[Senate Report 104-377]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 601
104th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE

 2d Session                                                     104-377
_______________________________________________________________________


 
                NATCHEZ INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION CENTER

                                _______
                                

               September 30, 1996.--Ordered to be printed

_______________________________________________________________________


  Mr. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 902]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 902) to amend Public Law 100-479 to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to assist in the 
construction of a building to be used jointly by the Secretary 
for park purposes and by the city of Natchez as an intermodal 
transportation center, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments 
and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
    The amendments are as follows:
    On page 2, line 7, after ``Secretary'' insert ``shall''.
    On page 2, line 9, and on page 3, line 11, strike 
``$2,500,000'' and insert ``$3,000,000''.

                         Purpose of the Measure

    The purpose of S. 902 is to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to enter into an agreement with the city of Natchez, 
Mississippi in order to contribute to the planning and 
construction of an intermodal transportation center. The 
transportation center would be leased by the National Park 
Service from the city of Natchez and would serve as the 
administrative headquarters and visitor center for Natchez 
National Historic Site.

                          Background and Need

    European settlement of Natchez began with the French 
trading post in 1714. In the decades before the Civil War, 
Natchez became a commercial, cultural, and social center of the 
South's ``cotton belt,'' with power and wealth unmatched by 
other southern towns of comparable size. Today, the city of 
Natchez has one of the best preserved concentrations of 
significant antebellum properties in the United States.
    Natchez National Historical Park was authorized in 1988. 
The Park consists of a collection of historic properties, 
including Melrose, the home of a wealthy planter. The Park also 
includes the home of William Johnson, a prominent free African 
American living in Natchez during the Antebellum era.
    The legislation establishing Natchez National Historical 
Park authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to enter into 
cooperative agreements with the City of Natchez for the 
purposes of preserving and interpreting historic properties 
outside of the Park's boundaries. The legislation also 
authorized the NPS to work with the City on a feasibility study 
to extend the Natchez Trace Parkway into Natchez. The study is 
currently underway. The 1993 Natchez National Historical Park 
General Management Plan provides for the NPS to explore the 
option of providing visitor services and interpretation at a 
combined welcome/visitor center together with the City of 
Natchez and the State of Mississippi. The plan further suggests 
that the facility could also accommodate the administrative 
headquarters for Natchez National Historical Park.
    The proposed intermodal transportation center would serve 
two primary purposes--as a welcome and orientation center for 
the City, and a transportation center serving the city's 
visitor attractions. The National Park Service would be 
represented through information and exhibits on Natchez 
National Historical Park and the Natchez Trace Parkway. The 
National Park Service would provide visitor services at the 
Center. The Center would house the administrative headquarters 
for the Historical Park and a Parkway Ranger Office.
    Because of inadequate parking in downtown Natchez, the 
transportation component of the Center will be designed to 
alleviate parking and traffic congestion. City buses and tour 
buses will be able to drop people off and pick people up at the 
center, but no buses will be housed at the center. There will 
also be a 300-space parking lot with dedicated spaces for 
recreational vehicles and vans.
    The Intermodal Transportation Center is estimated to cost 
$8 million. The National Park Service would be authorized to 
expend $3 million through the enactment of this legislation (as 
amended), with $3.4 million in ISTEA (Intermodal Surface 
Transportation Efficiency Act) funding and $2.1 million in 
state and local revenue.

                          Legislative History

    S. 902 was introduced by Senator Cochran on June 8, 1995. 
The Subcommittee on Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation 
held a hearing on the bill on April 25, 1996. At the business 
meeting on September 12, 1996, the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources ordered S. 902 favorably reported, as 
amended.

                        Committee Recommendation

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on September 12, 1996, by a unanimous voice 
vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 
902, if amended as described herein.

