[Senate Report 113-300]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 640
113th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 113-300
======================================================================
MOUNTAINS TO SOUND GREENWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT
_______
December 10, 2014.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Ms. Landrieu, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2602]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 2602) to establish the Mountains to Sound
Greenway National Heritage Area in the State of Washington,
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 all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Heritage Area Authorization
Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.
In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the
Interior.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA DESIGNATIONS.
The following areas are designated as national heritage areas, to be
administered in accordance with this Act:
(1) Appalachian forest national heritage area, west virginia
and maryland.--
(A) In general.--There is established the Appalachian
Forest National Heritage Area in the States of West
Virginia and Maryland, as depicted on the map entitled
``Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area'', numbered
T07/80,000 and dated October 2007, including--
(i) Barbour, Braxton, Grant, Greenbrier,
Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Morgan, Nicholas,
Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph,
Tucker, Upshur, and Webster counties in West
Virginia; and
(ii) Allegany and Garrett Counties in
Maryland.
(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Appalachian
Forest Heritage Area, Inc., shall be the local
coordinating entity for the national heritage area
established under subparagraph (A).
(2) Maritime washington national heritage area, washington.--
(A) In general.--There is established the Maritime
Washington National Heritage Area in the State of
Washington, to include land in Whatcom, Skagit,
Snohomish, San Juan, Island, King, Pierce, Thurston,
Mason, Kitsap, Jefferson, Clallam, Grays Harbor
counties in the State, as generally depicted on the map
entitled ``Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
Proposed Boundary'', numbered 584/125484 and dated
August, 2014.
(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Pacific Northwest
Maritime Heritage Advisory Council, operating under the
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, shall be
the local coordinating entity for the national heritage
area established under subparagraph (A).
(3) Mountains to sound greenway national heritage area,
washington.--
(A) In general.--There is established the Mountains
to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area in the State
of Washington, to consist of land in King and Kittitas
counties in the State, as generally depicted on the map
entitled ``Mountains to Sound Greenway National
Heritage Area Proposed Boundary'', numbered 584/125,484
and dated January 31, 2011.
(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Mountains to
Sound Greenway Trust shall be the local coordinating
entity for the national heritage area established under
subparagraph (A).
(4) Susquehanna gateway national heritage area,
pennsylvania.--
(A) In general.--There is established the Susquehanna
Gateway National Heritage Area in the State of
Pennsylvania, to include Lancaster and York counties in
the State.
(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Susquehanna
Heritage Corporation, a nonprofit organization
established under the laws of the State, shall be the
local coordinating entity for the national heritage
area established under subparagraph (A).
(5) Sacramento-san joaquin delta national heritage area,
california.--
(A) In general.--There is established the Sacramento-
San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area in the State
of California, to consist of land in Contra Costa,
Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo counties in
the State, as generally depicted on the map entitled
``Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area
Proposed Boundary'', numbered T27/105,030 and dated
October 2012.
(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Delta Protection
Commission shall be the local coordinating entity for
the national heritage area established under
subparagraph (A).
(6) Alabama black belt national heritage area, alabama.--
(A) In general.--There is established the Alabama
Black Belt National Heritage Area in the State of
Alabama, to include Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw,
Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon,
Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Sumter,
Washington and Wilcox counties in the State.
(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Center for the
Study of the Black Belt at the University of West
Alabama shall be the local coordinating entity for the
national heritage area established under subparagraph
(A).
SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Authorities.--For purposes of carrying out the management plan
for each of the national heritage areas designated by section 3, the
Secretary, acting through the local coordinating entity, may use
amounts made available under section 9--
(1) to make grants to the State or a political subdivision of
the State, nonprofit organizations, and other persons;
(2) to enter into cooperative agreements with, or provide
technical assistance to, the State or a political subdivision
of the State, nonprofit organizations, and other interested
parties;
(3) to hire and compensate staff, which shall include
individuals with expertise in natural, cultural, and historical
resources protection, and heritage programming;
(4) to obtain money or services from any source including any
money or services that are provided under any other Federal law
or program;
(5) to contract for goods or services; and
(6) to undertake to be a catalyst for any other activity that
furthers the national heritage area and is consistent with the
approved management plan.
(b) Duties.--The local coordinating entity for each of the national
heritage areas designated by section 3 shall--
(1) in accordance with section 5, prepare and submit a
management plan for the national heritage area to the
Secretary;
(2) assist units of local government, regional planning
organizations, and nonprofit organizations in carrying out the
approved management plan by--
(A) carrying out programs and projects that
recognize, protect, and enhance important resource
values in the national heritage area;
(B) establishing and maintaining interpretive
exhibits and programs in the national heritage area;
(C) developing recreational and educational
opportunities in the national heritage area;
(D) increasing public awareness of, and appreciation
for, natural, historical, scenic, and cultural
resources of the national heritage area;
(E) protecting and restoring historic sites and
buildings in the national heritage area that are
consistent with national heritage area themes;
(F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and appropriate
signs identifying points of public access and sites of
interest are posted throughout the national heritage
area; and
(G) promoting a wide range of partnerships among
governments, organizations, and individuals to further
the national heritage area;
(3) consider the interests of diverse units of government,
businesses, organizations, and individuals in the national
heritage area in the preparation and implementation of the
management plan;
(4) conduct meetings open to the public at least semiannually
regarding the development and implementation of the management
plan;
(5) for any year that Federal funds have been received under
this section--
(A) submit to the Secretary an annual report that
describes the activities, expenses, and income of the
local coordinating entity (including grants to any
other entities during the year that the report is
made);
(B) make available to the Secretary for audit all
records relating to the expenditure of the funds and
any matching funds; and
(C) require, with respect to all agreements
authorizing expenditure of Federal funds by other
organizations, that the organizations receiving the
funds make available to the Secretary for audit all
records concerning the expenditure of the funds; and
(6) encourage by appropriate means economic viability that is
consistent with the national heritage area.
(c) Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The local
coordinating entity shall not use Federal funds made available under
section 9 to acquire real property or any interest in real property.
SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the local coordinating entity for each of the national
heritage areas designated by section 3 shall submit to the Secretary
for approval a proposed management plan for the national heritage area.
(b) Requirements.--The management plan shall--
(1) incorporate an integrated and cooperative approach for
the protection, enhancement, and interpretation of the natural,
cultural, historic, scenic, and recreational resources of the
national heritage area;
(2) take into consideration State and local plans;
(3) include--
(A) an inventory of--
(i) the resources located in the national
heritage area; and
(ii) any other property in the national
heritage area that--
(I) is related to the themes of the
national heritage area; and
(II) should be preserved, restored,
managed, or maintained because of the
significance of the property;
(B) comprehensive policies, strategies and
recommendations for conservation, funding, management,
and development of the national heritage area;
(C) a description of actions that governments,
private organizations, and individuals have agreed to
take to protect the natural, historical and cultural
resources of the national heritage area;
(D) a program of implementation for the management
plan by the local coordinating entity that includes a
description of--
(i) actions to facilitate ongoing
collaboration among partners to promote plans
for resource protection, restoration, and
construction; and
(ii) specific commitments for implementation
that have been made by the local coordinating
entity or any government, organization, or
individual for the first 5 years of operation;
(E) the identification of sources of funding for
carrying out the management plan;
(F) analysis and recommendations for means by which
Federal, State, and local programs, including the role
of the National Park Service in the national heritage
area, may best be coordinated to carry out this
section; and
(G) an interpretive plan for the national heritage
area; and
(4) recommend policies and strategies for resource management
that consider and detail the application of appropriate land
and water management techniques, including the development of
intergovernmental and interagency cooperative agreements to
protect the natural, historical, cultural, educational, scenic,
and recreational resources of the national heritage area.
(c) Deadline.--If a proposed management plan is not submitted to the
Secretary by the date that is 3 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the local coordinating entity shall be ineligible to receive
additional funding under this Act until the date on which the Secretary
receives and approves the management plan.
(d) Approval or Disapproval of Management Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
receipt of the management plan under subsection (a), the
Secretary, in consultation with the State, shall approve or
disapprove the management plan.
(2) Criteria for approval.--In determining whether to approve
the management plan, the Secretary shall consider whether--
(A) the local coordinating entity is representative
of the diverse interests of the national heritage area,
including governments, natural and historic resource
protection organizations, educational institutions,
businesses, and recreational organizations;
(B) the local coordinating entity has afforded
adequate opportunity, including public hearings, for
public and governmental involvement in the preparation
of the management plan; and
(C) the resource protection and interpretation
strategies contained in the management plan, if
implemented, would adequately protect the natural,
historical, and cultural resources of the national
heritage area.
(3) Action following disapproval.--If the Secretary
disapproves the management plan under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall--
(A) advise the local coordinating entity in writing
of the reasons for the disapproval;
(B) make recommendations for revisions to the
management plan; and
(C) not later than 180 days after the receipt of any
proposed revision of the management plan from the local
coordinating entity, approve or disapprove the proposed
revision.
(4) Amendments.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall approve or
disapprove each amendment to the management plan that
the Secretary determines make a substantial change to
the management plan.
(B) Use of funds.--The local coordinating entity
shall not use Federal funds authorized by this section
to carry out any amendments to the management plan
until the Secretary has approved the amendments.
SEC. 6. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--Nothing in this Act affects the authority of a
Federal agency to provide technical or financial assistance under any
other law.
(b) Consultation and Coordination.--The head of any Federal agency
planning to conduct activities that may have an impact on a national
heritage area designated by section 3 is encouraged to consult and
coordinate the activities with the Secretary and the local coordinating
entity to the maximum extent practicable.
(c) Other Federal Agencies.--Nothing in this Act--
(1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regulation
authorizing a Federal agency to manage Federal land under the
jurisdiction of the Federal agency;
(2) limits the discretion of a Federal land manager to
implement an approved land use plan within the boundaries of a
national heritage area designated by section 3; or
(3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized use of Federal
land under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency.
SEC. 7. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTECTIONS.
Nothing in this Act--
(1) abridges the rights of any property owner (whether public
or private), including the right to refrain from participating
in any plan, project, program, or activity conducted within a
national heritage area designated by section 3;
(2) requires any property owner--
(A) to permit public access (including access by
Federal, State, or local agencies) to the property of
the property owner; or
(B) to modify public access or use of property of the
property owner under any other Federal, State, or local
law;
(3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, approved
land use plan, or other regulatory authority of any Federal,
State, tribal, or local agency,
(4) conveys any land use or other regulatory authority to the
local coordinating entity;
(5) authorizes or implies the reservation or appropriation of
water or water rights;
(6) diminishes the authority of the State to manage fish and
wildlife, including the regulation of fishing and hunting
within a national heritage area designated by section 3; or
(7) creates any liability, or affects any liability under any
other law, of any private property owner with respect to any
person injured on the private property.
SEC. 8. EVALUATION AND REPORT.
(a) In General.--For each of the national heritage areas designated
by section 3, not later than 3 years before the date on which authority
for Federal funding terminates for each national heritage area, the
Secretary shall--
(1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplishments of the
national heritage area; and
(2) prepare a report in accordance with subsection (c).
(b) Evaluation.--An evaluation conducted under subsection (a)(1)
shall--
(1) assess the progress of the local management entity with
respect to--
(A) accomplishing the purposes of the authorizing
legislation for the national heritage area; and
(B) achieving the goals and objectives of the
approved management plan for the national heritage
area;
(2) analyze the investments of Federal, State, tribal, and
local government and private entities in each national heritage
area to determine the impact of the investments; and
(3) review the management structure, partnership
relationships, and funding of the national heritage area for
purposes of identifying the critical components for
sustainability of the national heritage area.
(c) Report.--Based on the evaluation conducted under subsection
(a)(1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives a report that includes recommendations
for the future role of the National Park Service with respect to the
national heritage area.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated for each
national heritage area designated by section 3 to carry out the
purposes of this Act $10,000,000, of which not more than $1,000,000 may
be made available in any fiscal year.
(b) Availability.--Amounts made available under subsection (a) shall
remain available until expended.
(c) Cost-sharing Requirement.--
(1) In general.--The Federal share of the total cost of any
activity under this Act shall be not more than 50 percent.
(2) Form.--The non-Federal contribution of the total cost of
any activity under this Act may be in the form of in-kind
contributions of goods or services fairly valued.
(d) Termination of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary to
provide assistance under this Act (other than sections 10 and 11)
terminates on the date that is 15 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 10. EXTENSION OF NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AUTHORITIES.
(a) Section 12 of Public Law 100-692 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; 102 Stat.
4558; 112 Stat. 3258; 123 Stat. 1292; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat. 314) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``2015'' and inserting
``2030''; and
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ``2015'' and inserting
``2030''.
(b) Division II of Public Law 104-333 (16 U.S.C. 461 note) is amended
by striking ``2015'' each place it appears in the following sections
and inserting ``2030'':
(1) Section 107 (110 Stat. 4244; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat.
314).
(2) Section 408 (110 Stat. 4256; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat.
314).
(3) Section 507 (110 Stat. 4260; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat.
314).
(4) Section 707 (110 Stat. 4267; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat.
314).
(5) Section 809 (110 Stat. 4275; 122 Stat. 826; 127 Stat.
420; 128 Stat. 314).
(6) Section 910 (110 Stat. 4281; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat.
314).
(c) Section 109 of Public Law 105-355 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; 112 Stat.
3252) is amended by striking ``September 30, 2014'' and inserting
``September 30, 2030''.
(d) Public Law 106-278 (16 U.S.C. 461 note) is amended--
(1) in section 108 (114 Stat. 818; 127 Stat. 420; 128 Stat.
314), by striking ``2015'' and inserting ``2030''; and
(2) in section 209 (114 Stat. 824), by striking ``the date
that is 15 years after the date of enactment of this title''
and inserting ``September 30, 2030''.
(e) Section 157(i) of Public Law 106-291 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; 114
Stat. 967) is amended by striking ``2015'' and inserting ``2030''.
