[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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