                          Committee Amendment

    During the consideration of S. 902, the Committee adopted a 
technical and a conforming amendment to S. 902. An amendment 
changing the Secretary of the Interior's authorized limit 
toward the Federal contribution for planning and construction 
of the intermodal transportation center from $2,500,000 to 
$3,000,000 was adopted to conform with language in the FY 1996 
Interior appropriations bill.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    Section 1(a) amends the October 8, 1988, Act creating a 
national park in Natchez, Mississippi.
    Section 1(b)(1) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior 
(Secretary) to enter into an agreement with the city of 
Natchez, under which the Secretary would agree to pay the city 
up to $30,000,000 toward the construction of a structure by the 
city of Natchez which would be used for: (A) the administrative 
headquarters and visitor center for Natchez National Historical 
Park; (B) an intermodal transportation center for the city of 
Natchez.
    Section 1(b)(2) authorizes that the amount of the payment 
may be available for matching Federal grants.
    Section 1(b)(3) directs the Secretary, prior to the 
execution of the agreement, to enter into a contract, lease, 
cooperative agreement, or other appropriate form of agreement 
with the city of Natchez which would provide for the use and 
occupancy of the structure at no cost to the Secretary (except 
maintenance, utility, and other operational costs) for a period 
of 50 years, with an option for renewal by the Secretary for 
another 50 years.
    Section 1(b)(4) authorizes an appropriation in the amount 
of $3,000,000.

                   Cost and Budgetary Considerations

    The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 20, 1996.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
reviewed S. 902, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to assist in the construction of a building to be used 
jointly by the Secretary for park purposes and by the city of 
Natchez as an intermodal transportation center, and for other 
purposes. S. 902 was reported by the Senate Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources on September 16, 1996.
    S. 902 would authorize the appropriation of up to $3 
million for the Department of the Interior to assist the city 
of Natchez, Mississippi with the construction of a building to 
serve as the administrative headquarters and visitors' center 
for the Natchez National Historical Park and as transportation 
center for the city. The bill also would require the Secretary 
of the Interior, before assisting with the construction of the 
building, to enter into a 50-year agreement with the city of 
Natchez for the use of the building at no cost to the federal 
government (except for certain operational costs).
    Based on information from the National Park Service (NPS), 
CBO estimates that the building would cost about $8 million to 
construct, and that the Secretary would contribute $3 million 
towards the planning and construction of the building. We 
expect that such contributions would be paid sometime over the 
next two years. The city would pay the remaining planning and 
construction costs. In addition, CBO estimates that the NPS 
would need about $50,000 a year upon completion of the building 
to pay for operational costs. In both cases, such spending 
would be subject to appropriations of the necessary amounts. 
Because enactment of S. 902 would not affect direct spending or 
receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply to the bill.
    S. 902 contains no private-sector or intergovernmental 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4), and would impose no costs on state, local, 
or tribal governments. The city of Natchez would benefit as a 
result of the assistance authorized by the bill.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO contacts are Rachel Forward 
(for federal costs), and Marjorie Miller (for the state and 
local impact).
            Sincerely,
                                         June E. O'Neill, Director.

                      Regulatory Impact Evaluation

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out S. 902. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals 
and businesses.
    No personal information would be collected in administering 
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal 
privacy.
    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the 
enactment of S. 902, as ordered reported.

                        Executive Communications

    On September 13, 1996, the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of 
the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting 
forth Executive agency recommendations on S. 902. These reports 
had not been received at the time the report on S. 902 was 
filed. When these reports become available, the Chairman will 
request that they be printed in the Congressional Record for 
the advice of the Senate. The testimony provided by the 
Department of the Interior at the Subcommittee hearing follows:

         Statement of Denis P. Galvin, Associate Director for 
    Professional Services, National Park Service, Department of the 
                                Interior