(f) Section 7 of Public Law 106-319 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; 114 Stat.
1284) is amended by striking ``2015'' and inserting ``2030''.
(g) Section 804(j) of title VIII of division B of H.R. 5666 (Appendix
D) as enacted into law by section 1(a)(4) of Public Law 106-554 (16
U.S.C. 461 note; 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A-295; 123 Stat. 1294) is amended
by striking ``the day occurring 15 years after the date of enactment of
this title'' and inserting ``September 30, 2030''.
SEC. 11. JOHN H. CHAFEE BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE
CORRIDOR AMENDMENTS.
Public Law 99-647 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; 100 Stat. 3625) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence of section 2 (110 Stat. 4202), by
striking ``the map entitled `Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor Boundary Map', numbered BRV-80-80,011, and
dated May 2, 1993'' and inserting ``the map entitled `John H.
Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor--
Proposed Boundary', numbered 022/111530, and dated November 10,
2011'';
(2) in section 7 (120 Stat. 1858, 125 Stat. 155)--
(A) in the section heading, by striking ``TERMINATION
OF COMMISSION'' and inserting ``TERMINATION OF
COMMISSION; DESIGNATION OF LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY'';
(B) by striking ``The Commission'' and inserting the
following:
``(a) In General.--The Commission''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Local Coordinating Entity.--
``(1) Designation.--The Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor, Inc., shall be the local coordinating entity
for the Corridor (referred to in this section as the `local
coordinating entity').
``(2) Implementation of management plan.--The local
coordinating entity shall assume the duties of the Commission
for the implementation of the Cultural Heritage and Land
Management Plan developed and approved under section 6.
``(c) Use of Funds.--For the purposes of carrying out the management
plan, the local coordinating entity may use amounts made available
under this Act--
``(1) to make grants to the States of Massachusetts and Rhode
Island (referred to in this section as the `States'), political
subdivisions of the States, nonprofit organizations, and other
persons;
``(2) to enter into cooperative agreements with or provide
technical assistance to the States, political subdivisions of
the States, nonprofit organizations, Federal agencies, and
other interested parties;
``(3) to hire and compensate staff, including individuals
with expertise in--
``(A) natural, historical, cultural, educational,
scenic, and recreational resource conservation;
``(B) economic and community development; or
``(C) heritage planning;
``(4) to obtain funds or services from any source, including
funds and services provided under any other Federal law or
program;
``(5) to contract for goods or services; and
``(6) to support activities of partners and any other
activities that further the purposes of the Corridor and are
consistent with the approved management plan.'';
(3) in section 8 (120 Stat. 1858)--
(A) in subsection (b)--
(i) by striking ``The Secretary'' and
inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary''; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Cooperative agreements.--Notwithstanding chapter 63 of
title 31, United States Code, the Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements with the local coordinating entity
designated by paragraph (1) and other public or private
entities for the purpose of--
``(A) providing technical assistance; or
``(B) implementing the plan under section 6(c).'';
and
(B) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the
following:
``(d) Transition Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary shall
enter into a memorandum of understanding with the local coordinating
entity to ensure--
``(1) the appropriate transition of management of the
Corridor from the Commission to the local coordinating entity;
and
``(2) coordination regarding the implementation of the
Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan.'';
(4) in section 10 (104 Stat. 1018, 120 Stat. 1858)--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``in which the
Commission is in existence'' and inserting ``until
September 30, 2016''; and
(B) by striking subsection (c); and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 11. REFERENCES TO THE CORRIDOR, INC.
``For purposes of sections 6, 8 (other than section 8(d)(1)), 9, and
10, a reference to the `Commission' shall be considered to be a
reference to the local coordinating entity.''.
SEC. 12. REDESIGNATION OF THE LAST GREEN VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE
CORRIDOR.
(a) In General.--The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National
Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 103-449)
is amended--
(1) in section 103--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``QUINEBAUG AND
SHETUCKET RIVERS VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR''
and inserting ``LAST GREEN VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE
CORRIDOR''; and
(B) in subsection (a), by striking ``the Quinebaug
and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage
Corridor'' and inserting ``The Last Green Valley
National Heritage Corridor''; and
(2) in section 108(2), by striking ``the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor under'' and
inserting ``The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor
established by''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document,
paper, or other record of the United States to the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor shall be deemed to
be a reference to the ``The Last Green Valley National Heritage
Corridor''.
Purpose
The purpose of S. 2602 as introduced is to establish the
Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area in the State
of Washington.
The purpose of the bill as ordered reported is to establish
six National Heritage Areas, including the Mountain to Sound
Greenway National Heritage Area, and to rename or extend 12
existing National Heritage Areas.
Background and Need
National Heritage Areas are designated by Congress as areas
of national significance in order to protect and promote their
natural, historic, cultural, and recreational resources. Unlike
units of the National Park System, which are owned by the
Federal Government and managed by the National Park Service,
National Heritage Areas are community-based initiatives to
preserve, promote, and interpret an area's resources. The
property within the National Heritage Area is not acquired by
the Federal Government, and the resource management plan for
the area is developed and implemented by a local coordinating
entity. Congress authorizes the National Park Service to
provide technical and limited financial assistance to the
coordinating entity, but the National Park Service does not
manage the Areas itself. National Heritage Areas have been
shown to provide economic benefits to the communities and
regions they serve.
S. 2602, as ordered reported, designates six new National
Heritage Areas.
Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area
The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area encompasses eighteen
counties in the highlands of West Virginia and western
Maryland. They include Allegany and Garrett counties in
Maryland, and Barbour, Braxton, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire,
Hardy, Mineral, Morgan, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pocahontas,
Preston, Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, and Webster counties in West
Virginia. These counties collectively represent the significant
highlands timber-producing areas of these two states. The
forest and industry from the forest have been commanding
factors in the region's economy.
A study conducted by West Virginia University's Davis
College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences
determined the feasibility of establishment of a national
heritage area found that the central Appalachian Forest has
outstanding natural resources and historical and cultural
themes of state and national significance. Timber harvesting in
the region helped fuel the industrial revolution. This area is
the core of the central hardwood forest that is today the
largest of its kind in the world, having regrown from the
original cutting aided by forest management and protection of
public lands.
Protected and designated natural resources within the
Heritage Area include Monongahela National Forest, portions of
George Washington National Forest, Canaan Valley National
Wildlife Refuge, the nation's first National Recreation Area at
Seneca Rocks/Spruce Knob, 14 National Natural Landmarks, 5
wilderness areas, 12 West Virginia State Parks, 5 West Virginia
State Forests, 9 Maryland State Parks, and 4 Maryland State
Forests, plus a number of natural areas protected by non-profit
organizations.
Significant historic and cultural sites and resources
within the Heritage Area include five National Historic
Landmarks, portions of the C&O Canal National Historical Park,
the Historic National Road, Canal Place Heritage Area, four
national scenic byways, significant Civilian Conservation Corp
(CCC) works at Watoga State Park, state designated byways, and
a total of 26 historic districts and 215 individual sites
listed on the National Register.
The Forest Heritage story can be expressed in the Heritage
Area through a variety of existing resources, such as remnants
of old growth forests, protected wilderness areas, historic
sites from the logging era including the intact logging company
town at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, national and state
forest lands created to foster regrowth of the forest, CCC
structures demonstrating conservation efforts, experimental
forests demonstrating the evolution of forestry management,
managed public and private forests, and a dynamic forest
industry with mills and value-added products that demonstrate
the ongoing importance of the forest and forest products to
this region.
The extensive central hardwood forests and undeveloped
rural character of the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area provide
natural and recreational resources, scenic vistas, outdoor
recreation, and opportunities for nature observation for people
throughout the United States to enjoy.
The central Appalachian culture includes folk life, music,
dance, crafts, and traditions that are inextricably tied to the
forest and reliance upon forest products. The Heritage Area
represents a cross section of American history illustrating how
people lived in and interacted with the forested mountains,
including Native Americans, frontier settlements, the Civil War
First Campaign and formation of a state, blending of cultures
from periods of European and African-American immigration, and
adaptation to changing economies in contemporary America. The
forested landscapes of the present directly link the Forest
Heritage of the past to the future, as do the historic valley
settlements, farmlands, and industrial landscapes.
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
The Maritime Washington National Heritage Area covers an
area in the counties of Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan,
Island, King, Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Jefferson,
Clallam, and Grays Harbor in western Washington State. Western
Washington State's heritage is defined by its relationship to
the waters of Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the
Pacific Ocean. Native communities found a bounty of resources
in the waters and shorelines of this area where permanent
settlements arose. While salmon and sea life provided an
abundance of sustenance, western red cedar provided the
material to make these people a maritime culture. Canoe culture
allowed an extensive trade and social network throughout the
region and was reliant on these open waterways. The very
resources that provided for native peoples to have a thriving
culture also attracted European and American explorers and
settlers.
In 1774, Spanish ships were the first European craft to
sail the region's waters. Juan Perez landed men along
Washington's coast and the following year Bruno de Heceta
established Spanish claims to the region. They soon were
followed by other explorers including James Cook (1778), who
spotted Cape Flattery at the entrance to the waterway that
leads to Puget Sound. It wasn't until 1787 that a non-Native
entered these straits when Captain Charles Barkley named it for
Juan de Fuca. For the next five years both Spanish and British
explorers explored more of the region, including Captain George
Vancouver who named the Sound for Peter Puget, one of his
sailors. American inroads to the region began in earnest when
Captain Robert Gray discovered the Columbia River and also that
otter furs obtained from the natives of the Pacific Northwest
sold for a handsome profit in China. Trading vessels
foreshadowed fur trade forts including the Hudson's Bay
Company's Fort Nisqually in 1833. From this establishment's
farms came an export trade that tied Puget Sound to Russian
Alaska, Mexican California, Hawaii and Great Britain.
Following the settlement of the international boundary
between British and American land, American settlements began
to gain strength following 1846. The timber industry spurred
these settlements and the transformation of the region from a
backwater to a center of maritime commerce. Pacific Northwest
ships helped supply the Klondike gold rush. Lumber shipped from
the region helped rebuild San Francisco after the earthquake of
1906 and was exported throughout the world.
Shipyards followed after exporting of lumber began. In
fact, the history of ship building--both civilian and
military--highlights a major economic activity of the region
today. Naval activity at Bremerton, Bangor and Everett a vital
connection to the region's maritime past.
Today, the region continues to be tied to its saltwater
heritage both in commerce and recreation. In 2010, the
Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic
Preservation undertook a feasibility study of the designation
of a national heritage area to preserve and promote this
heritage. Designation of a National Heritage Area and a
coordinating organization would allow for the significant
number of maritime resources (museums and interpretive centers,
historic vessels, maritime education centers, lighthouses and
locks, waterfronts and public spaces) to actively develop
opportunities for visitors.
Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area
Stretching from the shores of Puget Sound to the heart of
Washington State, the Mountains to Sound Greenway is a mosaic
of thriving communities, living history, and vast natural lands
in King and Kittitas counties, Washington. With 1.5 million
acres of rugged mountains, vast forests, high desert, suburban
parks and gardens, and metropolitan streets, the Greenway
encompasses a shared heritage of historic towns, healthy
ecosystems, spectacular alpine wilderness, working farms and
forests, and extensive outdoor recreation in a region that
includes one of the major metropolitan areas in the United
States.
Following an initial surge of logging and mining, local
residents began to consider ways of living close to the land
without exhausting it. Twenty years ago, a coalition of civic
leaders and community activists came together around the need
to preserve the Greenway and its natural and historical assets.
During 2009 and 2010, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
(Trust) engaged stakeholders in discussions about the Greenway
and what opportunities exist for conserving and enhancing a
sustainable balance into the future. In March, 2012, the Trust
completed a study of the feasibility of establishing the
Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area.
Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area
The Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area includes the
Lower Susquehanna River corridor and all of Lancaster and York
Counties in south-central Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna
River. It stretches along the banks of the longest river on the
East Coast, the 441-mile long Susquehanna River. The cultural
and religious beliefs of this area's European settlers
flourished and spread to the outlying East Coast regions during
the 17th and 18th centuries.
The area's name is based on its earlier inhabitants, an
Iroquoian tribe who called themselves the Conestoga. The
Virginia Algonquian name for the Tribe was Susquehannock.
Captain John Smith entered a trade alliance with the Tribe when
he traveled up the Susquehanna River in the summer of 1608,
beginning a tradition of commerce that spanned hundreds of
miles and years. The region is recognized as an area of not
just commerce, but also invention. Along the banks of the
Susquehanna John Elgar constructed the first iron steamboat in
America and it was the birthplace of the original inventor of
the boats, Robert Fulton. During the Revolutionary War, the
Continental Congress met in Lancaster and York Counties and it
was in York where the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual
Union were approved.
The area is also known for its natural resources, including
remnant old growth forests and migratory bird nesting grounds.
Within the area are also two designated National Natural
Landmarks, Ferncliff and the Susquehanna Gorge, and two
National Recreation Trails, Kelly's Run and Susquehanna River
Water trails.
In 2001, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources designated the Lancaster-York Heritage Region
as a state heritage area, now known as the Susquehanna Gateway
Heritage Area. The management entity, formerly known as the
Lancaster-York Heritage Region, changed its name to the
Susquehanna Heritage Corporation in order to highlight its
connection to the Susquehanna River and its focus on, ``the
cultural and economic value of the river's heritage and outdoor
recreation.'' The Susquehanna Heritage Corporation prepared a
feasibility study for the area. After a review of the
feasibility study, the National Park Service found the study
area to meet the national significance criteria for potential
designation as a heritage area.
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is formed by the
confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers as well as
the Mokelumne, Consumnes, and Calaveras Rivers within the five
counties of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and
Yolo. The resulting rare inland Delta is the largest estuary on
America's west coast (1,000 square miles). Today, the Delta's
diverse habitats support a wide variety of plants and animals
including migrating birds and anadromous fish.
