[House Report 113-687]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress}                                                { Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session   }                                                { 113-687

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



 
   BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ESTABLISHMENT ACT

                                _______
                                

 December 22, 2014.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 706]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 706) to establish the Blackstone River Valley 
National Historical Park, to dedicate the Park to John H. 
Chafee, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that 
the bill as amended do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Blackstone River Valley National 
Historical Park Establishment Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

  In this Act:
          (1) National heritage corridor.--The term ``National Heritage 
        Corridor'' means the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley 
        National Heritage Corridor.
          (2) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Blackstone River 
        Valley National Historical Park established under section 3.
          (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        the Interior.
          (4) States.--The term ``States'' means--
                  (A) the State of Massachusetts; and
                  (B) the State of Rhode Island.

SEC. 3. BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

  (a) Establishment.--There is established in the States a unit of the 
National Park System, to be known as the ``Blackstone River Valley 
National Historical Park''.
  (b) Historic Sites and Districts.--The Park may include--
          (1) Blackstone River State Park; and
          (2) the following resources, as described in Management 
        Option 3 of the study entitled ``Blackstone River Valley 
        Special Resource Study--Study Report 2011'':
                  (A) Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark 
                District.
                  (B) Slatersville Historic District.
                  (C) Ashton Historic District.
                  (D) Whitinsville Historic District.
                  (E) Hopedale Village Historic District.
                  (F) Blackstone River and the tributaries of 
                Blackstone River.
                  (G) Blackstone Canal.
  (c) Acquisition of Land; Park Boundary.--
          (1) Land acquisition.--The Secretary may acquire land or 
        interests in land in the historic sites and districts described 
        in subsection (b)(2) for inclusion in the Park boundary by 
        donation or exchange.
          (2) Park boundary.--On a determination by the Secretary that 
        a sufficient quantity of land or interests in land has been 
        acquired to constitute a manageable park unit, the Secretary 
        may establish a boundary for the Park by publishing a boundary 
        map in the Federal Register.
          (3) Boundary adjustment.--On the acquisition of additional 
        land or interests in land under paragraph (1), the boundary of 
        the Park shall be adjusted to reflect the acquisition by 
        publishing a Park boundary map in the Federal Register.
          (4) Availability of map.--The maps referred to in this 
        subsection shall be available for public inspection in the 
        appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
          (5) Written consent of the owner.--No non-Federal property 
        may be included in the Park without the written consent of the 
        owner.
          (6) Limitation.--Land owned by the States or a political 
        subdivision of the States may be acquired under this subsection 
        only by donation.
  (d) Administration.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer land within 
        the boundary of the Park in accordance with--
                  (A) this section; and
                  (B) the laws generally applicable to units of the 
                National Park System, including--
                          (i) the National Park Service Organic Act (16 
                        U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and
                          (ii) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 
                        461 et seq.).
          (2) General management plan.--
                  (A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the 
                date on which funds are made available to carry out 
                this section, the Secretary shall prepare a general 
                management plan for the Park--
                          (i) in consultation with the States and other 
                        interested parties; and
                          (ii) in accordance with section 12(b) of the 
                        National Park System General Authorities Act 
                        (16 U.S.C. 1a-7(b)).
                  (B) Requirements.--The plan shall consider ways to 
                use preexisting or planned visitor facilities and 
                recreational opportunities developed in the National 
                Heritage Corridor, including--
                          (i) the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 
                        Pawtucket, Rhode Island;
                          (ii) the Captain Wilbur Kelly House, 
                        Blackstone River State Park, Lincoln, Rhode 
                        Island;
                          (iii) the Museum of Work and Culture, 
                        Woonsocket, Rhode Island;
                          (iv) the River Bend Farm/Blackstone River and 
                        Canal Heritage State Park, Uxbridge, 
                        Massachusetts;
                          (v) the Worcester Blackstone Visitor Center, 
                        located at the former Washburn & Moen wire mill 
                        facility, Worcester, Massachusetts;
                          (vi) the Route 295 Visitor Center adjacent to 
                        Blackstone River State Park; and
                          (vii) the Blackstone River Bikeway.
          (3) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
        technical assistance to State, local, or tribal governments, 
        organizations, or individuals for the management, 
        interpretation, and historic preservation of historically 
        significant Blackstone River Valley resources not included 
        within the Park.
          (4) Cooperative agreements.--
                  (A) In general.--The Secretary may enter into 
                cooperative agreements to carry out this Act.
                  (B) Matching requirement.--The Secretary shall 
                require that any Federal funds made available under a 
                cooperative agreement entered into under this paragraph 
                are to be matched on a 1-to-1 basis by non-Federal 
                funds.
                  (C) Reimbursement.--Any payment made by the Secretary 
                under subparagraph (A) shall be subject to an agreement 
                that the conversion, use, or disposal of the project 
                for purposes that are inconsistent with the purposes of 
                this section, as determined by the Secretary, shall 
                result in a right of the United States to reimbursement 
                of the greater of--
                          (i) the amount provided by the Secretary to 
                        the project under subparagraph (A); or
                          (ii) an amount equal to the increase in the 
                        value of the project that is attributable to 
                        the funds, as determined by the Secretary at 
                        the time of the conversion, use, or disposal.
                  (D) Public access.--Any cooperative agreement entered 
                into under this paragraph shall provide for reasonable 
                public access to the resources covered by the 
                cooperative agreement.
  (e) Dedication; Memorial.--
          (1) In general.--Congress dedicates the Park to John H. 
        Chafee, the former United States Senator from Rhode Island, in 
        recognition of--
                  (A) the role of John H. Chafee in the preservation of 
                the resources of the Blackstone River Valley and the 
                heritage corridor that bears the name of John H. 
                Chafee; and
                  (B) the decades of the service of John H. Chafee to 
                the people of Rhode Island and the United States.
          (2) Memorial.--The Secretary shall display a memorial at an 
        appropriate location in the Park that recognizes the role of 
        John H. Chafee in preserving the resources of the Blackstone 
        River Valley for the people of the United States.
  (f) No Use of Condemnation.--The Secretary may not acquire by 
condemnation any land or interest in land under this Act for the 
purposes of this Act.
  (g) No Buffer Zone Created.--Nothing in this Act, the establishment 
of the Park, or the management plan for the Park shall be construed to 
create buffer zones outside of the Park. That activities or uses can be 
seen, heard, or detected from areas within the Park shall not preclude, 
limit, control, regulate, or determine the conduct or management of 
activities or uses outside of the Park.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 706 is to establish the Blackstone 
River Valley National Historical Park and to dedicate the Park 
to John H. Chafee.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was 
established by Public Law 99-647 in 1986 to preserve and 
interpret the unique and significant contributions to our 
national heritage of historic and cultural lands, waterways, 
and structures within the Blackstone River Valley in 
Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Corridor is considered the 
origin of America's textile industry and influenced the course 
of the American industrial revolution.
    In 2011, the National Park Service completed a special 
resource study which identified the industrial heritage 
resources of the Blackstone River Valley and determined that 
the Corridor contained nationally significant resources which 
were suitable and feasible for inclusion in the National Park 
System. H.R. 706 establishes the Blackstone River Valley 
National Historical Park.
    The Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park would 
encompass much of the area within the Corridor in both Rhode 
Island and Massachusetts, including the Blackstone River and 
its tributaries; the Blackstone Canal; the non-contiguous 
historic districts of Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, the 
villages of Slatersville (in North Smithfield) and Ashton (in 
Cumberland), Rhode Island; and Whitinsville (in Northbridge) 
and Hopedale in Massachusetts.
    During Full Committee markup of the bill, an amendment was 
adopted to remove language that would reauthorize and expand 
the existing heritage area. The amendment also added private 
property right protections, which include requiring written 
consent from property owners before their land could be 
included in the park boundaries and prohibiting the creation of 
buffer zones. Land acquisition is limited to donation or 
exchange only and condemnation is specifically prohibited.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 706 was introduced on February 14, 2013, by 
Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI). The bill was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to 
the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. 
On July 23, 2013, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. 
On September 18, 2014, the Full Natural Resources Committee met 
to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and 
Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. 
Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) offered an amendment designated 
#1 to the bill; the amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. 
The bill, as amended, was then adopted and ordered favorably 
reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