          Thank you for the opportunity to offer the Department 
        of the Interior's views on S. 902, a bill to authorize 
        construction of a building in Natchez, Mississippi to 
        be used for park purposes and as an intermodal 
        transportation center.
          We recommend enactment of S. 902 with one technical 
        amendment.
          Authorized in 1988, Natchez National Historical Park 
        was established to preserve and interpret the sites and 
        structures associated with the history of the Natchez 
        region, and to foster an understanding of the social, 
        political, and economic history of the Natchez region 
        from prehistoric to modern times, with an emphasis on 
        the cotton era (1795 to 1908).
          As the symbolic capital of the cotton era, Natchez 
        was located in the center of the richest cotton-
        producing lands in the world. As a result, the world's 
        richest cotton planters chose Natchez as their 
        residence, the place to display their wealth and 
        culture. Natchez had the highest concentration of 
        white-columned southern mansions in an urban setting 
        and has a highly significant concentration of mid-19th-
        century-decorative arts.
          Although serving as both a major port for shipping 
        cotton and a slave market, Natchez contained a 
        significant population of free African-Americans prior 
        to the Civil War. The house of William Johnson (a free 
        African-American), which was added to the park in 1990, 
        represents this era of Natchez history. Prior to the 
        Civil War, anti-secessionist feelings among the cotton 
        planters ran counter to the prevailing views of their 
        southern neighbors.
          Following the Civil War, Natchez experienced 
        significant participation by African-Americans in State 
        and national politics. Equally important is the rapid 
        decline of that participation after reconstruction 
        (1877) and the loss of the vote among African-Americans 
        (1890). Resources in Natchez provide a special 
        opportunity to depict the African-American continuun 
        from slavery to modern times.
          Prior to the cotton era, Natchez played an important 
        role in the settlement of the country by Europeans and 
        in the pre-European era. The Grand Village of the 
        Natchez Indians represents the best example of 
        Mississippian culture and the place where Europeans 
        interacted with that culture. During the late 1790s and 
        early 1800s the Natchez Trace, which begins in Natchez 
        and ends in central Tennessee, served as a passageway 
        to the southwest frontier,
          The law establishing Natchez National Historical Park 
        authorizes the National Park Service to join the city 
        of Natchez in historic preservation efforts and to 
        enter into cooperative agreements to interpret and 
        improve historic properties beyond park boundaries. The 
        law also authorizes the National Park Service to work 
        with the city of Natchez to prepare a feasibility study 
        to extend the Natchez Trace Parkway into the city. The 
        Environmental Impact Statement for this study is 
        underway.
          The park's 1993 General Management Plan recommends 
        that the National Park Service explore the option to 
        provide visitor interpretive services at a combined 
        welcome/visitor center with Natchez and the State of 
        Mississippi. The plan further suggests that the 
        facility could accommodate the administrative 
        headquarters for the Natchez National Historical Park. 
        The 1987 General Management Plan for the Natchez Trace 
        Parkway also calls for a visitor contact facility to be 
        constructed in Natchez near the parkway's terminus to 
        provide information and orientation to northbound 
        visitors on the parkway.
          For the last several years, the National Park Service 
        has been negotiating with the city and the State to 
        bring the idea of a jointly-operated visitor/
        administrative facility for the park and an intermodal 
        transportation center for the city to fruition. We 
        believed the establishing legislation offered 
        sufficient authority to consummate this relationship, 
        but we were counseled that specific authority was 
        needed for the Secretary to enter into an agreement 
        with the city and to authorize the Secretary's 
        financial contribution. In the proposed agreement the 
        National Park Service would assist the city of Natchez 
        with the construction of a visitor/administrative 
        facility and intermodal transportation center. The 
        National Park Service would occupy approximately half 
        of the space rent-free in the 30,000-square foot 
        building. Building utilities and maintenance are to be 
        shared proportionally by the occupants. We estimate 
        that the National Park Service share of those utility 
        and maintenance costs would be $50,000. The city would 
        assume responsibility for all grounds maintenance. In 
        addition, the NPS would need to allocate two FTEs and 
        $70,000 annually to staff the visitor center.
          In February 1994, the Department of Transportation 
        awarded the city of Natchez a $3.4 million Intermodal 
        Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) grant, 
        which the city decided to allocate to this project. The 
        city requested the National Park Service become a 
        partner in a jointly operated Welcome Center. The city 
        also sought the support of the State of Mississippi 
        which operates a Welcome Center in Natchez. The State 
        agreed to provide financial support and to close its 
        facility upon completion of the new welcome center. The 
        project is estimated to cost $8 million. With passage 
        of this legislation, the NPS would be authorized to 
        contribute $2.5 million.
          Currently the administrative functions for Natchez 
        National Historical Park are located in a park-owned 
        historic house at the Fort Rosalie area of the park. In 
        1716, the French established the first European 
        settlement, a simple palisade known as Fort Rosalie on 
        the Natchez bluffs, to promote trade and to protect 
        their claim to the region. Fort Rosalie, significant 
        for its archaeological resources, served as the site 
        for the British, Spanish, and American occupations 
        through 1804. The General Management Plan recommends 
        that the park-owned historic house be used only as the 
        visitor contact point and rest rooms for Fort Rosalie.
          Providing a visitor facility at the terminus of the 
        Natchez Trace Parkway has been a high priority for the 
        National Park Service for many years. Providing 
        suitable and sufficient administrative space for 
        Natchez Historical Park and restoring the Fort Rosalie 
        site has become a high priority. Both of these needs 
        will be met with the new visitor/administrative 
        facility and intermodal transportation center. We will 
        share the facility with the city of Natchez Convention 
        and Visitor's Bureau and the State of Mississippi 
        Welcome Center.
          Appropriation of funds for this project would be 
        contingent upon federal budgetary constraints and the 
        Administration's funding priorities.
          We recommend one technical amendment by inserting the 
        world ``shall'' after the words ``The Secretary'' on 
        line seven of the second page of the bill.
          Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I 
        would be pleased to answer any questions.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill S. 902, as ordered reported, are shown as follows 
(existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black 
brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in 
which no change is proposed is shown in roman):