Native American groups used the Delta prior to the influx
of fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the mid-
1800s Gold Rush, prospectors recognized the agricultural value
of the Delta's fertile soils and abundant water. Marshlands
were converted into agricultural lands, which are still in
production today. The process of reclamation and the ensuing
agriculture brought with it a diversity of cultural heritage
including Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, East Indians,
Portuguese and Italian immigrants who helped develop the former
marsh lands into highly productive agricultural lands. By 1930,
the Delta marsh lands had been reclaimed into a network of
waterways and islands. Approximately 1,100 square miles of
levees are still in use today to support the agricultural
industry.
Recreational opportunities within the Delta include
boating, wakeboarding, windsurfing, fishing, and bird watching.
These opportunities attract visitors and provide outdoor
experiences for people living nearby in the large urban centers
that surround the area. The Delta area also serves as an
important infrastructure corridor between northern and central
California for power, gas, water, roads, and shipping canals.
The Delta is one of California's largest watersheds, draining
approximately 40 percent of California's land. Since the early
1900s, urban sprawl has been identified as a significant threat
to the Delta.
In 2009, the California State Legislature charged the Delta
Protection Commission to develop a proposal to establish State
and Federal designation of the Delta as a place of special
significance, including the ability to apply for designation as
a National Heritage Area. As a result, the Delta Protection
Commission, along with public and private stakeholders, worked
together to develop a draft feasibility study of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area. The draft
study is currently under review by the National Park Service
and the Delta Protection Commission.
Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area
The Black Belt region of Alabama (Black Belt) stretches
across the lower-central portion of Alabama, from the eastern
border of Mississippi to the western border of southern
Georgia. The Black Belt is named for the exceptionally fertile
black soil in the region.
In the 1820s and 1830s, this soil influenced the
construction of a large network of cotton plantations, which in
turn made the region one of the wealthiest and most politically
powerful in the United States. When the Civil War began in the
early 1860s, the city of Montgomery was established as the
first capital of the Confederacy. The region is recognized by
many as the center of the civil rights movement of the 1950s
and 1960s. Several pivotal events in the civil rights movement
took place in the region including the Montgomery bus boycott
and the march from Selma to Montgomery, which helped lead to
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The geography of the Black Belt is comprised of prairies,
forests, and rivers, and the area contains diverse species of
flora and fauna as well as many fossils, including shells and
bones of ancient sea life.
The Black Belt contains three units of the National Park
System: the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail; the
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site; and the Tuskegee
Institute National Historic Site. The region also includes the
Talladega National Forest and the Tuskegee National Forest. The
Bartram Trail, a National Recreation Trail, runs through the
Tuskegee National Forest. Additionally, the region contains two
National Wildlife Refuges and two Army Corps of Engineers
projects: the Alabama River Lakes and the Black Warrior and
Tombigbee Lakes, river basins provide public recreation
opportunities and natural resource sites.
The Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area Task Force was formed
in 2004 with the purpose of exploring National Heritage Area
designation. It completed a feasibility study in February 2009,
which concluded that National Heritage Area designation would
best promote and preserve the unique historical, cultural,
ecological, and geographical assets of the Black Belt, while
creating much-needed economic and community development.
Extension and modification of existing National Heritage Areas
Congress has traditionally authorized National Heritage
Areas for periods of 15 years. In addition to designating 6 new
National Heritage Areas, S. 2602, as ordered reported, extends
the authorizations for 13 National Heritage Areas to 2030. The
13 National Heritage Areas are: the Delaware and Lehigh Canal
National Heritage Corridor in Pennsylvania; the National Coal
Heritage Area in West Virginia; the Rivers of Steel National
Heritage Area in southwestern Pennsylvania; the Essex National
Heritage Area in Massachusetts; the Silos to Smokestacks
National Heritage Area (America's Agricultural Heritage
Partnership) in Iowa; the Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage
Corridor in northeast Ohio; the Hudson River Valley National
Heritage Area in New York; the Automobile National Heritage
Area in southeastern Michigan; the Lackawanna Valley National
Heritage Area in Pennsylvania; the Schuylkill River Valley
National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania; the Wheeling National
Heritage Area in West Virginia; the Yuma Crossing National
Heritage Area in Arizona; and the Erie Canalway National
Heritage Corridor in New York.
In addition, S. 2602, as ordered reported, designates the
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, Inc., as
the local coordinating entity for the John H. Chafee Blackstone
River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, and redesignates the Quinebaug and Shetucket
Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor in as the Last Green
Valley National Heritage Corridor in south-central
Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut.
Legislative History
S. 2602 was introduced by Senator Cantwell on July 15,
2014. A similar bill, H.R. 1785 was introduced in the House of
Representatives by Representative Reichert on April 26, 2013.
The subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 2602 on
July 23, 2014. At its business meeting on November 13, 2014,
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 2602
reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
The amendment incorporates the text of 14 other National
Heritage Area bills. They are:
S. 219, the Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area Act,
which was introduced by Senator Casey on February 4, 2013. The
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 219 on
April 23, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-27). During the 112th Congress,
Senator Casey introduced identical legislation, S. 1150. The
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 219 on
March 7, 2013 (S. Hrg. 112-401).
S. 228, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage
Area Establishment Act, which was introduced by Senators
Feinstein and Boxer on February 4, 2013. The Subcommittee on
National Parks held a hearing on April 23, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-
27). In the 112th Congress similar legislation, S. 29, was
introduced by Senator Reid for Senators Feinstein and Boxer on
January 25, 2012. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 29 on March 7, 2012 (S. Hrg. 112-401).
S. 371, the Blackstone River Valley National Historical
Park Establishment Act, which was introduced on February 14,
2013, by Senators Reed, Whitehouse, Warren, and Cowan. The
Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 371 on
April 23, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-27). The amendment adopted only
portions of this bill that pertain to the John H. Chafee
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Area. A similar bill,
H.R. 706, was introduced was introduced on February 13, 2013,
in the House of Representatives by Representative Cicilline. In
the 112th Congress similar legislation, S. 1708, was introduced
on October 13, 2011. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 1708 on March 7, 2012 (S. Hrg. 112-401).
S. 702, a bill to designate the Quinebaug and Shetucket
Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor as ``The Last Green
Valley National Heritage Corridor,'' which was introduced by
Senators Blumenthal, Cowan, Murphy, and Warren on April 10,
2013. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S.
702 on July 31, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-93). A similar bill, H.R.
1471, was introduced in the House of Representatives on April
10, 2013, by Representative Courtney.
S. 869, the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Act, which
was introduced by Senators Shelby and Sessions on May 7, 2013.
The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 869 on
July 31, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-93). A similar bill, H.R. 2254, was
introduced into the House of Representatives on June 4, 2013,
by Representative Sewell. In the 111th Congress, a similar
bill, S. 2892, was introduced by Senators Shelby and Sessions
on December 16, 2009. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on the bill on March 17, 2010. The Committee ordered S.
2892 favorably reported, as amended, at its business meeting on
June 21, 2010. (S. Rept. 111-265.)
S. 1138, a bill to reauthorize the Hudson River Valley
National Heritage Area, which was introduced by Senator
Gillibrand on July 11, 2013. The Subcommittee on National Parks
held a hearing on S. 1138 on July 31, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-93). A
similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on
June 18, 2013, by Representative Maloney.
S. 1151, America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership
Reauthorization Act, which was introduced by Senator Harkin on
June 12, 2013. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 1151 on July 31, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-93).
S. 1157, a bill to reauthorize the Rivers of Steel National
Heritage Area, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area,
the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Area, and the
Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area, which was
introduced by Senator Casey on June 13, 2013. The Subcommittee
on National Parks held a hearing on S. 1157 on July 31, 2013
(S. Hrg. 113-93). A similar bill, H.R. 2360, was introduced
into the House of Representatives on June 13, 2013, by
Representative Fitzpatrick.
S. 1186, the Essex National Heritage Area Reauthorization
Act, which was introduced by Senators Warren and Cowan on June
19, 2013. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on
S. 1186 on July 31, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-93). A similar bill was
introduced in the House of Representatives on June 27, 2013, by
Representative Tierney.
S. 1339, a bill to reauthorize the Ohio & Erie Canal
National Heritage Canalway, was introduced by Senator Brown on
July 23, 2013. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 1339 on July 31, 2013 (S. Hrg. 113-93).
S. 2111, the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
Reauthorization Act, which was introduced by Senator McCain on
March 12, 2014. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 2111 on July 23, 2014. A similar bill was
introduced in the House of Representatives on March 12, 2014 by
Representative Grijalva.
S. 2221, the MotorCities National Heritage Area Extension
Act, which was introduced by Senators Levin and Stabenow on
April 8, 2014. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on S. 2221 on July 23, 2014. A similar bill was
introduced in the House of Representatives on April 8, 2014 by
Representative Dingell.
S. 2318, a bill to reauthorize the Erie Canalway National
Heritage Corridor Act, which was introduced by Senator
Gillibrand on May 12, 2014. The Subcommittee on National Parks
held a hearing on S. 2318 on July 23, 2014. A similar bill was
introduced in the House of Representatives on May 9, 2014, by
Representative Higgins.
S. 2576, the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
Act, which was introduced by Senators Cantwell and Murray on
July 9, 2014. The Subcommittee on National Park held a hearing
on S. 2576. A similar bill was introduced in the House of
Representatives on July 8, 2014 by Representative Kilmer.
Committee Recommendation
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on November 13, 2014, by a voice vote of
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 2602, if
amended as described herein.
Committee Amendment
During its consideration of S. 2602, the Committee adopted
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment
incorporated provisions from 14 other National Heritage Area
bills into S. 2602, establishing 5 new National Heritage Areas
(in addition to the Mountains to the Sound Greenway National
Heritage Area), extending the authorization for 13 existing
national heritage areas, designating a new management entity
for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor, and renaming the Quinebaug and Shetucket
Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor the Last Green Valley
National Heritage Corridor. The amendment also amends the short
title and consolidates management provisions for the National
Heritage Areas designated by the measure.
The Committee Amendment is explained in detail in the
section-by-section analysis below.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1 provides the short title, ``National Heritage
Area Authorization Act of 2014.''
Section 2 defines the term ``Secretary''.
Section 3 establishes six new national heritage areas
including the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area in the
states of West Virginia and Maryland; the Maritime Washington
National Heritage Area in the State of Washington; Mountains to
Sound Greenway National Heritage Area in the State of
Washington; Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area in the
State of Pennsylvania; Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National
Heritage Area in the State of California; and, Alabama Black
Belt National Heritage Area in the State of Alabama. For each
of the new national heritage areas, a local coordinating entity
is named.
Section 4 details how the new national heritage areas will
be administered. Subsection (a) provides the Secretary with the
authority to: use funds authorized by section 9; provide
grants; enter into cooperative agreements; hire and compensate
staff; and obtain money or services.
Subsection (b) details the duties of the local coordinating
entities.
Subsection (c) prohibits the local coordinating entity from
using Federal funds to acquire real property or any interest in
real property.
Section 5 requires that the local coordinating entities
submit a proposed management plan within 3 years of enactment.
Section 6 affirms the authority of Federal agencies to
provide technical or financial assistance under any other law;
encourages agencies to consult and coordinate activities with
the Secretary and local coordinating entity; and clarifies that
nothing in this Act modifies authorities of Federal agencies to
manage Federal land, limits the discretion of a Federal agency
to implement an approved land use plan, or modifies or alters
any authorized use of Federal land.
Section 7 contains several savings provisions to clarify
that the designation of the national heritage area will not
affect private property rights, affect governmental land use
regulation, reserve or appropriate water rights, diminish the
authority of the State to manage fish and wildlife, or create
any liability for property owners within the heritage area.
Section 8 requires the Secretary to conduct an evaluation
of the National Heritage Areas that assesses the progress of
the local coordinating entity with respect to accomplishing the
purposes of this Act and whether the local coordinating entity
achieved the goals and objectives of the approved management
plan. The evaluation is also required to analyze governmental
and private investments in the heritage area to their impact.
Section 9 authorizes not more than $1 million to be
appropriated for any fiscal year and a total authorization of
$10 million.
Section 10 extends the following national heritage area
authorities: Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor; Coal
National Heritage Area; Steel Industry (Rivers of Steel)
National Heritage Area; Essex National Heritage Area; America's
Agricultural Heritage Partnership (Silos and Smokestacks)
National Heritage Area; Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage
Area; Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area; Automobile
(MotorCities) National Heritage Area; Lackawanna Valley
National Heritage Area; Schuylkill River National Heritage
Area; Wheeling National Heritage Area; Yuma Crossing National
Heritage Area; and, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
Section 11 designates the Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor, Inc. as the local coordinating entity for
the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage
Corridor.
Section 12 renames the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers
Valley National Heritage Corridor as the Last Green Valley
National Heritage Corridor.
Cost and Budgetary Considerations
The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the costs of
this measure has been requested but was not received at the
time the report was filed. When the Congressional Budget Office
completes its cost estimate, it will be posted on the Internet
at www.cbo.gov.
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. 2602.
The Act 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. 2602, as ordered reported.
Congressionally Directed Spending
S. 2602, as reported, does not contain any congressionally
directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited
tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules
of the Senate.
Executive Communications
The testimony provided by the National Park Service to the
Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S. 2602, and other
National Heritage Area legislation incorporated in the
amendment in the nature of a substitute follows:
Statement of Christina Goldfuss, Deputy Director, Congressional and
External Relations, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 2602, a bill to
establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage
Area in the State of Washington.
The Department supports the objectives of S. 2602. The
Mountains to Sound Greenway area has been found to meet the
National Park Service's interim criteria for designation as a
National Heritage Area. However, the Department recommends that
Congress pass program legislation that establishes criteria to
evaluate potentially qualified National Heritage Areas and a
process for the designation, funding, and administration of
these areas before designating any additional new National
Heritage Areas. The Department also recommends a technical
amendment to provide for an official NPS map to accompany the
legislation.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
although there is no authority in law that guides their
designation and administration as a national system. National
Heritage Area Program legislation would provide a much-needed
framework for evaluation of proposed national heritage areas,
guiding planning and management, clarifying roles and
responsibilities, and standardizing timeframes and funding for
designated areas.