H.R. 706--Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park 
        Establishment Act

    H.R. 706 would establish the Blackstone River Valley 
National Historical Park in and around the existing Blackstone 
River Valley National Heritage Corridor in the states of 
Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Under the legislation, land for 
the proposed park unit could only be acquired through donation 
or exchange.
    Based on information provided by the National Park Service 
(NPS), CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $8 
million over the 2015-2019 period, assuming appropriation of 
the necessary amounts. That estimate includes costs to 
rehabilitate sites and operate the new historical park and 
assumes the park would consist of approximately 1,400 acres. 
Those costs would vary depending on the acreage acquired for 
the park. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this 
legislation because it would not affect direct spending or 
revenues.
    H.R. 706 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act; any 
costs incurred by state, local, or tribal governments, 
including matching contributions, would result from 
participation in a voluntary federal program.
    On June 20, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
371, the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park 
Establishment Act, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources on May 16, 2013. The two bills 
have one major difference: H.R. 706 would authorize NPS to 
acquire land only through donation or exchange, while S. 371 
would authorize NPS to use appropriated funds to acquire land. 
Therefore, CBO estimates that the land acquired under H.R. 706 
would be roughly half the size of the land acquired under S. 
371. CBO estimated that implementing S. 371 would cost about 
$26 million over the 2015-2019 period because the NPS would 
purchase more land for the park and the larger size of the park 
would require more operating and rehabilitation spending than 
under H.R. 706.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von 
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required 
by clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new budget 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures. CBO estimates that implementing 
the bill would cost $8 million over the 2015-2019 period, 
assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill is to establish the Blackstone River 
Valley National Historical Park and to dedicate the Park to 
John H. Chafee.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                       COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

    Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that 
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any 
specific rule-making proceedings.
    Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not 
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government 
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was 
not included in any report from the Government Accountability 
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program 
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 
98-169) as relating to other programs.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.