[House Report 114-562]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
114th Congress } { Rept. 114-562
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { Part 1
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TO MODIFY THE BOUNDARY OF PETERSBURG NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD IN THE
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
_______
May 11, 2016.-- Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted
the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1621]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1621) to modify the boundary of Petersburg
National Battlefield in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably
thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as
amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. PETERSBURG NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD BOUNDARY MODIFICATION.
(a) In General.--The boundary of the Petersburg National Battlefield
is modified to include the land and interests in land as generally
depicted on the map titled ``Petersburg National Battlefield Proposed
Boundary Expansion'', numbered 325/80,080, and dated March 2016. The
map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the
appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
(b) Acquisition of Properties.--
(1) Authority.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in
this section as the ``Secretary'') is authorized to acquire the
land and interests in land, described in subsection (a), from
willing sellers only, by donation, purchase with donated or
appropriated funds, exchange, or transfer.
(2) Technical amendment.--Section 313(a) of the National
Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 is amended by striking
``twenty-one'' and inserting ``twenty-five''.
(c) Administration.--The Secretary shall administer any land or
interests in land acquired under subsection (b) as part of the
Petersburg National Battlefield in accordance with applicable laws and
regulations.
(d) Administrative Jurisdiction Transfer.--
(1) In general.--There is transferred--
(A) from the Secretary to the Secretary of the Army
administrative jurisdiction over the approximately
1.170-acre parcel of land depicted as ``Area to be
transferred to Fort Lee Military Reservation'' on the
map described in paragraph (2); and
(B) from the Secretary of the Army to the Secretary
administrative jurisdiction over the approximately
1.171-acre parcel of land depicted as ``Area to be
transferred to Petersburg National Battlefield'' on the
map described in paragraph (2).
(2) Map.--The land to be exchanged is depicted on the map
titled ``Petersburg National Battlefield Proposed Transfer of
Administrative Jurisdiction'', numbered 325/80,801A, dated
March 2016. The map shall be on file and available for public
inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park
Service.
(3) Conditions of transfer.--The transfer of administrative
jurisdiction under paragraph (1) shall be subject to the
following conditions:
(A) No reimbursement or consideration.--The transfer
shall occur without reimbursement or consideration.
(B) Management.--The land transferred to the
Secretary under paragraph (1) shall be included within
the boundary of the Petersburg National Battlefield and
administered as part of that park in accordance with
applicable laws and regulations, and the land
transferred to the Secretary of the Army shall be
excluded from the boundary of the Petersburg National
Battlefield.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 1621 is to modify the boundary of
Petersburg National Battlefield in the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The Petersburg campaign consisted of 26 major battles
during which the Union Army attempted to capture the city of
Petersburg, Virginia, during the Civil War. From June 15, 1864,
to April 2, 1865, the Union and Confederate armies battled
across 576 square miles to secure access to five railroads that
connected Petersburg to the Confederate capital, Richmond.
Petersburg served as the Confederacy's main supply base and
control of the railroads meant the Union could isolate Richmond
and severely weaken the Confederacy. The eventual Union victory
led General Robert E. Lee to abandon Richmond and head to
Appomattox Court House where the Confederacy would surrender
one week later on April 9, 1865.
H.R. 1621 authorizes the expansion of the Petersburg
National Battlefield to include 7,238 new acres across 12
different battle areas. After the site's establishment in 1926,
the official boundaries only included a small portion of the
battles fought during the campaign. Residential and commercial
development near the Battlefield increased National Park
Service (NPS) concerns that the integrity of many battle sites
would be compromised in the future. After assessing the
significance, integrity, and interpretability of several battle
sites, NPS recommended that 12 new battle sites be included in
the Battlefield's boundaries. These battles were all either
decisive or major and had a direct impact on the campaign or
the Civil War.
The bill also transfers an equal amount of acreage between
the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior
near the Battlefield. The Department of the Army will acquire
1.17 acres of land that includes a gated entrance to Fort Lee
in exchange for transferring 1.17 acres of land historically
relevant to the Battlefield to NPS. Furthermore, the bill
modifies a limitation on the amount of acreage NPS can acquire
at the City Point unit in Hopewell from 21 to 25 acres. This
would allow NPS to acquire a complete parcel of land and
potentially facilitate a land exchange that would allow NPS to
dispose of land that does not add to the Battlefield's mission
or enhance interpretation of the site.
A version of this bill passed the House by unanimous
consent in 2009 during the 111th Congress. A Senate companion
bill, S. 718, is currently sponsored by both Virginia Senators.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 1621 was introduced on March 25, 2015, by Congressman
J. Randy Forbes (R-VA). The bill was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources, and within the Committee, to the
Subcommittee on Federal Lands. The bill was additionally
referred to the Committee on Armed Services. The Federal Lands
Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill on February 11, 2016.
On March 15, 2016, the Natural Resources Committee met to
consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous
consent. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) offered an amendment
designated #1; it was adopted by unanimous consent. No other
amendments were offered, and the bill, as amended, was ordered
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous
consent on March 16, 2016.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B)
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of Rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, April 26, 2016.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1621, a bill to
modify the boundary of Petersburg National Battlefield in the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other purposes.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Marin
Burnett.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall.
Enclosure.
H.R. 1621--A bill to modify the boundary of Petersburg National
Battlefield in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for other
purposes.
H.R. 1621 would revise the boundary of the Petersburg
National Battlefield in Virginia to include 12 additional Civil
War battlefield areas over approximately 7,200 acres. The bill
stipulates that the National Park Service (NPS) may acquire the
additional land through a donation, with donated funds, with
appropriated amounts, or through a land exchange. The bill also
would exchange administrative jurisdiction over two small
parcels of land between the Department of the Army and the
Department of the Interior and would raise from 21 acres to 25
acres a limitation on the acreage NPS can acquire from a
specific parcel.
Based on recent sales prices of comparable tracts of land
and information from NPS, CBO estimates that the cost to
acquire and administer the additional sites would be between
$15 million and $30 million over the 2017-2021 period. Total
costs would depend on the average price per acre which,
according to land transactions data, could range from $2,000
per acre to $4,000 per acre.
Because enacting H.R. 1621 would not affect direct spending
or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1621 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
H.R. 1621 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Marin Burnett.
The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required
by clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new budget
authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. The Congressional
Budget Office estimates that enactment of the bill will cost
between $15 million to $30 million over 2017-2021, subject to
appropriation.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to modify the boundary of Petersburg
National battlefield in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
EARMARK STATEMENT
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of Rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5
Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any
specific rule-making proceedings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
This bill makes no changes to existing law.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]