S. 2602 would establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway
National Heritage Area to include lands within the Yakima River
basin upstream of Manastash Creek and the cities of Ellensburg,
Roslyn, Cle Elum, and South Cel Elum in Kittitas County. It
would also include all lands in the Snoqualmie River, Cedar
River, and Lake Washington watersheds, the Puget Sound near
shore watersheds within and including the cities of Seattle and
Shoreline, and 22 additional cities in King County.
The proposed local coordinating entity would be the
nonprofit corporation Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
(Trust).
NPS review of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National
Heritage Area Feasibility Study completed by the Trust in March
2012, found that the study did not meet the NPS Interim
National Heritage Area Feasibility Study Guidelines. The NPS
requested the Trust provide a revised statement of national
importance; themes and a list of associated resources; a
summary of traditions, customs, beliefs and folk life; and a
boundary justification. The NPS received the Addendum from the
Trust on May 27, 2014, which (1) explained that the Mountains
to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area is nationally
important for its association with the expansion of our
national transportation system and the creation of our modern
timber industry; (2) identified three themes associated with
the region's national importance and their related historic and
natural resources; (3) summarized the ongoing traditions,
customs, beliefs, and folklife that interprets and celebrates
the region's national importance; and (4) justified the
proposed boundary in relation to the strategic assemblage of
resources and opportunities for conservation, recreation and
education, as well as public interest in this national heritage
area designation.
The proposed Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage
Area tells a nationally important story of how the Northern
Pacific and Milwaukee railroads, and later the Sunset Highway
and Interstate 90, created the final section of an historic
transportation corridor that wove the Northwest into the
nation's fabric, opened up trade between the United States and
Asia, and led to the development of the nation's modern timber
industry.
Although the Puget Sound area was part of the United States
by 1950, the Cascade Range isolated the region from the rest of
the nation, with little access to its abundant natural
resources and sheltered deep-water ports. Chartered by
President Lincoln in 1864, the Northern Pacific Railroad was
constructed along a Native American pathway through the nearly
impassible Snoqualmie Pass to reach Seattle 20 years later. The
connection of the Eastern seaboard and Great Lakes with the
farthest reaches of the continental United States reinforced
the newly drawn American-Canadian border. The City of Seattle
grew into a booming hub for shipbuilding and the trade of
foreign goods and the region's own wealth of natural resources,
opening the country's first trade routes on what we now call
the Pacific Rim. Rail towns sprung up along the main lines with
mill and coal towns on the spurs, while piers stretched into
Puget Sound, attracting immigrant workers whose descendants
live in the region today.
The Milwaukee Road crossed the Cascades in the early 1900s
using pioneering tunneling and electrification techniques. The
high speed electric trains of the Milwaukee Road carried
Japanese silk to New York, the nation's most precious rail
commodity after gold and silver bullion, but the railroad made
its money carrying passengers to ski, hike, and climb at
Snoqualmie Pass. The conservation ethic that developed in the
region from enjoyment of the region's natural beauty is
strongly held today.
Washington's modern economy is descended directly from the
Northern Pacific Land Grant that was used to build the
railroad. In place of public financing, the railroad received
the largest federal land grant in American history. The
railroad was granted 40 million acres--every other square mile
of land in a checkerboard pattern up to forty miles on either
side of the right-of-way. This consolidated ownership, as well
as steam technology brought by the railroad, created the
booming timber industry that helped rebuild San Francisco after
the 1906 earthquake and fueled shipbuilding in World War I.
Airplanes being produced for the military on a large scale for
the first time were built from the region's prized spruce
trees. Demand for this aircraft led William Boeing to found a
company in the region in 1916 that supplies the nation's air
transportation industry today.
Plantation forestry involving sustained-yield harvest and
reforestation was invented in 1937 by William Weyerhauser, who
had amassed one and a half million acres of Washington
timberland. He established the first seedling industry at
Snoqualmie Falls and began to manage timber across multiple
harvests, a radical idea at the time. This remains the industry
standard across much of the country today,
The cultural heritage of the Mountains to Sound Greenway
National Heritage Area is alive in the ethnic diversity of the
region's population, in the traditions, customs and
celebrations, and in museums, festivals, historic sites, and
interpretive trails that both residents and visitors enjoy
today. Following modern-day political and land-management
structures, the proposed heritage area boundaries are
pragmatic, thus offering the best formula for long-term success
as communities seek to manage, enhance, and interpret resources
across this landscape.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be happy
to answer any questions you or any other members of the
subcommittee may have.
----------
Statement of Christina Goldfuss, Deputy Director, Congressional and
External Relations, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 2576, a bill to
establish the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area.
The Department supports the objectives of S. 2576. The
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area has been found to
meet the National Park Service's interim criteria for
designation as a National Heritage Area. However, the
Department recommends that Congress pass program legislation
that establishes criteria to evaluate potentially qualified
National Heritage Areas and a process for the designation,
funding, and administration of these areas before designating
any additional new National Heritage Areas. The Department also
recommends a technical amendment to provide for an official NPS
map to accompany the legislation.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
although there is no authority in law that guides their
designation and administration as a national system. National
heritage area program legislation would provide a much-needed
framework for evaluation of proposed national heritage areas,
guiding planning and management, clarifying roles and
responsibilities, and standardizing timeframes and funding for
designated areas.
S. 2576 would establish the Maritime Washington National
Heritage Area to include Federal, State, local and tribal lands
that allow public access and are at least partly located within
one-quarter mile landward of the shoreline from Grays Harbor to
the Canadian border and extending through the City of Seattle
to include Lake Union. This ``Salt Water Coast'' covers 3,000
linear miles of coastline.
The proposed local coordinating entity would be the Pacific
Northwest Maritime Heritage Advisory Council operating under
the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.
A Feasibility Study for a Washington State National
Maritime Heritage Area was completed and published by the
Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
in April 2010. The NPS conducted a review of the study for
consistency with the interim National Heritage Area Feasibility
Study Guidelines. The review of this document and a subsequent
revised Statement of Importance and boundary justification,
submitted March 5, 2012, found that it meets these criteria.
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation was informed of
this finding in a letter dated June 5, 2012.
The unique geography of the Puget Sound, northern coast,
and Grays Harbor region reflects a maritime history both before
and after our nation's borders were set. The steep terrain of
glacier-clad mountain ranges juxtaposed to saltwater shoreline
with a temperate climate enabled native people build a complex
culture around canoe routes and salmon cycles. By the late 18th
century Spanish, English, and Russian explorers were mapping
and naming places in the region in the name of science and the
interest of colonial empire. After the 49th parallel was
established as the nation's northern border in 1846, this new
corner of the country entered a dramatic period of social,
political and military development. The vast conifer forests
were easily accessible for timber production and the coastal
geography made possible its transport to the developing
American west. The timber trade and the abundant marine
resources--especially salmon--of the Strait of San Juan de
Fuca, Puget Sound, and the Pacific Ocean, attracted American,
European, and Pan-Asian settlers who provided the labor for
thriving port economies such as Port Angeles, Port Townsend,
and Port Gamble.
The proposed Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
stretches from northern points of entry at Bellingham and
Blaine south to the protected harbors of Aberdeen and Hoquiam.
The focal point of the heritage area is the greater Puget Sound
area, a system of interconnected marine waterways, harbors,
bays, and inlets along the shores of the San Juan Archipelago
and the many waterfront towns, cities, and ports that have
grown up here over time. The naval facilities on Puget Sound
have built and repaired vessels in their fleet for over a
century. Today, the region still relies on these waterways to
make up the largest marine highway system--its famous ferries--
for day-to-day transportation.
The cultural landscape of the region tells the stories of a
rich Native American civilization, development of the farthest
territorial corner of the United States, of gold rushers and
ship builders, and of a gateway to Alaska, Asia, and the
seaports of the world. Traditional Native American sites,
lumber towns, logging mills, salmon processing plants, historic
ships, lighthouses, museums, and a host of other maritime-
related objects, sites, and traditions relate these stories and
make up the proposed Maritime Washington National Heritage
Area. The designation would strengthen and encourage the
partnership of organizations that have for two decades been
committed to the recognition, preservation, and continued
economic, recreational, and educational use of this landscape
and its resources.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be happy
to answer any questions you or any other members of the
subcommittee may have.
----------
Statement of Christina Goldfuss, Deputy Director, Congressional and
External Relations, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 1641, a bill to
establish the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, and
for other purposes.
The Department supports the objectives of Title I of S.
1641, which would designate the Appalachian Forest National
Heritage Area. This area has been found to meet the National
Park Service's interim criteria for designation as a National
Heritage Area. However, the Department recommends that Congress
pass program legislation that establishes criteria to evaluate
potentially qualified National Heritage Areas and a process for
the designation, funding, and administration of these areas
before designating any additional new National Heritage Areas.
Regarding Title II, which provides for the extension of
funding authority for the National Coal Heritage Area and the
Wheeling National Heritage Area, the Department recognizes the
important work that has been done by the organizations involved
with both national heritage areas. However, we recommend that
Title II be amended to authorize an extension for both heritage
areas' program funding until such time as the National Park
Service (NPS) has completed an evaluation and report on the
accomplishments of the area and the future role of the NPS; and
until national heritage area (NHA) program legislation is
enacted that standardizes timeframes and funding for designated
national heritage areas.
The NPS is initiating phase-in of a funding formula for
NHAs, which is a merit-based system for allocating heritage
area funding that considers a variety of factors based upon
criteria related to program goals, accountability, and
organizational sustainability. When fully implemented, the
performance-based funding formula plan will reward NHA entities
that bring in additional non-Federal investment and that have
developed a sustainability plan. The Department would like to
work with Congress to determine the future federal role when
national heritage areas reach the end of their authorized
eligibility for heritage program funding. We recommend that
Congress enact national heritage area program legislation
during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides their designation
and administration as a national system. National heritage area
program legislation would provide a much-needed framework for
evaluation of proposed national heritage areas, guiding
planning and management, clarifying roles and responsibilities,
and standardizing timeframes and funding for designated areas.
Title I of S. 1641 would establish the Appalachian Forest
National Heritage Area encompassing 16 counties in northeastern
West Virginia and two counties in western Maryland, a region
that has a rich history of human activity shaped by the
geography of the forested central Appalachian Mountains. The
proposed local coordinating entity would be the Appalachian
Forest Heritage Area, Inc., a non-profit organization that
currently coordinates forest-related heritage tourism
activities in this region. The provisions in this bill are
similar to provisions in most of the other NHA designation
bills that have been enacted in recent years, including a total
authorization of $10 million and a sunset date for the
authorization of funding 15 years after the date of enactment.
The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, Inc. prepared a
feasibility study for designation of the area as a national
heritage area several years ago. The National Park Service
reviewed the study and found that it met the NPS interim
criteria contained in National Heritage Area Feasibility Study
Guidelines. The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, Inc. was
informed of this finding in a letter dated August 16, 2007.
The area encompassed by the proposed NHA is a significant
part of the central Appalachian highlands that has a long
history of timber harvesting, forest management, and the
production of forest products. It is an area that provided
resources for industrial expansion in the late 19th and early
20th Centuries, but where large portions of the forests have
regrown. Areas within the proposed NHA include the Monongahela
National Forest, portions of the George Washington National
Forest, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and the
Seneca Rocks-Spruce Knob National Recreation Area, along with a
large number of state forests and parks and areas protected by
nonprofit conservation organizations. The extensive hardwood
forests and undeveloped rural character of the area provide
scenic vistas, opportunities for nature observation, and
outdoor recreation opportunities.
There are also numerous historic and cultural sites within
the area, such as historic sites from the logging era and
Civilian Conservation Corps structures. It is an area well-
suited to demonstrate the connection between forest and forest
products, and the folklife, music, dance, crafts, and
traditions of central Appalachia. Designation as a NHA would
help the region realize the full potential of the cultural,
natural, historic, and recreational resources of the region.
Title II of S. 1641 would extend the authorization of
funding for the National Coal Heritage Area until September 30,
2017. The National Coal Heritage Area was established in 1996
by Public Law 104-333. Its funding authorization, which expired
in 2012 under that law, has been extended through
appropriations acts through September 30, 2015. In total, the
NHA has received approximately $3.6 million, and every federal
dollar has been matched at least once with non-federal funds or
in-kind services.
The National Coal Heritage Area spans 13 counties in the
Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and includes significant
resources such as coal mines, camps, company stores, train
depots, memorials, parks, National Register Districts, and
trails. Its mission is to preserve, protect, and interpret
historic, cultural, and natural resources associated with West
Virginia's coal mining heritage to stimulate tourism and
economic development, enhancing the quality of life for
residents. The NPS is currently concluding an evaluation of
this NHA, as required under Public Law 110-229.
Title II would also extend the authorization of funding for
the Wheeling National Heritage Area until September 30, 2017.
The Wheeling National Heritage Area was established in 2000 by
Public Law 106-291. Its funding authorization will expire under
that law on September 30, 2015. In total, the NHA has received
approximately $9.7 million of the total $10 million authorized
to be appropriated, and every federal dollar has been matched
in accordance with its enabling act.
The Wheeling National Heritage Area encompasses significant
historic and cultural resources in and around City of Wheeling,
West Virginia, including many that are National Historic
Landmarks or listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. Wheeling played an important role in the development
and establishment of a multitude of industries in the United
States that facilitated the Nation's expansion. The NHA helps
preserve the city's Victorian architecture, waterfront park,
historic city markets, and renovated industrial buildings.
We recommend a technical amendment to the Title II heading
and to the section subheadings to make it clear that the bill
would extend the authorization for federal funding for the two
national heritage areas, instead of reauthorizing the national
heritage areas. While both National Coal and Wheeling face
sunset dates for their federal funding, their national heritage
area designations will not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be happy
to answer any questions you or any other members of the
subcommittee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to appear before you today to present the views
of the Department of the Interior on S. 869, a bill to
establish the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area, and
for other purposes.
