[Senate Report 106-212]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 368
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                    106-212

======================================================================



 
                WORLD WAR VETERANS PARK AT MILLER FIELD

                                _______
                                

                November 2, 1999.--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 H.R. 592]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 592) to designate a portion of Gateway 
National Recreation Area as ``World War Veterans Park at Miller 
Field'', having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 
without amendment and recommends that the Act do pass.

                         Purpose of the Measure

    The purpose of H.R. 592, as ordered reported, is to 
redesignate Miller Field within the Staten Island Unit of 
Gateway National Recreation Area, as ``World War Veterans Park 
at Miller Field.''

                          Background and Need

    Gateway National Recreation Area, located in New York and 
New Jersey, was established in 1972 as a unit of the National 
Park System. This National Recreation Area contains units in 
Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, New York, and in New 
Jersey. The Staten Island Unit includes Fort Wadsworth, Miller 
Field, Great Kills Park and two small islands. Both Miller 
Field and Great Kills Park are former New York City parks and 
are popular sites for recreational activities.
    H.R. 592 redesignates Miller Field as ``World War Veterans 
Park at Miller Field'' to honor World War II and other military 
veterans.

                          Legislative History

    H.R. 592 was passed by the House of Representatives on June 
30, 1999 and was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources on July 12, 1999.
    On October 13, 1999 the Subcommittee on National Parks, 
Historic Preservation, and Recreation held a hearing on H.R. 
592 and on companion legislation, S. 497, sponsored by Senator 
Moynihan.
    At its business meeting on October 20, 1999, the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 592, favorably 
reported, without amendment.

                        Committee Recommendation

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on October 20, 1999, by a unanimous voice vote 
of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 592.

                         Summary of the Measure

    H.R. 592 amends Section 3(b) of Public Law 92-592 to 
redesignate Miller Field as ``World War Veterans Park at Miller 
Field.''

                   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, October 26, 1999.
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 H.R. 592, an act to 
designate a portion of Gateway National Recreation Area as 
World War Veterans Park at Miller Field.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

               congressional budget office cost estimate

H.R. 592--An act to designate a portion of Gateway National Recreation 
        Area as World War Veterans Park at Miller Field

    H.R. 592 would designate a portion of the Gateway National 
Recreation Area (currently known as Miller Field) as the World 
War Veterans Park at Miller Field.
    CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 592 would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget. The act would not 
affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures would not apply. H.R. 592 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would have no significant 
impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal government.
    On June 11, 1999, CBO prepared a cost estimate for H.R. 592 
as ordered reported by the House Committee on Resources on June 
9, 1999. The two versions of the legislation are identical, as 
are the cost estimates.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy 
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 H.R. 592. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards of 
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 
enactment of H.R. 592, as ordered reported.

                        Executive Communications

    The legislative report received by the Committee from the 
Department of the Interior setting forth Executive agency 
recommendations relating to the H.R. 592, is set forth below:

                   U.S. Department of the Interior,
                                   Office of the Secretary,
                                  Washington, DC, October 15, 1999.
Hon. Frank Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate, 
        Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter responds to your request for 
views on H.R. 592, a bill rename Miller Field, a site within 
Gateway National Recreation Area on Staten Island in New York, 
as World War Veterans Park at Miller Field.
    The Department supports enactment of H.R. 592, as passed by 
the House. H.R. 592, as originally introduced, would have 
renamed Great Kills Park, a site within Gateway National 
Recreation Area on Staten Island in New York, as World War II 
Veterans Park at Great Kills. However, H.R. 592, as passed by 
the House of Representatives, renames Miller Field, another 
site within Gateway National Recreation Area on Staten Island 
in New York, as World War Veterans Park at Miller Field.
    The Department does not support renaming Great Kills Park 
as the World War II Veterans Park at Great Kills because Great 
Kills Park has no specific connection to World War II Veterans. 
In 1973, the Gateway National Recreation Area's enabling 
legislation authorized the acceptance and inclusion of Great 
Kills Park, then a city park, into the National Park System. 
The site was transferred in 1974, and has since been managed by 
the National Park Service. Great Kills Park is a 960-acre site 
on Staten Island in New York that includes a large natural area 
featuring migratory birds and coastal vegetation, a swimming 
beach, athletic fields and walking and hiking trails. The area 
around the park has been known as Great Kills for four 
centuries. Local Dutch settlers named the area Great Kills in 
the 1600s after a nearby body of water. ``Kill'' or ``kell'' in 
old Dutch means a stream, creek or tributary. According to 
historic periodicals, ``In 1865, the village was named Great 
Kills, after the body of water that lies to the east.'' This 
reference is to what is now called Great Kills Harbor, located 
within the federal park boundary, east of the Great Kills 
Village site.
    The renaming of Great Kills as ``World War II Veterans Park 
at Great Kills'' is not descriptive of the site or of its 
historical associations. NPS policy regarding naming of sites 
and memorializing groups is that such a designation is 
appropriate when the association between the site and the group 
is of transcendent importance and where the surrounding or site 
are relevant to the subject or group to be commemorated. That 
is the policy that governs the NPS's own designation decisions, 
and the recommendations we make to Congress.
    While the NPS does not in any way wish to diminish the 
importance of World War II Veterans or to interfere with 
commemorating their service to America, there are other sites 
within the National Park System and elsewhere which are more 
suitable for this commemoration. To designate Great Kills Park 
in recognition of World War II veterans could be misleading 
because it suggests historical connections that do not exist. 
We do feel there are suitable locations within Gateway NRA on 
Staten Island where veterans of this era might be recognized. 
Renaming Miller Field, which was an U.S. Army airfield and base 
from 1922-1969, certainly would be appropriate. During World 
War II, Miller Field was involved in preparing military 
equipment for shipping overseas, supported warehouses and 
temporary housing, and was the location of anti-aircraft guns 
to protect the area from invasion. The NPS recently approved 
the installation of a monument to the 102nd Observation 
Squadron, located at Miller Field until 1940. Miller Field 
would be an appropriate place to recognize World War II 
Veterans and other military veterans.
    The NPS worked with the House Resources Committee and the 
House sponsor of H.R. 592, Representative Vito Fossella, to 
craft a compromise bill. The result if H.R. 592 as passed by 
the House. H.R. 592 designates Miller Field on Staten Island as 
``World War Veterans Park at Miller Field.'' This designation 
recognizes the contributions of veterans and addresses the 
NPS's concern that a site's name have an historical connection 
to the place. We support H.R. 592 as passed by the House and 
recommend that the Senate pass similar legislation.
    The Office of Management and Budget advises that there is 
no objection to the presentation of this report from the 
standpoint of the Administration's program.
            Sincerely,
                                           Donald J. Barry,
               Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law by H.R. 
592, 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);

[Public Law 92-592, October 27, 1972]

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    Sec. 3. (a) * * *
    (b)(1) The Secretary shall designate the principal visitor 
center within the recreation area as the ``William Fitts Ryan 
Visitor Center'' in commemoration of the leadership and 
contributions which Representative William Fitts Ryan made with 
respect to the creation and establishment of this public 
recreation area. To inform the public of contributions of 
Representative Ryan to the creation of the recreation area, the 
Secretary shall provide such signs, markers, maps, interpretive 
materials, literature, and programs as he deems appropriate. 
Not later than December 31, 1980, the Secretary shall take such 
additional actions as he deems appropriate to recognize and 
commemorate the contributions of Representative Ryan to the 
recreation area.
    (2) The portion of the Staten Island Unit of the recreation 
area known as Miller Field is hereby designated as ``World War 
Veterans Park and Miller Field''. Any reference to such Miller 
Field in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or other 
paper of the United States shall be considered to be a 
reference to ``World War Veterans Park at Miller Field''.

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