[Senate Report 114-332]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 605
114th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 114-332
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STE. GENEVIEVE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ESTABLISHMENT ACT OF 2016
_______
September 6, 2016.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Ms. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2954]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 2954) to establish the Ste. Genevieve
National Historical Park in the State of Missouri, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably
thereon with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an
amendment to the title and recommends that the bill, as
amended, do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
1. Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to establish the
Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park in the State of
Missouri, and for other purposes.''.
2. Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ste. Genevieve National Historical
Park Establishment Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Historic district.--The term ``Historic District'' means
the Ste. Genevieve Historic District National Historic
Landmark, as generally depicted on the Map.
(2) Historical park.--The term ``Historical Park'' means the
Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park established by section
3(a).
(3) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled ``Ste.
Genevieve National Historical Park Proposed Boundary'',
numbered 571/132,626, and dated May 2016.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
(5) Special resource study.--The term ``special resource
study'' means the study entitled ``Ste. Genevieve Final Special
Resources Study and Environmental Assessment, Missouri'' and
dated May 2016.
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Missouri.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STE. GENEVIEVE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), there is
established the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park in the
State as a unit of the National Park System to preserve,
protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future
generations the themes of French settlement, vernacular
architecture, and community form and farming on the frontier
associated with Ste. Genevieve.
(2) Conditions for establishment.--The Historical Park shall
not be established until the date on which the Secretary
determines that--
(A) sufficient land has been acquired for the
Historical Park to constitute a manageable unit; and
(B) the Secretary has entered into a written
agreement providing that land owned by the State, the
City of Ste. Genevieve, or other entity within the
Historic District shall be managed consistent with the
purposes of this Act.
(b) Boundaries.--The boundaries of the Historical Park shall be the
boundaries generally depicted on the Map.
(c) Availability of Map.--The Map shall be on file and available
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park
Service.
(d) Acquisition Authority.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may acquire any land or
interest in land located within the boundary of the Historical
Park or any nationally significant property identified in the
special resource study within the Historic District by--
(A) donation;
(B) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or
(C) exchange.
(2) Boundary revision.--On the acquisition of any property
within the Historic District under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall revise the boundary of the Historical Park to include the
property.
(e) Administration.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall administer the
Historical Park in accordance with--
(A) this Act; and
(B) the laws generally applicable to units of the
National Park System, including--
(i) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and
sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 102101
of title 54, United States Code; and
(ii) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States
Code.
(2) Management plan.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the
date on which funds are made available to prepare a
general management plan for the Historical Park, the
Secretary shall prepare the general management plan in
accordance with section 100502 of title 54, United
States Code.
(B) Submission to congress.--On completion of the
general management plan under subparagraph (A), the
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate
the general management plan.
(3) Related sites.--The Secretary may provide interpretative
tours and educational programs at related historic and cultural
sites within the Historic District associated with the purposes
for which the Historical Park is established.
(f) Cooperative Agreements.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may provide technical
assistance and enter into cooperative agreements with the owner
of a nationally significant property within the Historical Park
or the Historic District, to identify, mark, interpret,
improve, and restore the property.
(2) Right of access.--A cooperative agreement entered into
under paragraph (1) shall provide that the Secretary, acting
through the Director of the National Park Service, shall have
the right of access at all reasonable times to all public
portions of the property covered by the agreement for the
purposes of--
(A) conducting visitors through the property; and
(B) interpreting the property for the public.
(3) Cost-sharing requirement.--
(A) Federal share.--The Federal share of the total
cost of any activity carried out under a cooperative
agreement entered into under this subsection shall be
not more than 50 percent.
(B) Form of non-federal share.--The non-Federal share
of an activity carried out under a cooperative
agreement entered into under this subsection may be in
the form of donated property, goods, or services fairly
valued.
(4) Changes or alterations.--No changes or alterations shall
be made to any property or project covered by a cooperative
agreement entered into under paragraph (1) unless the Secretary
and the other party to the agreement agree to the changes or
alterations.
(5) Conversion, use, or disposal.--Any payment by the
Secretary under this subsection shall be subject to an
agreement that the conversion, use, or disposal of a property
or project for purposes contrary to the purposes of this
section, as determined by the Secretary, shall entitle the
United States to reimbursement in any amount equal to the
greater of--
(A) the amounts made available to the property or
project by the United States; or
(B) the portion of the increased value of the
property or project attributable to the amounts made
available under this subsection, as determined at the
time of the conversion, use, or disposal.
(g) Limited Role of the Secretary.--Nothing in this Act authorizes
the Secretary to assume overall financial responsibility for the
operation, maintenance, or management of the Historic District.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 2954 is to establish the Ste. Genevieve
National Historical Park in the State of Missouri.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Ste. Genevieve was founded circa 1750 by French Canadian
settlers, most of whom came from earlier settlements just
across the Mississippi in present-day Illinois. Though
resources such as salt and lead attracted settlers to the west
side of the Mississippi, the rich soil was the greatest draw.