The Department recommends deferring action on S. 869 until
the National Park Service (NPS) completes a final review of the
feasibility study for the proposed Alabama Black Belt National
Heritage Area. The NPS has reviewed the current feasibility
study, submitted by the Center for the Study of the Black Belt
at the University of West Alabama, and determined that there
are nationally significant resources and stories associated
with the Alabama Black Belt. However, the study needs to be
revised before the NPS can determine that it meets the interim
criteria for designation as a national heritage area. We
recommend that the Center for the Study of the Black Belt
continue to work with the NPS National Heritage Area Program to
refine the statement of national importance, contributing
resources, supporting themes, and boundary for the proposed
heritage area, as well as other key sections of the study
associated with these assessment topics.
In addition, the Department recommends that Congress enact
program legislation that establishes criteria to evaluate
potential qualified national heritage areas and a process for
the designation, funding, and administration of these areas
before designating any additional new national heritage areas.
Geographically, Alabama's Black Belt is part of a larger
crescent-shaped area known as the Southern Black Belt, which
extends from Virginia to Texas. The term refers to the fertile
black soil of the region. This soil drew pioneers to settle the
lower-central portion of Alabama in the 1820s and 1830s where
they established and operated a network of cotton plantations
using the labor of enslaved African Americans. During the
Antebellum era, the Alabama Black Belt became one of the
wealthiest and most politically powerful regions in the United
States.
Throughout the Twentieth Century, this area gained fame as
the site where the Tuskegee Airmen trained during World War II,
and as a center of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and
1960s. Montgomery County was the site of the 1955-56 bus
boycott that challenged segregation of public transportation.
Highway 80 in Dallas, Lowndes, and Montgomery counties shaped
the route taken by participants of the historic march for equal
rights from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The Lowndes County
Freedom Organization, later the Black Panther Party, was an
outgrowth of that march.
S. 869 would establish the Alabama Black Belt National
Heritage Area within nineteen counties in the State of Alabama.
The Center for the Study of Black Belt would be designated as
the Heritage Area's local coordinating entity, and the bill
defines the duties of the Center for the Study of Black Belt,
including the preparation and implementation of a management
plan. S. 869 also provides a process for review and approval of
the management plan by the Secretary of the Interior.
If the committee decides to move forward with S. 869, we
would like to work with the committee to provide the
appropriate map reference for the national heritage area and to
ensure that the language of the bill is consistent with
previously enacted national heritage area designations.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would
be pleased to answer any questions you or any members of the
subcommittee may have.
----------
Statement of Peggy O'Dell, Deputy Director for Operations, National
Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 228, a bill to
establish the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage
Area.
The Department supports the objectives of S. 228. The
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) area has been found to
meet the National Park Service's interim criteria for
designation as a National Heritage Area. However, the
Department recommends that Congress pass program legislation
that establishes criteria to evaluate potentially qualified
National Heritage Areas and a process for the designation,
funding, and administration of these areas before designating
any additional new National Heritage Areas.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
S. 228 would establish the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
National Heritage Area within the counties of Contra Costa,
Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo, in the State of
California, with the Delta Protection Commission designated as
the Heritage Area's management entity.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a rare inland/inverse
delta at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin
Rivers, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas.
Its vast size, unique shape, and geographic location in the
heart of California have produced a heritage of habitat and
community diversity, industry, innovation, and unique
infrastructure.
After the last ice age 10,000 years ago, a rapid rise in
sea level inundated the alluvial valley of the Sacramento River
and formed the Delta, an extensive system of freshwater and
brackish marshes, grassland, oak woodland, savannah, chaparral,
and riparian habitat rich with wildlife. Native Americans built
villages and trading posts, and early fur traders such as
Jedediah Smith trekked into the region in search of otter, mink
and beaver.
Then, gold seekers on their way from San Francisco to the
gold fields in the Sierra Nevada recognized the fertility of
the Delta's soils. Beginning in the 1880s, with significant
contributions from Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, East Indian,
Portuguese and Italian immigrants, and the development of
innovative equipment, one of the largest scale reclamation
projects in the United States converted the vast marshes into
the landscape that characterizes the Delta today.
The Delta is the lynchpin of a vast watershed, linking
waterways originating in the Cascade, Coastal and Sierra Nevada
mountain ranges with the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific
Ocean. While the Delta today is predominantly agricultural, it
also encompasses diverse habitats--intertidal, non-tidal, and
seasonal wetlands, rivers, sloughs, riparian woodland, scrub,
grasslands, floodplains--that support hundreds of species of
flora and fauna. The Delta is a key stopover on the Pacific
Flyway and an important anadromous fish corridor.
The Delta's heritage values are inextricably linked to its
economic activities. As one of the most productive agricultural
regions in the country, the Delta irrigates over seven million
acres of the State's farmland, contributes billions of dollars
to the California economy, and exports crops throughout the
world. The Delta also supplies two-thirds of California's
residents with drinking water.
Recreation and tourism are also important economic drivers,
and a Delta National Heritage area has the potential to
increase access to many resource-based recreational
opportunities, such as boating and fishing, both for regional
residents and large, nearby, urban populations in the San
Francisco Bay area and Great Central Valley. Opportunities to
watch wildlife are abundant on the Delta's quiet waterways, and
many influential artists reside in the Delta, attracted by the
slower pace of life. Planning for the Great Delta Trail is
underway, and agritourism projects and programs--local markets,
farm stays, and wineries--are springing up to showcase and
share the region's agricultural traditions.
A Feasibility Study for a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
National Heritage Area was completed and published by the Delta
Protection Commission in July 2012. The National Park Service
conducted a review of the Commission's study for consistency
with the interim National Heritage Area Feasibility Study
Guidelines, found that it meets these criteria, and informed
the Delta Protection Commission of this finding in a letter
dated July 11, 2012.
The mission for the Delta National Heritage Area would be
to recognize, enhance and promote ``Delta as Place'' to help
cultivate and retain appreciation and understanding of the
Delta as an ecological, agricultural, recreational, historical
and cultural treasure. According to the feasibility study,
``The center of the Delta's story is that of a young nation
encouraging the reclamation of swampland to create some of the
world's most productive farmlands in the center of California,
from which spawned innovations, technologies, and
infrastructure unique to the development of the State, as well
as other parts of the nation and world.''
The proposed National Heritage Area would promote a wide
range of partnerships among governments, organizations and
individuals to educate the public about ``Delta as Place'' and
build more support for its preservation, protection and
enhancement. It would support economic development by drawing
visitors to designated partner sites and other recreation and
visitor facilities. It would promote heritage tourism,
ecotourism, and agri-tourism consistent with existing
activities, infrastructure, and land uses in the Delta. As the
proposed management entity for a Delta heritage area, the Delta
Protection Commission is already working to establish
partnerships and to further projects in the region compatible
with a national heritage area, such as a historical resources
and recreation inventories, development of the Great California
Delta Trail, and a Delta narratives project. Through
partnerships and community engagement it has the potential to
connect and unite citizens in the conservation and increased
resilience of the natural, historic, scenic and cultural
resources of the Delta, while sustaining the area's economic
vitality.
If the committee decides to act on S. 228, we recommend
that the bill be amended to address the following matters: 1)
To change the bill's map reference to a map that is fully
consistent with the feasibility study boundary recommendation;
2) to change ``management entity'' to ``local coordinating
entity'' throughout the bill; and 3) to make the bill language
more consistent with other National Heritage Area legislation
enacted most recently.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be happy
to answer any questions you or any other members of the
subcommittee may have.
----------
Statement of Peggy O'Dell, Deputy Director for Operations, National
Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 219, a bill to
establish the Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area in
Pennsylvania.
The Department supports the objectives of S. 219. The
Susquehanna Gateway area has been found to meet the National
Park Service's interim criteria for designation as a National
Heritage Area. However, the Department recommends that Congress
pass program legislation that establishes criteria to evaluate
potentially qualified National Heritage Areas and a process for
the designation, funding, and administration of these areas
before designating any additional new National Heritage Areas.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
Flowing for 441 miles, the Susquehanna River is the longest
river on the East Coast and the largest contributor of fresh
water to the Chesapeake Bay. The portions of the river flowing
through Lancaster and York Counties in Pennsylvania exhibit
exceptional natural and recreational value and traverse
landscapes of historical importance to our nation.
The region of the proposed Susquehanna Gateway National
Heritage Area was first inhabited by Native Americans who left
evidence of their occupation in a myriad of archeological
sites, as well as rock art at several petroglyph sites. When
Captain John Smith journeyed up the Susquehanna River in the
summer of 1608, he sent emissaries to the Susquehannock town
located on the east side of the river near present day
Washington Boro in Lancaster County. Tribal leaders there
entered a trade alliance, opening to the English a trade
network extending hundreds of miles.
In 1668, William Penn set the tone for religious tolerance
in Pennsylvania and brought colonists who settled the great
fertile valley of the Susquehanna Gateway region, beginning its
long history as an abundant agricultural center. Serving as an
important transportation corridor, the river provided
opportunities for commerce and invention. It was here that John
Elgar constructed the first iron steamboat in America. The
birthplace of Robert Fulton, the original inventor of steam
powered boats, is a National Historic Landmark in Lancaster
County. Here, too, Phineas Davis designed and built the first
practical coal burning steam locomotive, thereby
revolutionizing railroad transportation.
The region is the home ground of the ``Plain People''--the
Amish and Mennonites. Their religious values, simple way of
life, and well-tended farms speak to the deepest feelings that
Americans have about ourselves and our national experience.
In this region, visitors also find evidence of our
Revolutionary War past. Lancaster and York Counties served as
venues for the Continental Congress when it left Philadelphia
upon the British occupation of that city. In the courthouse in
York, the Congress approved the Articles of Confederation and
Perpetual Union, the nation's ``first constitution,'' and sent
it forth to the states for ratification. In the summer of 1781,
Continental Army General James Wood established Camp Security,
housing more than a thousand British soldiers from General John
Burgoyne's army, which had surrendered at Saratoga.
The region also has an abundance of natural resources
including migratory bird nesting sites, remnants of old growth
forests, and areas of both ecological diversity and scenic
quality. Ferncliff, known for its wildflowers, and the
Susquehanna Gorge are both designated National Natural
Landmarks. Recreational resources abound in the region,
including the Kelly's Run and Susquehanna River Water Trails,
both National Recreation Trails.
S. 219 designates the Susquehanna Heritage Corporation, a
non-profit organization, as the local coordinating entity for
the Susquehanna Gateway National Heritage Area. This
organization has served as the coordinator for the state
heritage area covering this region designated in 2001. The
Susquehanna Heritage Corporation has demonstrated success in
coordinating diverse partners in Lancaster and York Counties.
Over the past nine years, the Corporation has been effective in
facilitating preservation, interpretative, and educational
projects and in leveraging community participation and funding.
The heritage area has strong support from the public and from a
myriad of state, local, federal, and non-govemmental partners
throughout the area. In 2008, the Corporation prepared a
national heritage area feasibility study that was reviewed by
the National Park Service and found to meet the interim
criteria for potential designation found in the National
Heritage Area Feasibility Study Guidelines.
If the committee decides to act on S. 219, we would like to
recommend language to make the bill more consistent with other
National Heritage Area legislation enacted most recently and
also to simply the criteria for approval of management plans.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions from members of the Committee.
----------
Statement of Peggy O'Dell, Deputy Deflector for Operations, National
Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 371, a bill to establish the Blackstone River
Valley National Historical Park, to dedicate the Park to John
H. Chafee, and for other purposes.
The Department supports S. 371.
S. 371 would establish a new unit of the National Park
System, the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park
(Park) within the existing, bi-state, Blackstone River Valley
National Heritage Corridor (Corridor) that extends from
Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island. The bill
directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to establish
a park boundary after acquiring a sufficient amount of land or
interests in land containing the historic resources to
constitute a manageable park unit. The bill allows the
Secretary to include in the boundary resources that are subject
to a cooperative agreement with either of the two states or
their political subdivisions. It authorizes the Secretary to
enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit organizations,
including the coordinating entity for the Corridor, as well as
state and local govemments, for the purpose of collaborating on
programs, projects, and activities that further the purposes of
the Park. It also permits the acquisition of up to 10 acres in
Woonsocket, Rhode Island for the development of facilities for
the Park.
The bill directs the Secretary to complete a General
Management Plan for the Park within three years after funds are
made available. Among other things, the plan must seek to make
maximum practicable use of certain named visitor facilities in
the Corridor that are operated by Corridor partners, many of
which were developed with significant investment of federal
funds. The bill also allows the Secretary to provide technical
assistance, visitor services, interpretive tours and
educational programs to sites outside the boundary of the Park
that are within the Corridor. And, the bill dedicates the Park
to former Senator John H. Chafee and requires the Secretary to
display an appropriate memorial to him.
Finally, the bill amends the authorization for the John H.
Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor to
provide for a non-profit organization, the Blackstone River
Valley National Heritage Corridor, Inc., to be the local
coordinating entity for the Corridor. This entity would assume
the responsibility for coordinating activities for the Corridor
that have rested with the Blackstone River Valley Heritage
Corridor Commission since the National Heritage Area was first
established. The new coordinating entity would be eligible to
receive National Heritage Area funding for through the end of
fiscal 2016.
S. 371 reflects the findings of the special resource study
that the National Park Service (NPS) completed in accordance
with Public Law 109-338, which directed the NPS to conduct the
study to ``evaluate the possibility of (A) designating one or
more sites or landscape features as a unit of the National Park
System; and (B) coordinating and complementing actions by the
[Corridor] Commission, local governments, and State and Federal
agencies, in the preservation and interpretation of significant
resources within the Corridor.'' The NPS consulted with Native
American tribes associated with the Blackstone River Valley in
the preparation of the study.
