the forts that were part of this defense system--Fort San 
Felipe del Morro, Fort San Cristobal, and Fort San Juan de la Cruz--are 
currently included within the San Juan National Historic Site, which is 
the sole National Park Service unit in Puerto Rico. Fort San Geronimo, 
however, is managed, as the chairman said, by the Institute of Puerto 
Rican Culture, a state government agency.
  Despite its small size, this fort became a centerpiece of San Juan's 
first line of defense. It played a crucial role in the 1797 Battle of 
San Juan when a squadron of British ships led by Sir Ralph Abercromby 
attacked and attempted to invade the city for 13 days. Fort San 
Geronimo bore the brunt of this assault. Although severely damaged, it 
stood up against the firepower and successfully thwarted the British 
invasion, which retreated in defeat.
  The 1797 British siege of San Juan would be the last attack on Puerto 
Rico by a major European power, underscoring Fort San Geronimo's 
historic significance and key strategic role.
  The fort was rebuilt largely in its original design in 1799 and 
continued to be used as a Spanish military post throughout the 19th 
century. After Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898, the U.S. 
Navy, as the chairman mentioned, used it as a military post until 1921. 
It was then transferred into private property and eventually acquired 
by the government of Puerto Rico in 1949.
  Today, this fort is the sole surviving site in Puerto Rico 
representing the 1797 Battle of San Juan. It was listed individually in 
the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and again in 1997 as a 
contributing resource of the Advanced Defense Line historic district.
  Yet, despite the significance of this fort, preserving Fort San 
Geronimo has been a challenging task due to age, weathering, and 
limited resources.
  Over the last couple of years, entities like the Institute of Puerto 
Rican Culture and nonprofit organizations like Amigos del Fortin San 
Jeronimo have taken important steps to rehabilitate and protect the 
site, but it is clear that more can be done.
  In 2020, the National Park Service released a study that found that 
Fort San Geronimo is nationally significant and met suitability 
criteria that there was strong local support for the agency to become 
involved in the site's interpretation and preservation. The study

[[Page H5416]]

concluded that there was the potential for the fort to be considered as 
an affiliated area of the National Park System.
  This bill, H.R. 359, would achieve just that, designating Fort San 
Geronimo as the first affiliated area in Puerto Rico. The National Park 
Service would be authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with 
the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture to provide technical and 
financial assistance for the fort's preservation. This would support 
and strengthen ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the site without placing 
it under Federal ownership.
  Affiliated area designation would also bring national recognition to 
Fort San Geronimo's role in our military history. It would help us 
better interpret and tell the full story of the San Juan National 
Historic Site and that of the oldest and largest Spanish fortification 
system in the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva 
for their support. I look forward to continuing working together to get 
this legislation across the finish line and to help protect Fort San 
Geronimo for future generations.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, as the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Mrs. 
Gonzalez-Colon) stated, this is a commonsense bill that will improve 
the conservation and protection of a key historical site. It does so 
while avoiding unnecessary Federal involvement. I thank the gentlewoman 
again for her leadership on this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 359.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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