[Senate Report 104-43]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                        Calendar No. 66
104th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE

 1st Session                                                     104-43
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              CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI, BATTLEFIELD ACT OF 1995

                                _______


    April 7 (legislative day, April 5), 1995.--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. 610]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 610) to provide for an interpretive 
center at the Civil War Battlefield of Corinth, Mississippi, 
and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the 
bill do pass.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of S. 610, as ordered reported, is to direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to construct and operate an 
interpretive center in the vicinity of the Corinth Civil War 
battlefield in Mississippi.

                          background and need

    The city of Corinth, Mississippi, situated near the 
Mississippi-Tennessee border, occupied a strategic role during 
the Civil War. As the junction of the Confederacy's main north-
south and east-west railroads, possession of Corinth was 
crucial in maintaining or destroying the transportation 
infrastructure of the Confederacy.
    Following a hard-fought Union victory in Shiloh, 
Mississippi in April 1862, the Confederate army under the 
command of General P.G.T. Beauregard retreated to Corinth. They 
were pursued by a combined 100,000 Union troops under the 
command of Major General Henry ``Old Brains'' Halleck. The 
Confederate army also poured reserves into Corinth, with over 
70,000 soldiers in place by early May.
    Instead of directly attacking, the Union army slowly 
prepared to lay siege to the city, advancing only five miles in 
three weeks. Meanwhile, the southern troops, many of whom were 
seriously injured in the Shiloh battle, were being devastated 
by disease. As the city's water supply became contaminated, 
thousands of Confederate soldiers became ill from typhoid or 
dysentery. As the prospect of tremendous casualties resulting 
from a siege become more likely, the Confederates abandoned 
Corinth on May 25, 1862.
    In October of 1862, 22,000 Confederate men under the 
command of Major General Earl Van Dorn attempted to retake 
Corinth. After two days of intense fighting, however, the 
Confederates were forced to abandon their attack.
    The various sites associated with the siege and battle of 
Corinth were designated as a National Historic Landmark in May 
1991. The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission's report 
identifies the site of the October 1862 battle as a ``Priority 
1'' battlefield. (A Priority 1 battlefield is one with 
``critical need for coordinated nationwide action by the year 
2000.'' The site of the October battle is rated as having good 
or fair integrity, with high or moderate threats from 
development.) The Corinth siege site is rated as a Priority 4 
battlefield (a fragmented battlefield with poor integrity). 
However, the report notes that the Corinth siege represents a 
``Class A'' military battle one that ``has a decisive impact on 
a military campaign and a direct impact on the course of the 
war.''

                          legislative history

    S. 610 was introduced by Senator Lott on March 23, 1995.
    In the 103d Congress, similar legislation, S. 986, was 
introduced on May 19, 1993. The Subcommittee on Public Lands, 
National Parks and Forests held a hearing on S. 986 on 
September 21, 1993. At the business meeting on November 10, 
1993, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources favorably 
reported S. 986. The Senate passed S. 986 with amendments on 
November 11, 1993. The House passed a similar measure on 
October 5, 1994, as part of another bill, but no further action 
was taken in the Senate.
    At the business meeting on March 29, 1995, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 610 favorably reported, 
without amendment.

           committee recommendations and tabulation of votes

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on March 29, 1995, by a unanimous vote of a 
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 610 without 
amendment.
    The roll call vote on reporting the measure was 20 yeas, 0 
nays, as follows:
        YEAS                          NAYS
Mr. Murkowski
Mr. Hatfield \1\
Mr. Domenici
Mr. Nickles \1\
Mr. Craig
Mr. Campbell \1\
Mr. Thomas \1\
Mr. Kyl \1\
Mr. Grams
Mr. Jeffords \1\
Mr. Burns \1\
Mr. Johnston
Mr. Bumpers
Mr. Ford
Mr. Bradley
Mr. Bingaman
Mr. Akaka
Mr. Wellstone \1\
Mr. Heflin \1\
Mr. Dorgan

    \1\ Indicates voted by proxy.

                      section-by-section analysis

    Section 1 entitles the bill the ``Corinth, Mississippi, 
Battlefield Act of 1995.''
    Section 2 contains the Congressional findings and purpose.
    Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior to 
acquire by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated 
funds, or exchange, such lands and interests therein the 
vicinity of the Corinth Battlefield, Mississippi, that the 
Secretary determines to be necessary for the construction of a 
visitor center to commemorate and interpret the 1862 Civil War 
siege and battle of Corinth.
    Section (b) provides that lands and interests therein owned 
by the State of Mississippi or a political subdivision thereof 
may only be acquired by donation.
    Section 4(a) directs the Secretary to construct, operate, 
and maintain on the lands acquired under section 3, a center 
for the interpretation of the Siege and Battle of Corinth, and 
associated historical events.
    Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to mark sites 
associated with the battle on lands protected by State or local 
governments.
    Subsection (c) provides that the lands and center are to be 
administered by the Secretary as part of Shiloh National 
Military Park.
    Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are 
necessary to carry our this Act, with a limitation of not more 
than $6 million to be expended on the construction of the 
visitor center.

                   cost and budgetary considerations

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

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, April 5, 1995.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate, 
        Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 610, the Corinth, 
Mississippi, Battlefield Act of 1995.
    Enactment of S. 610 would not affect direct spending or 
receipts. Therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply 
to the bill.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them.
            Sincerely,
                                              James L. Blum
                                   (For June E. O'Neill, Director).
    Enclosure.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    1. Bill number: S. 610.
    2. Bill title: Corinth, Mississippi, Battlefield Act of 
1995.
    3. Bill status: As ordered by the Senate Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources on March 29, 1995.
    4. Bill purpose: S. 610 would direct the National Park 
Service (NPS) to acquire property in the vicinity of the 
Corinth Battlefield, Mississippi, by donation, purchase, or 
exchange. On the acquired property, the NPS would construct, 
operate, and maintain an interpretive center of approximately 
5,300 square feet. The new lands and facilities would be 
managed by the agency as part of the Shiloh National Military 
Park. Section 5 of the bill would authorize the appropriation 
of whatever sums are necessary to carry out these provisions, 
provided that no more than $6 million may be used for 
construction of the interpretive center.
    5. Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The following 
table summarizes CBO's estimate of the costs of implementing S. 
610. For purposes of this estimate, CBO has assumed that S. 610 
will be enacted late in fiscal year 1995 and that the full 
amounts estimated to be necessary will be appropriated as 
required for the project.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1996       1997       1998       1999       2000  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authorization of                                                        
 appropriations..        6.0        0.1        0.2        0.3        0.3
Estimated outlays         .9        1.9        1.7        1.5         .9
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The costs of this bill fall within budget function 300.
    For 1996, $6 million is authorized for project development. 
Authorization levels in subsequent years include funds needed 
to equip, manage, and operate the new facility. Based on 
information provided by the NPS, CBO expects that the site 
needed for the new center would be donated by the city of 
Corinth; therefore, the federal government would incur no land 
acquisition costs. Outlays have been estimated on the basis of 
spending for similar projects.
    6. Comparison with spending under current law: None.
    7. Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
    8. Estimated cost to State and local governments: None.
    9. Estimate comparison: None.
    10. Previous CBO estimate: None.
    11. Estimate prepared by: Deborah Reis.
    12. Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine for Paul N. 
Van de Water, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                      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. 610. 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. 610, as ordered reported.

                        Executive Communications

    On March 24, 1995, 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. 610. These reports 
had not been received at the time the report on S. 610 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.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the Act S. 610, as ordered 
reported.