The study evaluated a broad range of sites, features and
resources throughout the Blackstone River Valley and concluded
that the following meet the criteria for designation as a unit
of the National Park System: Old Slater Mill National Historic
Landmark district in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the historic mill
villages of Ashton and Slatersville in Rhode Island, and
Hopedale and Whitinsville in Massachusetts; the Blackstone
River and its tributaries; and the Blackstone Canal. The study
also evaluated various management alternatives with different
scopes and levels of NPS involvement. The preferred alternative
was a new unit of the National Park System that consists of
these sites and features, and that would partner with the
coordinating entity for the Corridor and others to undertake
the protection and interpretation of these resources.
If established based upon the management alternative
recommended in the study, we estimate that the cost to create
the Park would be $6.1 million in one-time expenditures on
research, planning, construction and/or rehabilitation, and
exhibits. When the Park is fully established, operational costs
are estimated to be $3.5 million annually for salaries,
supplies and equipment. All funds would be subject to NPS
priorities and the availability of appropriations.
We would like to thank the sponsor, Senator Reed, and the
committee for working with us in making changes to last
Congress' version of this legislation. We appreciate that this
legislation now includes a matching requirement for the
expenditure of Federal funds under cooperative agreements,
authority to acquire land for administrative purposes in
Woonsocket, where the NPS currently has office space, and an
appropriate recognition for Senator John H. Chafee's role in
preserving the resources of the Blackstone River Valley that
does not set a precedent in naming the park for a congressional
sponsor, as the previous version would have done.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement. I would be happy
to answer any questions that you or other members of the
Subcommittee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 1138, a bill to reauthorize the Hudson River
Valley National Heritage Area.
The Department recognizes the important work of the Hudson
River Valley National Heritage Area to preserve heritage
resources in the Hudson River Valley between Yonkers and Troy,
New York. We recommend that S. 1138 be amended to authorize an
extension for heritage area program funding until we have
completed an evaluation and report on the accomplishments of
the area and the future role of the National Park Service; and
until national heritage area program legislation is enacted
that standardizes timeframes and funding for designated
national heritage areas Consistent with congressional
directives in the FY 2009 and FY 2010 Interior Appropriations
Acts, the Administration proposed, in the FY 2014 budget,
focusing most national heritage area grants on recently
authorized areas. The Department would like to work with
Congress to determine the future federal role when national
heritage areas reach the end of their authorized eligibility
for heritage program funding. We recommend that Congress enact
national heritage legislation during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
S. 1138, as introduced, would extend the authorization of
federal funding for the Hudson River Valley National Heritage
Area for an additional 9 years. The Hudson River Valley
National Heritage Area was established in 1996 by Public Law
104-333. The national heritage area includes 250 communities in
ten counties bordering the Hudson River for 154 miles of tidal
estuary along with three million acres of the Hudson Highlands,
the Catskill Mountains, rolling farmland and compact villages,
as well as small cities and hamlets. The region extends from
the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, south to the
northern border of New York City.
The mission of this national heritage area is to recognize,
preserve, and promote the natural and cultural resources of the
Hudson River Valley. This is accomplished through a voluntary
partnership with communities and citizens, and local, state,
and federal agencies emphasizing public access, economic
development, regional planning, and interpretive programs.
Public Law 104-333 designated the Hudson River Valley
Greenway Communities Council and the Greenway Heritage
Conservancy, Inc., as the local coordinating entities for the
national heritage area. The heritage area local coordinating
entities facilitate public private partnerships for the
preservation of heritage resources and work closely with
National Park Service staff at Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National
Historic Sites. The national heritage area's work focuses on
regional initiatives for heritage programming, interpretation,
and education, preservation and resource stewardship, heritage
development and infrastructure, and planning and design.
During its 16 years of existence, the Hudson River Valley
National Heritage Area has a significant record of achievement
and, with government funding assistance since its
establishment, has shown significant success in working with
partners and the federal government to preserve, interpret, and
promote the significant resources in their local areas. Every
federal dollar has been matched with non-federal funds. In
total, Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area has received
nearly $9 million in federal funding, and every federal dollar
has been matched at least once with non-federal funds.
The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area has taken
the lead on numerous initiatives to engage the public. One such
initiative, Heritage Weekend, gives visitors the opportunity to
discover--or rediscover--many historic, architectural, and
natural treasures in the state. The national heritage area
staff also works tirelessly to connect sites and schools to
create unique place-based curriculum; this curriculum can be
replicated and used by others through a website that provides
academic resources regarding the heritage and culture of the
Hudson River Valley. Moreover, the staff facilitates the
creation of region-wide ``shows'' focusing on nature and
culture sub-themes. On a more fundamental level, the staff
prints map and guides, and advances a graphic identity at
partner sites. The staff also continues to help communities and
trail groups establish a system of trails that link cultural
and historic sites, parks, open spaces, and community centers.
This trail system provides public access to the Hudson River as
well.
We recommend a technical amendment to the long title of the
bill to make it clear that the bill would extend the
authorization for federal funding for the national heritage
area instead of reauthorizing the national heritage area. While
the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area faces a sunset
for its Federal funding, its national heritage area designation
will not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 1151, a bill to reauthorize the America's
Agricultural Heritage Partnership in the State of Iowa.
The Department recognizes the important work of the
America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership, better known as
the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, in northeast
Iowa. We recommend that S. 1151 be amended to authorize an
extension for heritage area program funding until Congress has
had time to consider the recently completed evaluation and
report on the accomplishments of the heritage area and the
future role of the National Park Service that was recently
transmitted to Congress this past month; and until heritage
area program legislation is enacted that standardizes
timeframes and funding for designated national heritage areas.
Consistent with congressional directives in the 2009 and 2010
Interior Appropriations Acts, the Administration proposed, in
the FY 2014 budget, focusing most national heritage area grants
on recently authorized areas. The Department would like to work
with Congress to determine the future federal role when
heritage areas reach the end of their authorized eligibility
for heritage program funding. We recommend that Congress enact
national heritage area legislation during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
The Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area was
established in 1996 by Public Law 103-333 to interpret farm
life, agribusiness and rural communities, past and present. It
preserves and tells the story of American agriculture and its
global significance through partnerships and activities that
celebrate the land, people, and communities of the area. The
heart of America's agricultural revolution still exists in the
region, and the national heritage area is telling the breadth
and scope of this story in a compelling, meaningful way.
The heritage of American agriculture and its influence on
the global agricultural revolution was considered to be
nationally distinctive and met the criteria for national
heritage area designation. American agriculture is one of the
primary sources of this country's wealth and world leadership
and should be preserved and interpreted. The Silos and
Smokestacks National Heritage Area preserves and interprets a
rich cultural landscape that includes family farms, historic
industrial architecture, and rural communities across a 37-
county region in northeast Iowa covering over 20,000 square
miles. This broad agrarian landscape is rare in today's pattern
of urban and suburban expanding into rural areas.
The national heritage area is managed by the America's
Agricultural Heritage Partnership (Partnership), this local
coordinating entity facilitates public private partnerships for
the preservation and interpretation of heritage resources. The
Partnership's work focuses on regional initiatives for heritage
programming, interpretation and education, preservation and
resource stewardship, heritage development and infrastructure,
and planning and design.
During its 16 years of existence, the Silos and Smokestacks
National Heritage Area has a significant record of achievement.
It has worked closely with the regional business community,
county and state governments, and multiple nongovernmental
organizations to build a network of partner sites dedicated to
preserving and interpreting the past, present, and future of
America's agricultural story. Working together, the network has
developed a successful public information and way-finding
program for promoting tourism that welcomes visitors along the
major highway corridors surrounding the region and identifies
the more than 100 partner sites in the heritage area. The new
signs serve as a connecting thread for this network of sites,
while letting visitors know they can discover a piece of
America's agricultural story being preserved at the site. This
way-finding program has not only helped visitors find tourism
destinations within the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage
Area, but has also helped the heritage area develop a regional
identity.
The bedrock of the National Heritage Area concept has
always been building partnerships for achieving goals. The
Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, with minimal
government funding assistance since its establishment, has
shown significant success in working with partners and the
federal government to preserve, interpret, and promote the
significant resources of northeast Iowa. Since its
establishment, the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area
has received almost $9.5 million in federal funding, and every
federal dollar has been matched at least once with non-federal
funds.
S. 1151, as is written now, would extend the authorization
for federal funding for the Silos and Smokestacks National
Heritage Area for an additional 10 years. The Silos and
Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of the nine heritage
areas evaluated by the National Park Service pursuant to Public
Law 110-229. The completed evaluation for the Silos and
Smokestacks National Heritage Area was recently transmitted to
Congress this past month, and included recommendations on the
future role of the National Park Service in the area.
We recommend a technical amendment to the long title of the
bill to make it clear that the bill would extend the
authorization for federal funding for the heritage area instead
of reauthorizing the heritage area. While the Silos and
Smokestacks National Heritage Area faces a sunset for its
federal funding, its national heritage area designation will
not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 1157, a bill to reauthorize the Rivers of Steel
National Heritage Area, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage
Area, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, and
the Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area.
The Department recognizes the important work of the four
national heritage areas to preserve historic, cultural,
natural, and recreational resources in Pennsylvania. We
recommend that S. 1157 be amended to authorize an extension for
heritage area program funding until we have completed an
evaluation and report on the accomplishments of the national
heritage areas and the future role of the National Park
Service; and until program legislation is enacted that
standardizes timeframes and funding for designated national
heritage areas. Consistent with congressional directives in the
2009 and 2010 Interior Appropriations Acts, the Administration
proposed, in the FY 2014 budget, focusing most national
heritage area grants on recently authorized areas. The
Department would like to work with Congress to determine the
future federal role when national heritage areas reach the end
of their authorized eligibility for national heritage program
funding. We recommend that Congress enact national heritage
area legislation during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
All four areas have lengthy records of leadership and
accomplishment. All four are recognized for their important
histories and rich and distinctive historic and natural
resources. At each, numerous partner organizations and local,
state, and federal agencies work together through the singular
opportunity for collaboration that the national heritage area
model provides. Each area developed a thoughtful plan with the
community and has made enormous strides in saving historic
resources, developing trails, preserving open space, building
community pride, enhancing education, and promoting economic
development that responds to these essential elements of their
quality of life.
Created by Public Law 104-333 in 1996, the Rivers of Steel
National Heritage Area (Rivers of Steel) is made up of eight
counties in southwestern Pennsylvania known for their
significant contributions to the steel industry in America. The
mission of Rivers of Steel is to preserve and interpret the
history of the region and share the dynamic story of the
evolution of southwestern Pennsylvania from a small colonial
settlement to the flourishing of the steel industry in the
area.
The Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area (Lackawanna)
was established by Public Law 106-278 in 2000. The Lackawanna
includes four counties in northeastern Pennsylvania with
historical ties to the anthracite coal industry. These counties
preserve nationally distinctive resources related to
Pennsylvania and America's industrial history, including the
history of major labor unions and the struggle to improve
working conditions of mine workers. The architecture, ethnic
traditions, and infrastructure of the anthracite region tell
the story of the Lackawanna Valley and its role in the
industrial development of the United States. The mission of the
Lackawanna is to conserve, interpret, and develop the
historical, cultural, natural, recreational, and economic
development resources associated with the area's significant
history.
The Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
(Delaware and Lehigh) was established by Public Law 100-692 in
1988, the third National Heritage Area created by Congress. The
150-mile spine of the Delaware and Lehigh is the historic
Delaware Canal and Lehigh Navigation Canal through five
counties in eastern Pennsylvania. The Delaware and Lehigh
commemorates the historic routes of rivers, canals, and
railroads--and the people and communities involved--that
brought anthracite coal from the mines to market in the early
nineteenth century, fostering the development of vibrant towns
and culture. The purpose of the Delaware and Lehigh is to
provide an integrated management structure that facilitates
preservation, recreation, education, and economic development.
The Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area
(Schuylkill River Valley) was established by Public Law 106-278
in 2000. The Schuylkill River Valley conserves, interprets, and
develops the historical, cultural, natural, recreational, and
economic resources related to the heritage of the area.
encompassing five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania,
including Philadelphia. The area is rich in Revolutionary War
history, and the anthracite, charcoal, iron, and textile
industries of the region grew here.
The bedrock of the national heritage area concept has
always been building partnerships for achieving goals. All four
of these non-profit national heritage areas, with government
funding assistance since their establishment, have shown
significant success in working with partners and the federal
government to preserve, interpret, and promote the significant
resources in their local areas. In total, Lackawanna has
received approximately $6.7 million in Federal funding, Rivers
of Steel has received about $13.4 million in Federal funding,
Delaware and Lehigh has received almost $12.7 million, and
Schuylkill River Valley has received nearly $5.9 million in
Federal funding, and every federal dollar has been matched at
least once with non-federal funds.
S. 1157, as drafted, would extend the authorization for
federal funding for these four heritage areas for an additional
ten years. Currently, the Evaluation and Report required by
Public Law 110-229 is being completed for Rivers of Steel and
we anticipate the evaluation will be transmitted to Congress
this year. The NPS and the Delaware and Lehigh completed an
evaluation for the Delaware and Lehigh; however, this
evaluation did not include recommendations on what the future
role of the National Park Service should be in the area. The
National Park Service will take another look at the evaluation
and include recommendations on the future role of the National
Park Service prior to transmitting it to Congress in order to
be consistent with the other reports.
We recommend a technical amendment to the long title of the
bill to make it clear that the bill would extend the
authorization for federal funding for the four heritage areas
instead of reauthorizing the heritage areas. While the four
heritage areas face a sunset date for their federal funding,
their national heritage area designation will not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 1186, a bill to reauthorize the Essex National
Heritage Area.
