[Senate Report 109-311]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 554
109th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     109-311

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



 
           MINUTE MAN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK BOUNDARY STUDY

                                _______
                                

                 July 31, 2006.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 394]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the Act (H.R. 394) to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a boundary study to evaluate the 
significance of the Colonel James Barrett Farm in the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the suitability and 
feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park System as 
part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, and for other 
purposes, 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. 394 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of including 
the Colonel James Barrett Farm as part of Minute Man National 
Historical Park, Massachusetts.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    On April 18 and 19, 1775, British troops marched from 
Cambridge, Massachusetts to the farm of colonial militia leader 
Colonel James Barrett in Concord in an effort to confiscate 
stolen brass cannons and arrest the American rebellion's 
leaders. In the weeks before the British patrol, Barrett's farm 
had been home to the cannons, munitions, and other arms, but 
the militia had received advanced warning of the British army's 
plan, and had hidden the arms in the fields and surrounding 
countryside.
    At Concord, the militia forces, led in part by Colonel 
Barrett, engaged the British at the town's Old North Bridge and 
routed them. The British retreated and colonial militias 
harried them all the way back to Boston. The day's activities, 
which became known as the Battle of Lexington and Concord, 
marked the beginning of the war between Britain and the 
American colonies and the start of the colonial siege of 
Boston.
    Minute Man National Historic Park, established by Congress 
on September 21, 1959, protects many of the locations 
associated with the Battle of Lexington and Concord, but not 
Colonel Barrett's farm. H.R. 394 would study the suitability 
and feasibility of protecting this 300-year-old homestead by 
incorporating it into Minute Man National Historic Park.
    Save Our Heritage, Inc., a non-profit organization located 
in Concord, Massachusetts, purchased 3.5 acres of land 
surrounding the historic Barrett farmhouse in 2003 and the 
farmhouse itself in 2005. The organization supports H.R. 394 
and is willing to transfer ownership of the property and farm 
to the National Park Service.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 394 was introduced by Representative Meehan on January 
26, 2005 and passed by the House of Representatives, on a voice 
vote, on November 16, 2005.
    An identical bill, S. 2034, was introduced by Senators 
Kennedy and Kerry on November 17, 2005. The Subcommittee on 
National Parks held a hearing on both S. 2034 and H.R. 394 on 
April 6, 2006. At the business meeting on May 24, 2006, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered H.R. 394 
favorably reported.

                       COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on May 24, 2006, by a unanimous voice vote of 
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 394.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1(a) defines the terms ``Barrett's Farm'' and 
``Secretary'', as used in this Act.
    Subsection (b) requires the Secretary of the Interior, not 
later than two years after funds are made available, to study 
the suitability and feasibility of adding Colonel James Barrett 
Farm to Minute Man National Historic Park.
    Subsection (c) describes the required contents of the 
study.
    Subsection (d) requires the Secretary to report study 
findings to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources and the House Committee on Resources.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

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

H.R. 394--An act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
        boundary study to evaluate the significance of the Colonel 
        James Barrett Farm in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the 
        suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National 
        Park System as part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, 
        and for other purposes

    H.R. 394 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
study, within two years, the suitability and feasibility of 
adding the Colonel James Barrett Farm to the Minute Man 
National Historical Park in Massachusetts. The proposed study 
would consider the significance of the farm during the 
Revolutionary War, opportunities for public enjoyment, and 
other operational and management issues.
    Based on information from the National Park Service, CBO 
estimates that completing the proposed study would cost less 
than $100,000 over the 2006-2007 period, assuming the 
availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 394 would not 
affect direct spending or revenues.
    H.R. 394 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.
    On May 24, 2005, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 
394, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Resources on 
May 18, 2005. The House and Senate versions of this legislation 
are identical, as are the two cost estimates.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. 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. 394. 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 H.R. 394, as ordered reported.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The views of the Administration on H.R. 394 were included 
in testimony received by the Committee at a hearing on the bill 
on April 6, 2006. This testimony follows:

  Statement of Sue Masica, Associate Director, National Park Service, 
                       Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear 
before your committee to present the views of the Department of 
the Interior on S. 2034 and H.R. 394, to authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to evaluate the 
significance of the Colonel James Barrett Farm in the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and to assess the suitability 
and feasibility of including the farm in the National Park 
System as part of the Minute Man National Historical Park, and 
for other purposes. The Department supports the enactment of 
this bill.
    If enacted, the bill would direct the Secretary to conduct 
a boundary study to evaluate the significance of Barrett's 
Farm, and to assess the suitability and feasibility of 
including the Farm as part of the Minute Man National 
Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System. The study, 
which is to be completed within two years after funds are made 
available for it, is to include an analysis of Barrett's Farm's 
significance with respect to the Revolutionary War. It must 
also analyze opportunities for public enjoyment of the property 
as part of Minute Man National Historical Park, and any 
operational, management, and private property issues that must 
be considered if the farm is added to the park. In addition, 
the study must include a determination by the Secretary of the 
feasibility of administering the farm as part of the Minute Man 
National Historical Park, taking into account its size, 
configuration, costs and any other appropriate factors, as well 
as an evaluation of other alternatives for management and 
resource protection of the property.
    The Colonel James Barrett Farm is located at 448 Barrett's 
Mill Road, Concord, Massachusetts, two miles from the town 
center and from Minute Man National Historical Park. The 
Barrett House was the home of Colonel James Barrett (1710-
1779), commander of Middlesex County militia and one of the 
leading figures in the events that began the American 
Revolution in April, 1775. The property comprises six acres and 
includes land that has been farmed continuously since the 18th 
century as well as the historic 1705 farm house. Much of the 
surrounding acreage is owned by the Town of Concord and managed 
as agricultural conservation land.
    The proposed study area of six acres is coterminous with 
the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
and includes abutting properties that once were part of the 
original farm. In addition, the National Park Service 
recommends that approximately 40 acres of the town-owned lands 
which directly abut the farm (and which were once part of the 
original farm) also be included in the study area. Inclusion of 
these lands in the study area would allow the NPS to explore 
the options for increased collaboration with the town and for 
ways to support long-term management should Barrett's Farm be 
acquired and managed by the National Park Service in the 
future. The Town of Concord has expressed its support for 
inclusion of these resources in the study.
    Colonel Barrett's Farm was a major hiding place for the 
colonists' stores of arms and ammunition. It was the farthest 
point that was targeted by the British expeditionary force sent 
from Boston to seize these weapons. The British troops headed 
there on April 19, 1775 but found nothing, the residents having 
been alerted by Paul Revere several days earlier, in time to 
hide muskets, cannons and powder in the nearby fields. On that 
same day, Colonel Barrett ordered the advance to Concord's 
North Bridge that resulted in ``the shot heard 'round the 
world'' and the start of the Revolutionary War.
    Minute Man National Historical Park encompasses 971 acres 
and includes the North Bridge, Lexington Green and the Battle 
Road trail, where the British both advanced and retreated. 
Including Barrett's Farm within the boundaries of Minute Man 
National Historical Park appears to offer many opportunities 
for resource preservation and interpretation. Barrett's Farm 
was the impetus for the British excursion to Concord on April 
18, 1775 and the vigorous work of Colonel Barrett and his 
militia was the key reason for the British retreat following 
the encounter at the North Bridge.
    The farm was considered for inclusion when Minute Man 
National Historical Park was established in 1959, but was at 
that time in private ownership and not available for 
acquisition. It has since been purchased by Save Our Heritage, 
a local nonprofit organization, which seeks to preserve it. The 
group has been working closely with the Town of Concord and has 
raised $2 million to acquire and stabilize the property.
    We believe that this study would allow the Secretary to 
explore further the feasibility of adding this important 
historical property to the National Park System.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to comment. 
This concludes my prepared remarks and I will be happy to 
answer any questions you or other committee members might have.

                        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 H.R. 394, as 
ordered reported.

                                  