``An Act to create a national park at Natchez, Mississippi'' (16 U.S.C. 
                             410oo et seq.)

          * * * * * * *

SEC. 3.--ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY.

    (a) In General._Except as otherwise provided in this 
section, the Secretary may acquire, by donation, purchase with 
donated or appropriated funds, or exchange, land or interests 
in land, together with structures and other improvements 
thereon and personal property, which is included within the 
park. In addition the Secretary may acquire by any such means 
personal property associated with the park as he deems 
appropriate for the interpretation of the park and such 
additional lands and properties as may be necessary for 
purposes of an administrative headquarters and administrative 
site. Any land, interests in land, structures, improvements, 
personal property owned by the State of Mississippi or 
political subdivision thereof, may be acquired only by 
donation. The Secretary may not acquire fee title to any 
property other than the property he deems necessary for an 
administrative site and headquarters and the property referred 
to in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 2, and the Secretary may 
not acquire the property referred to in section 2 unless at 
least 25 per centum of the fair market value of such property 
(as determined by the Secretary) is donated to the United 
States in connection with such acquisition.
    (b) Building for Joint Use by the Secretary and the City of 
Natchez.--
          (1) Contribution toward construction.--The Secretary 
        shall enter into an agreement with the city of Natchez 
        under which the Secretary agrees to pay not to exceed 
        $3,000,000 toward the planning and construction by the 
        city of Natchez of a structure to be used--
                  (A) by the Secretary as an administrative 
                headquarters, administrative site, and 
                visitors' center for Natchez National 
                Historical Park; and
                  (B) by the city as an intermodal 
                transportation center.
          (2) Use for satisfaction of matching requirements.--
        The amount of payment under paragraph (1) may be 
        available for matching Federal grants authorized under 
        other law notwithstanding any limitations in any such 
        law.
          (3) Agreement.--Prior to the execution of an 
        agreement under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        enter into a contract, lease, cooperative agreement, or 
        other appropriate form of agreement with the city of 
        Natchez providing for the use and occupancy of a 
        portion of the structure constructed under paragraph 
        (1) (including appropriate use of the land on which it 
        is situated), at no cost to the Secretary (except 
        maintenance, utility, and other operational costs), for 
        a period of 50 years, with an option for renewal by the 
        Secretary for an additional 50 years.
          (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
        authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 to carry out 
        this subsection.