[Senate Report 107-254]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 571
107th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     107-254

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                FRENCH COLONIAL HERITAGE AREA STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

               September 9, 2002.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1638]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 1638) to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designing 
the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a 
unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

SECTION 1. STUDY.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of which funds are made 
available to carry out this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall, 
in consultation with the State of Missouri, complete a study on the 
suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Historic 
District, including the Bequette-Ribault, St. Gemme-Amoureaux, and 
Wilhauk homes and the related and supporting historical assets in Ste. 
Genevieve County, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System, and 
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives a report 
describing the findings of the study.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.

                         PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

    The purpose of S. 1638, as ordered reported, is to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on 
the suitability and feasibility of designating the French 
Colonial Heritage District in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri 
as a unit of the National Park System.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    Settled in the late 1700's by French-Canadians, the area in 
and around Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri is one of the last 
remaining examples of French colonial period settlements. The 
French homes built from the 1780's to 1792 in the poteaux en 
terre (post in the ground) style are rare and found in no other 
location in North America.
    Sainte Genevieve National Historic District and Felix Valle 
House State Historic Site provide a foundation for the Heritage 
Area. Three of the remaining five poteaux en terre homes are 
found in St. Genevieve. The Sainte Gemme-Amoureux House built 
overlooking the Le Grand Champ agricultural fields in 1792 is 
open occasionally to the public as is the Bequette-Ribault 
House built in the 1780's.
    Local organizations and agencies have undertaken efforts to 
preserve these resources and to tell the story of French 
Colonial settlement in this part of the Untied States. As 
ordered reported, S. 1638 authorizes the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a study of the historic district to 
determine its appropriateness for designation as a unit of the 
National Park System.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 1638 was introduced by Senator Bond on November 6, 2001. 
Senator Carnahan is a cosponsor of the measure. The 
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 1638, on 
April 18, 2002. At its business meeting on July 31, 2002, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 1638 
favorably reported with an amendment.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on July 31, 2001, by voice vote of a quorum 
present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1638, if amended as 
described herein.

                          COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

    During the consideration of S. 1638, the Committee adopted 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. As introduced, S. 
1638 authorizes a park suitability and feasibility study of the 
French Colonial Heritage Area. The substitute amendment 
clarifies that the study is of the French Colonial Historic 
District in Missouri, and that the study is for potential 
designation as a unit of the National Park System and not as a 
National Heritage Area.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in 
consultation with the State of Missouri, to study the French 
Colonial Historic District and the historic resources of Sainte 
Genevieve County, Missouri for potential inclusion in the 
National Park System. The study must be completed within three 
years and a report on the findings of the study must be 
submitted to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee of the 
Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of 
Representatives.
    Section 2 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are 
necessary to carry out this Act.

                   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, August 12, 2002.
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
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. 1638, a bill to 
authorize the Secretary of the interior to study the 
suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial 
Heritage Area in the state of Missouri as a unit of the 
National Park System, and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                         Robert A. Sunshine
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

S. 1638--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the 
        suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial 
        Heritage Area in the state of Missouri as a unit of the 
        National Park System, and for other purpose

    S. 1638 would direct the Department of the Interior to 
conduct a study to assess the feasibility and suitability of 
designating the French Colonial Historic District in Ste. 
Genevieve County, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park 
System. The bill would authorize the appropriation of whatever 
amounts are necessary for the study and would require the 
department to report on its findings and recommendations within 
three years of receiving funds.
    Assuming the availability for appropriated funds, CBO 
estimates that it would cost about $250,000 over the next three 
years to complete the required study and report. Enacting the 
bill would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore, 
pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
    S. 1638 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. 
The 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 S. 1638.
    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.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The legislative report received by the Committee from the 
Department of the Interior setting forth Executive agency 
recommendations with respect to S. 1638 follows:

                   U.S. Department of the Interior,
                                   Office of the Secretary,
                                     Washington, DC, July 16, 2002.
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter sets forth the views of the 
Department of the Interior on S. 1638, a bill to authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and 
feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in 
the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System.
    The Department supports S. 1638, with a minor 
clarification. However, the Department did not request 
additional funding for this study in Fiscal Year 2003. We 
believe that any funding requested should be directed towards 
completing previously authorized studies. Presently, there are 
34 studies pending, of which we hope to transmit 4 to Congress 
by the end of 2002. To meet the President's Initiative to 
eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog, we must continue to 
focus our resources on caring for existing areas in the 
National Park System. Thus, we have concerns about new funding 
requirements for either a new park unit or heritage area that 
could be required if the study recommends designation while the 
Department is trying to eliminate the deferred maintenance 
backlog. As such, the Department will identify in each study 
all acquisition, one-time, and operational costs of the 
proposed site. At this time, these costs are not known.
    S. 1638 directs the Secretary to study the suitability and 
feasibility of including the French Colonial Heritage Area of 
Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park 
System. Section 3(1) defines the Heritage Area as including the 
Bequette-Ribault, St. Gemme-Amoureaux and Wilhauk homes, and 
the related and supporting historical assets in Ste. Genevieve 
County, Missouri. Related and supporting historical assets 
include Le Grand Champ, historic downtown Ste. Genevieve, and a 
prehistoric Native American Village.
    In April 1980, the Midwest Regional Office of the National 
Park Service completed a brief Reconnaissance Report of Ste. 
Genevieve. A memorandum forwarding the report to Washington, 
signed by the Regional Director, recommended that a study of 
alternatives be prepared for both the existing townsite of Ste. 
Genevieve, and for the archeological site on which the town was 
originally located. The term ``Study of Alternatives'' is 
synonymous with study of suitability and feasibility as used in 
S. 1638.
    The Reconnaissance Report looked at the area's cultural, 
natural, scenic, and recreational resources as well as 
ownership patterns and possible threats to the area. This 
earlier report will provide valuable background should this 
legislation be enacted authorizing a more in-depth study of 
suitability, feasibility, and management alternatives.
    We discussed the intent of the legislation with the bill's 
sponsor. S. 1638 authorizes the Secretary to study the 
suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial 
Heritage Area as a unit of the National Park System. The 
National Park Service uses the term ``Heritage Area'' to define 
a regional entity having a central theme that does not include 
management by the National Park Service, whereas the term 
``Unit'' is used when an area is managed wholly or in part by 
the Service.
    We confirmed that the intent of the bill is to authorize 
the Secretary to study the French Colonial Historic District 
and accompanying resources within Ste. Genevieve County as a 
potential unit of the National Park System. This Special 
Resource Study will identify and explore a range of management 
possibilities, which could include a unit, such as a National 
Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service as well as 
management as a Heritage Area by a non-Federal entity. We will 
be happy to work with the subcommittee staff to develop any 
clarifying language that may be required.
    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,
                                              Craig Manson,
               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, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 1638 as ordered 
reported.

                                  
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