The Department recognizes the important work of the Essex
National Heritage Area to preserve heritage resources in Essex
County, Massachusetts. We recommend that S. 1186 be amended to
authorize an extension for heritage area program funding until
Congress has had time to consider the completed evaluation and
report on the accomplishments of the area and the future role
of the National Park Service that was recently transmitted to
Congress during this past month; and until heritage area
program legislation is enacted that standardizes timeframes and
funding for designated national heritage areas. Consistent with
congressional directives in the 2009 and 2010 Interior
Appropriations Acts, the Administration proposed, in the FY
2014 budget, focusing most national heritage area grants on
recently authorized areas. The Department would like to work
with Congress to determine the future federal role when
heritage areas reach the end of their authorized eligibility
for heritage program funding. We recommend that Congress enact
national heritage legislation during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
Essex National Heritage Area was established in 1996 by
Public Law 103-333. This national heritage area was established
to recognize, preserve, promote, and interpret the historic,
cultural, and natural resources of the North Shore and lower
Merrimack River valley in Essex County, Massachusetts. The
early settlement history, maritime history, and the imprint of
the early industrial era on the landscape, in particular, were
considered to be nationally distinctive and met the criteria
for national heritage area designation. Essex National Heritage
Area preserves and interprets a rich cultural landscape that
includes historic homes, small family farms, and historic
industrial architecture. Additionally, it contains an array of
scenic and natural resources such as rocky coasts and harbors,
marshlands, and rivers. Essex National Heritage Area spans 500
square miles in northeastern Massachusetts, and includes 34
cities and towns.
The Essex National Heritage Area is managed by the Essex
National Heritage Commission (Commission), which facilitates
public private partnerships for the preservation of heritage
resources and works closely with National Park Service staff at
Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Saugus Iron Works
National Historic Site, both of which are within the boundary
of the national heritage area. The Commission's work focuses on
regional initiatives for heritage programming, interpretation,
and education, preservation and resource stewardship, heritage
development and infrastructure, and planning and design.
During its 16 years of existence, Essex National Heritage
Area has a significant record of achievement. The national
heritage area has worked closely with National Park Service
staff at Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works on a variety of
educational and interpretive programs to educate visitors and
students about local heritage resources. One successful example
is the Trails & Sails weekend, a county-wide event that
involves more than 50 host organizations at over 140 locations
in Essex County in providing interpretive tours, hikes, walks,
sail trips, and special events at no charge to participants.
The Essex Local History In a National Context program has also
successfully brought the main themes of the Essex National
Heritage Area into area classrooms.
The national heritage area has played a significant role in
local communities in helping to inventory and research historic
resources. Working with the Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation, the Essex National Heritage Area
created a catalog of heritage landscapes that communities had
identified as being valuable and worthy of protection. In all,
communities identified 1,320 resources in 24 of the 34
municipalities included within the boundary of the national
heritage area. Additionally, the inventory articulated
strategies for preserving these historic resources and
landscapes.
Essex National Heritage Area has also implemented a
successful public information and wayfinding campaign for
promoting tourism. More than 80 directional highway signs have
been installed within the national heritage area that point
visitors toward regional visitor centers and historic and
natural visitor destinations. These signs not only have helped
visitors find tourism destinations within Essex National
Heritage Area, they have also helped create a regional identity
for the national heritage area. Essex National Heritage Area
also plays a significant role in leveraging federal dollars. In
total, Essex National Heritage Area has received approximately
$13.2 million in federal funding, and every federal dollar has
been matched at least once with non-federal dollars.
S. 1186, as written, would extend the authorization of
federal funding for Essex National Heritage Area for an
additional 15 years and increase the authorization of
appropriations by $10 million. The Essex National Heritage Area
is one of the nine national heritage areas identified for
evaluation by the National Park Service pursuant to Public Law
110-229. The completed Essex National Heritage Area evaluation
was recently transmitted to Congress this past month. The
evaluation report includes recommendations on the future role
of the National Park Service in the area.
We recommend a technical amendment to the long title of the
bill to make it clear that the bill would extend the
authorization for Federal funding for the heritage area instead
of reauthorizing the heritage area. While the Essex National
Heritage Area faces a sunset for its federal funding, its
national heritage area designation does not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 1339, a bill to reauthorize the Ohio & Erie
National Heritage Canalway.
The Department recognizes the important work of the Ohio &
Erie National Heritage Canalway to preserve heritage resources
in northeast Ohio from Cleveland to New Philadelphia and its
role in linking Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the residents
of Cleveland, Akron, and other communities through the
preservation and maintenance of the canal's towpath that runs
through the heart of the park. We recommend that S. 1339 be
amended to authorize an extension for heritage area program
funding until we have completed an evaluation and report on the
accomplishments of the area and the future role of the National
Park Service; and until national heritage area program
legislation is enacted that standardizes timeframes and funding
for designated national heritage areas. Consistent with
congressional directives in the FY 2009 and FY 2010 Interior
Appropriations Acts, the Administration proposed, in the FY
2014 budget, focusing most national heritage area grants on
recently authorized areas and reducing and/or phasing out funds
to well-established recipients to encourage self-sufficiency.
The Department would like to work with Congress to determine
the future federal role when national heritage areas reach the
end of their authorized eligibility for heritage program
funding. We recommend that Congress enact national heritage
legislation during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas. Program legislation would
provide a much-needed framework for evaluating proposed
national heritage areas, offering guidelines for successful
planning and management, clarifying the roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardizing timeframes
and funding for designated areas.
S. 1339, as introduced, would extend the authorization of
federal funding for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway
for an additional 9 years. The Ohio & Erie National Heritage
Canalway, originally called the Ohio & Erie Canal National
Heritage Corridor, was established in 1996 by Public Law 104-
333. This national heritage area includes the counties of
Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark, and Tuscarawas in northeast Ohio. The
region extends from Lake Erie along the Erie Canal through
Cleveland to New Philadelphia.
The mission of this national heritage area is to preserve
and interpret and celebrate the rails, trails, landscapes,
towns and sites that grew up along the first 100 miles of the
Ohio & Erie Canalway that helped Ohio and our nation grow. This
is accomplished through a voluntary partnership with
communities and citizens, and local, state, and federal
agencies emphasizing public access, economic development,
regional planning, and interpretive programs.
Public Law 104-333 designated the Ohio & Erie Canal
Association as the management entity for the national heritage
area. The heritage area management entity facilitates public
private partnerships for the preservation of heritage resources
and works closely with National Park Service staff at Cuyahoga
Valley National Park. The national heritage area's work focuses
on regional initiatives for heritage programming,
interpretation and education, preservation and resource
stewardship, heritage development and infrastructure, and
planning and design, all linking the canal communities together
through the canal's towpath trail.
During its 16 years of existence, the Ohio & Erie National
Heritage Canalway has a significant record of achievement and,
with government funding assistance since its establishment, has
shown significant success in working with partners and the
federal government to preserve, interpret, and promote the
significant resources of the local communities along the Ohio &
Erie Canalway. In total, the Ohio & Erie National Heritage
Canalway has received almost $13.3 million in federal funding,
and every federal dollar has been matched at least once with
non-federal funds.
The Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway has taken the
lead on initiatives such as the development of 73 miles of the
multi-use recreational Towpath Trail from Cleveland to New
Philadelphia, Ohio, that is used by thousands of visitors each
year. The management entity has worked tirelessly to connect
sites, communities and parklands, resulting in the creation of
thousands of new national park and towpath trail users. They
continue to help communities and trail groups establish a
system of county trails and green spaces, with over 400 miles
of trails that link cultural and historic sites, parks, open
spaces, and community centers as well as providing public
access to the Ohio & Erie Canalway.
We recommend two technical amendments to the long title of
the bill to make it clear that the bill would extend the
authorization for federal funding for the national heritage
area instead of reauthorizing the national heritage area and to
correct the name of the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway.
While the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway faces a sunset
for its federal funding, its national heritage area designation
will not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Christina Goldfuss, Deputy Director, Congressional and
External Relations, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the
Interior on S. 2111, a bill to reauthorize the Yuma Crossing
National Heritage Area (NHA).
The Department recognizes the important work of the Board
and Staff of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
Corporation to preserve Yuma, Arizona, a natural crossing area
on the Colorado River, and a landmark in America's westward
expansion. We recommend that S. 2111 be amended to authorize an
extension for heritage area program funding until such time as
the National Park Service (NPS) has completed an evaluation and
report on the accomplishments of the area and the future role
of the NPS; and until national heritage area program
legislation is enacted that standardizes timeframes and funding
for designated national heritage areas. In this case, we note
that funding is currently authorized for the Yuma Crossing NHA
through FY 2015.
The NPS is initiating phase-in of a funding formula for
NHAs, which is a merit-based system for allocating heritage
area funding that considers a variety of factors based upon
criteria related to program goals, accountability, and
organizational sustainability. When fully implemented, the
performance-based funding formula plan will reward NHA entities
that bring in additional non-Federal investment and that have
developed a sustainability plan. The Department would like to
work with Congress to determine the future federal role when
national heritage areas reach the end of their authorized
eligibility for heritage program funding. We recommend that
Congress enact national heritage area program legislation
during this Congress.
There are currently 49 designated heritage areas, yet there
is no authority in law that guides the designation and
administration of new heritage areas as a national system.
Program legislation would provide a much-needed framework for
evaluating proposed national heritage areas, offer guidelines
for successful planning and management, clarify roles and
responsibilities of all parties, and standardize timeframes and
funding for designated areas.
S. 2111 would extend the authorization for federal funding
for the Yuma Crossing NHA for 15 additional years, until
September 30, 2030. The Yuma Crossing NHA was established in
2000 by Public Law 106-319. Since its creation, this NHA has
become the nexus of the Yuma, Arizona, community, bringing
together a multitude of partners including business and Quechan
Indian Tribe leaders; economic development organizations; city,
county, state, and federal government representatives; and
members of the agricultural community to focus on improving
regional recreation, economic development, historic
preservation efforts, and natural resource conservation
opportunities. In total, the NHA has received $4.2 million in
federal Heritage Partnership Program funding, and every federal
dollar has been matched at least once with non-federal funds.
Yuma Crossing NHA is an example of how effective
collaborative efforts can be in supporting local communities
and economies. This NHA has made tremendous progress over the
last decade revitalizing Yuma's riverfront, which was once an
overgrown thicket of non-native trees and underbrush and a
corridor for illegal activities. Thanks to the work coordinated
and accomplished by the NHA, working with the Bureau of
Reclamation and other state and federal agencies, the Yuma
Crossing NHA has reconnected the community to the Colorado
River, created an extensive multi-use recreational trail system
and restored more than 400 acres of wetlands. The effectiveness
of Yuma Crossing NHA in creating an increased sense of
community for the region, expanding regional recreational
opportunities, supporting the restoration of critical wetlands
habitat and important community cultural assets, and leveraging
local financial and human capital support cannot be overstated.
The Yuma Crossing NHA has succeeded in leveraging its
relationships and abilities to better the overall community.
For instance, in 2008-2009, when faced with a severe economic
recession, Arizona State Parks contemplated closing the Yuma
Quartermaster Depot and the Yuma Territorial Prison, both key
state historical parks within the City of Yuma. In response to
this situation, the City of Yuma and the Yuma Crossing NHA
agreed to lease and manage the two parks, rather than see them
shuttered. The community embraced this collaborative effort and
demonstrated its support by donating $70,000 during the first
two months of the parks' new management. Since then, the NHA
has upgraded the parks' museum exhibits, reduced operational
costs, and increased visitation.
We recommend a technical amendment to the long title of the
bill to make it clear that the bill would extend the
authorization for federal funding for the national heritage
area, instead of reauthorization of the national heritage area.
While the Yuma Crossing NHA faces a sunset date for its federal
funding, its national heritage area designation will not end.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Christina Goldfuss, Deputy Director, Congressional and
External Relations, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2318, a bill to
reauthorize the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act.
The Department recognizes the important work of the Erie
Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission (Commission) and
its primary partner, the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., in
preserving, interpreting, and promoting the 524-mile system of
historic canals that compose the Erie Canalway. We recommend
that S. 2318 be amended to authorize an extension for the
Commission until such time as the National Park Service (NPS)
has completed an evaluation and report on the accomplishments
of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (Corridor) and
the future role of the NPS, and to provide for the transition
of management of the Corridor from the Commission to the Erie
Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., during the evaluation period. We
further recommend that National Heritage Area (NHA) program
legislation be enacted that standardizes timeframes and funding
for designated national heritage areas.
The NPS is initiating phase-in of a funding formula for
NHAs, which is a merit-based system for allocating heritage
area funding that considers a variety of factors based upon
criteria related to program goals, accountability, and
organizational sustainability. When fully implemented, the NPS
funding formula plan will reward NHA entities that bring in
additional non-federal investment and that have developed a
sustainability plan. The Department would like to work with
Congress to determine the future federal role when national
heritage areas reach the end of their authorized eligibility
for heritage program funding. We recommend that national
heritage area program legislation be enacted during this
Congress.
There are currently 49 designated national heritage areas,
yet there is no authority in law that guides the designation
and administration of these areas as a national system. Program
legislation would provide a much-needed framework for the
evaluation of proposed national heritage areas, offer
guidelines for successful planning and management, clarify the
roles and responsibilities of all parties, and standardize
timeframes and funding for designated areas.
S. 2318, as introduced, would extend the authorization of
the Commission for an additional 15 years, until December 21,
2030. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor was
designated by Public Law 106-554, enacted on December 21, 2000,
to preserve, interpret, promote, and provide access to the Erie
Canalway's historical, natural, cultural, scenic, and
recreational resources. That law established the Commission to
develop and implement the Canalway Plan and foster initiatives
within the Corridor, and provided for the Commission to sunset
10 years after enactment. Section 8203 of Public Law 111-11
extended the authorization for the Commission for an additional
five years, until December 21, 2015.
As the designated authority for implementing the Canalway
Plan, the Commission serves as the management or local
coordinating entity. A more limited extension of the
Commission's authorization would enable it to continue beyond
December 21, 2015, as the entity able to receive federal
heritage area funding while a transition to the local
coordinating entity takes place. Through FY 2014, the Corridor
has received approximately $8.4 million.
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor encompasses
the most commercially enduring and historically significant
system of canals in the United States. This waterway played a
key role in turning New York City into a preeminent center for
commerce, industry, and finance. Besides being a catalyst for
growth in the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys, these canals helped
open up western America for settlement and for many years
transported much of the Midwest's agricultural and industrial
products to domestic and international markets. The Corridor
covers 4,834 square miles, includes portions of 23 counties and
234 municipalities, and is home to 2.7 million people across
the state of New York. The mission of the Corridor is focused
on preserving and sharing the extraordinary heritage of the
Erie Canalway, promoting the Corridor as a world-class tourism
experience, and fostering vibrant communities connected by the
waterway. This is accomplished through close collaboration
among the Commission, the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc.,
and voluntary partnerships with communities and citizens, and
local, state, and federal agencies.
As mentioned earlier in this statement, the Department
recommends that S. 2318 be amended to provide for the Erie
Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., (Fund) to be the local
coordinating entity for the Corridor. The Fund is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization that has been established exclusively
for charitable, educational, and civic purposes. It focuses its
activities on implementing the vision formed by the citizens of
the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and is a key
partner with the Commission in helping to implement the
Corridor's preservation and management plan. We would be happy
to work with the committee on language that would provide for
the appropriate transition of management of the Corridor from
the Commission to the Fund.
Amending the bill to provide for the nonprofit organization
to be the local coordinating entity would be consistent with
the general trend of other national heritage areas that were
first authorized with commissions as the management entity. As
our experience with heritage areas has grown, we have found
that nonprofit organizations have certain advantages over
federal commissions as local coordinating entities, including
the fact that they do not sunset and they are better situated
to do the fundraising needed to sustain the heritage area as it
moves toward self-sufficiency. At this time, only three of the
49 authorized national heritage areas, including Erie Canalway,
have federal commissions serving as their management or local
coordinating entities.
Finally, we recommend a technical amendment to the title of
the bill to make it clear that the bill would reauthorize the
Commission rather than the entire Erie Canalway National
Heritage Corridor Act, which suggests that the Corridor
designation faces expiration. While the Commission faces a
sunset date in 2015, the Act establishing the Corridor as a
national heritage area does not sunset.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
committee may have.
----------
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, and members of the subcommittee, thank you
for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of
the Interior on S. 702, a bill designating the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor as ``The
Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor.''
The Department supports enactment of S. 702. This
legislation would change the name of the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor to ``The
Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor.'' It has been
proven over the years that the current name of the heritage
corridor is both difficult for people to remember and to spell.
This change would help improve the identification of the
corridor for the many partners involved with the heritage area
and would be consistent with how the area is promoted in and
beyond the region.
The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage
Corridor was designated a National Heritage Area by Congress in
November 1994 through P.L. 103-449. At that time, Congress
recognized that the valley represents one of the last
traditional upland farming and mill village communities in the
Northeastern United States. In 1999, Congress passed P.L. 106-
449 to enlarge the corridor to include river valley towns in
both Massachusetts and Connecticut. Now forest and farmland
make up 78 percent of its 695,000-acres, yet it lies only an
hour from three of New England's four largest urban areas. This
relatively undeveloped rural island, in the midst of the most
urbanized region in the nation, makes it a resource of local,
regional, and national importance.
The Department first became involved in the area in 1992
when the National Park Service (NPS) undertook a feasibility
study. The name ``The Last Green Valley'' was coined by a NPS
historian and was later used in an NPS brochure. People in the
area have been associating the river corridor with the term
``The Last Green Valley'' ever since.
The NPS has provided technical assistance and managed an
agreement with the management entity of the heritage area from
the time it was designated, and continues to do so today. That
management entity started using the name, The Last Green
Valley, informally in 2001, and the board decided to officially
change the name of its nonprofit through the Secretaries of
State in both Massachusetts and Connecticut in November 2008.
Changing the name of the corridor through this bill will be
consistent with how people in the region refer to the area and
with the name of the management entity with which the NPS has
an official agreement--The Last Green Valley, Inc.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
subcommittee may have.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the bill S. 2602, 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 100-692
AN ACT To establish the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal National
Heritage Corridor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
* * * * * * *
SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
* * * * * * *
(c) Management Action Plan.--
(1) In general.--To implement the management action
plan created by the Corporation, there is authorized to
be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2000 through [2015] 2030.
(2) Limitation on expenditures.--Amounts made
available under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 50
percent of the costs of implementing the management
action plan.
(d) Termination of Assistance.--The authority of the
Secretary to provide financial assistance under this Act
terminates on September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 104-333
OMNIBUS PARKS AND PUBLIC LANDS MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1966
AN ACT To provide for the administration of certain Presidio properties
at minimal cost to the Federal taxpayer, and for other purposes
* * * * * * *
DIVISION II
TITLE I--NATIONAL COAL HERITAGE AREA
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``National Coal Heritage
Area Act of 1996''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 107. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
TITLE IV--STEEL INDUSTRY HERITAGE PROJECT
SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Steel Industry American
Heritage Area Act of 1996''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 408. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
TITLE V--ESSEX NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
* * * * * * *
SEC. 507. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
TITLE VII--AMERICA'S AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE PARTNERSHIP
* * * * * * *
SEC. 707. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
TITLE VIII--OHIO & ERIE CANAL NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
SEC. 801. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Ohio & Erie Canal National
Heritage Corridor Act of 1996''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 809. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
TITLE IX--HUDSON RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
SEC. 901. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Hudson River Valley
National Heritage Area Act of 1996''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 910. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 105-355
AUTOMOBILE NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT
AN ACT To authorize the Automobile National Heritage Area in the State
of Michigan, and for other purposes
* * * * * * *
SEC. 109. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after [September 30, 2014]
September 30, 2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 106-278
AN ACT To designate the Lackawanna Valley and the Schuylkill River
National Heritage Areas, and for other purposes
* * * * * * *
TITLE I--LACKAWANNA VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
* * * * * * *
SEC. 108. SUNSET PROVISION.
The Secretary shall not provide any grant or other
assistance under this title after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
TITLE II--SCHUYLKILL RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
* * * * * * *
SEC. 209. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this title after [the date that is 15 years
after the date of the enactment of this title] September 30,
2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 106-291
AN ACT Making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for
other purposes
* * * * * * *
Sec. 157. (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as
the ``Wheeling National Heritage Area Act of 2000''.
* * * * * * *
(i) SUNSET.--The Secretary may not make any grant or
provide any assistance under this section after September 30,
[2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 106-319
AN ACT To establish the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
* * * * * * *
SEC. 7. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any
assistance under this Act after September 30, [2015] 2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 106-554
CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001
APPENDIX D--H.R. 5666
MISCELLANEOUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001
* * * * * * *
DIVISION B
* * * * * * *
TITLE VIII--ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
SEC. 801. SHORT TITLE; DEFINITIONS.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the ``Erie
Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 804. THE ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR COMMISSION.
* * * * * * *
(j) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on [the
day occurring 15 years after the date of enactment of this
title] September 30, 2030.
* * * * * * *
PUBLIC LAW 99-647
AN ACT To establish the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island
* * * * * * *
BOUNDARIES AND ADMINISTRATION
Sec. 2. (a) Boundaries.--The boundaries shall include the
lands and water generally depicted on [the map entitled ``John
H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Boundary Map'', numbered BRV-80-80,011, and dated May 2, 1993]
the map entitled ``John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley
National Heritage Corridor--Proposed Boundary'', numbered 022/
111530, and dated November 10, 2011. The map shall be on file
and available for public inspection in the office of the
Department of the Interior in Washington, DC and the
Massachusetts and Rhode Island Departments of Environmental
Management. The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter referred
to as the ``Secretary'') shall publish in the Federal Register,
as soon as practical after the date of enactment of this Act a
detailed description and map of the boundaries established
under this subsection.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 7. [TERMINATION OF COMMISSION] TERMINATION OF COMMISION;
DESIGNATION OF LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.
[The Commission] (a) In General.--The Commission shall
terminate on September 30, 2015.
(b) Local Coordinating Entity.--
(1) Designation.--The Blackstone River Valley
National Heritage Corridor, Inc., shall be the local
coordinating entity for the Corridor (referred to in
this section as the `local coordinating entity').
(2) Implementation of management plan.--The local
coordinating entity shall assume the duties of the
Commission for the implementation of the Cultural
Heritage and Land Management Plan developed and
approved under section 6.
(c) Use of Funds.--For the purposes of carrying out the
management plan, the local coordinating entity may use amounts
made available under this Act--
(1) to make grants to the States of Massachusetts and
Rhode Island (referred to in this section as the
`States'), political subdivisions of the States,
nonprofit organizations, and other persons;
(2) to enter into cooperative agreements with or
provide technical assistance to the States, political
subdivisions of the States, nonprofit organizations,
Federal agencies, and other interested parties;
(3) to hire and compensate staff, including
individuals with expertise in--
(A) natural, historical, cultural,
educational, scenic, and recreational resource
conservation;
(B) economic and community development; or
(C) heritage planning;
(4) to obtain funds or services from any source,
including funds and services provided under any other
Federal law or program;
(5) to contract for goods or services; and
(6) to support activities of partners and any other
activities that further the purposes of the Corridor
and are consistent with the approved management plan.
SEC. 8. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.
* * * * * * *
(b) Technical Assistance.--[The Secretary] (1) In
general.--The Secretary shall, upon request of the Commission,
provide technical assistance to the Commission in the
preparation of the plan and for implementing the plan as set
out in section 6(c).
(2) Cooperative agreements.--Notwithstanding chapter 63 of
title 31, United States Code, the Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements with the local coordinating entity
designated by paragraph (1) and other public or private
entities for the purpose of--
(A) providing technical assistance; or
(B) implementing the plan under section 6(c).
(c) Implementation.--(1) To assist in the implementation of
the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan in a manner
consistent with purposes of this Act, the Secretary is
authorized to undertake a limited program of financial
assistance for the purpose of providing funds for the
preservation and restoration of structures on or eligible for
inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places within
the Corridor which exhibit national significance or provide a
wide spectrum of historic, recreational, or environmental
education opportunities to the general public.
(2) To be eligible for funds under this section, the
Commission shall submit an application to the Secretary that
includes--
(A) a 10-year development plan including those
resource protection needs and projects critical to
maintaining or interpreting the distinctive character
of the Corridor; and
(B) specific descriptions of annual work programs
that have been assembled, the participating parties,
roles, cost estimates, cost-sharing, or cooperative
agreements necessary to carry out the development plan.
(3) Funds made available pursuant to this subsection shall
not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the work programs.
(4) In making the funds available, the Secretary shall give
priority to projects that attract greater non-Federal funding
sources.
(5) Any payment made for the purposes of conservation or
restoration of real property or structures shall be subject to
an agreement either--
(A) to convey a conservation or preservation easement
to the Department of Environmental Management or to the
Historic Preservation Commission, as appropriate, of
the State in which the real property or structure is
located; or
(B) that conversion, use, or disposal of the
resources so assisted for purposes contrary to the
purposes of this Act, as determined by the Secretary,
shall result in a right of the United States for
reimbursement of all funds expended upon such resources
or the proportion of the increased value of the
resources attributable to such funds as determined at
the time of such conversion, use, or disposal,
whichever is greater.
(6) The authority to determine that a conversion, use, or
disposal of resources has been carried out contrary to the
purposes of this Act in violation of an agreement entered into
under paragraph (5)(A) shall be solely at the discretion of the
Secretary.
[(d) Special Resource Study.--(1) In general.--The
Secretary shall conduct a special resource study of sites and
associated landscape features within the boundaries of the
Corridor that contribute to the understanding of the Corridor
as the birthplace of the industrial revolution in the United
States.
[(2) Evaluation.--Not later than 3 years after the date on
which funds are made available to carry out this subsection,
the Secretary shall complete the study under paragraph (1) to
evaluate the possibility of--
[(A) designating 1 or more site or landscape feature
as a unit of the National Park System; and
[(B) coordinating and complementing actions by the
Commission, local governments, and State and Federal
agencies, in the preservation and interpretation of
significant resources within the Corridor.
[(3) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate the
Study with the Commission.
[(4) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the study under paragraph (1) is completed, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report that describes--
[(A) the findings of the study; and
[(B) the conclusions and recommendations of the
Secretary.]
(d) Transition Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary
shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the local
coordinating entity to ensure--
(1) the appropriate transition of management of the
Corridor from the Commission to the local coordinating
entity; and
(2) coordination regarding the implementation of the
Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan.
* * * * * * *
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
Sec. 10. (a) There is authorized to be appropriated
annually to the Commission $1,000,000 for each year [in which
the Commission is in existence] until September 30, 2016 to
carry out the purposes of this Act; except that the Federal
contribution to the Commission shall not exceed 50 percent of
the annual operating costs of the Commission.
(b) Development Funds.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out section 8(c) not more than
$10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2006 through 2016,
to remain available until expended.
[(c) Special Resource Study.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out section
8(d).]
SEC. 11. REFERENCES TO THE CORRIDOR, INC.
For purposes of sections 6, 8 (other than section 8(d)(1)),
9, and 10, a reference to the ``Commission'' shall be
considered a reference to the local coordinating entity.
PUBLIC LAW 103-449
AN ACT To establish the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National
Heritage Corridor in the State of Connecticut, and for other purposes
* * * * * * *
TITLE I--QUINEBAUG AND SHETUCKET RIVERS VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE
CORRIDOR
* * * * * * *
SEC. 103. ESTABLISHMENT OF [QUINEBAUG AND SHETUCKET RIVERS VALLEY
NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR] LAST GREEN VALLEY
NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR; PURPOSE.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the
State of Connecticut [the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor] The Last Green Valley National
Heritage Corridor.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 108. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this title:
(1) The term ``State'' means the State of
Connecticut.
(2) The term ``Corridor'' means [the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor
under] The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor
established by section 3.
* * * * * * *
[all]