Ste. Genevieve was primarily an agricultural settlement, with
free and enslaved residents working in the Grand Champ, or
Common Field, a large area of privately held, long agricultural
lots surrounded by one large fence.
After a series of floods, the most severe of which occurred
in 1785, the town was moved inland approximately three miles,
to where it stands today. Residents continued to work the
Common Field, which though smaller, is still cultivated today.
Ste. Genevieve became a hub of trade. Following the
Revolutionary War, there was an influx of British Americans
that intensified following the Louisiana Purchase, expanding
the village. Ste. Genevieve retains many of its historic
buildings, landscapes, and community characteristics.
Ste. Genevieve is one of the oldest National Historic
Landmark districts in the country. When a portion of the
district was initially designated as such in 1960, it was
recognized for the unique concentration of French vertical log
architecture--the largest extant collection of this
architecture in North America. The most notable feature of
French vernacular log architecture is the use of logs
vertically, rather than horizontally, as seen in buildings in
the frontier settlements of people of other ethnic European
extractions. With new research and an expanded understanding of
French settlement in the mid-Mississippi ``Illinois Country,''
new resources have been identified and the nationally
significant district encompasses much of the City of Ste.
Genevieve and agricultural landscapes and archeological sites
in Ste. Genevieve County.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 2954 was introduced by Senators Blunt and McCaskill on
May 19, 2016. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing
on S. 2954 on June 15, 2016.
Representative Smith introduced similar legislation, H.R.
5305, in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2016, which
was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open
business session on July 13, 2016, and ordered S. 2954
favorably reported as amended.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on July 13, 2016, by a majority voice
vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S.
2954, if amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
During its consideration of S. 2954, the Committee adopted
an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to
the title. The substitute amendment designates the site as a
national historical park and makes other clarifying and
conforming changes.
The substitute amendment is explained in detail in the
section-by-section analysis, below.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 contains the short title.
Section 2. Definitions
Section 2 defines key terms.
Section 3. Establishment of the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park
Section 3(a) establishes the Ste. Genevieve National
Historical Park in the State of Missouri as a unit of the
National Park System. The establishment of the Ste. Genevieve
Historical Park is conditioned on the Secretary determining
that sufficient land has been acquired for the Historical Park
to constitute a manageable unit and entering into a written
agreement providing that land owned by the State, the City of
Ste. Genevieve, or other entity within the Historic District
shall be managed consistent with the purposes of the Act.
Subsection (b) establishes the boundaries of the Historical
Park as generally depicted on the referenced map.
Subsection (c) requires that the map be on file and
available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of
the National Park Service.
Subsection (d) authorizes the Secretary to acquire any land
or interest in land within the boundary of the Historical Park
or any nationally significant property identified in the
special resource study within the Historic District by
donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or
exchange. Upon acquisition of any property within the Historic
District, the Secretary is directed to revise the boundary of
the Historical Park to include the property.
Subsection (e) requires the Secretary to administer the
Historical Park in accordance with this Act and applicable law.
The Secretary is further directed to prepare the general
management plan within three years of receiving funding and to
submit the general management plan to the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.
Subsection (f) authorizes the Secretary to provide
technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements with
the owner of a nationally significant property within the
Historical Park or the Historical District to identify, mark,
interpret, improve, and restore the property. Cooperative
agreements shall provide access, at reasonable times, to public
portions of the property, for the purposes of conducting
visitors through the property and interpreting the property for
the public. The Federal cost share of this agreement is limited
to 50 percent. The non-Federal share of an activity carried out
under a cooperative agreement may be in the form of donated
property, goods, or services rendered. No changes or
alterations shall be made to any property or project covered by
a cooperative agreement entered into unless the Secretary and
the other party to the agreement concur with the changes or
alterations.
Subsection (g) states that nothing in the Act authorizes
the Secretary to assume overall financial responsibility for
the operation, maintenance, or management of the Historic
District.
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 the 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. 2954. The bill is not a regulatory measure in
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals
and businesses.
No personal information would be collected in administering
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal
privacy.
Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the
enactment of S. 2954, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 2954, as ordered 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 received from the National Park Service on
the June 15, 2016, Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S.
2954 follows:
Statement of Dr. Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships and Science, National Park Service, U.S.
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. 2954, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to establish the Ste. Genevieve National Historic Site
in the State of Missouri, and for other purposes.
The Department supports S. 2954 with amendments.
This legislation would establish the Ste. Genevieve
National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System to
preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and
future generations the themes of French settlement, vernacular
architecture, and community form and farming on the frontier
associated with Ste. Genevieve. It would authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately thirteen
acres of land for the historic site and other significant
related sites within the surrounding historic district. This
bill also authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide
interpretive tours and education programs within the historic
district. Finally, it would also authorize the secretary to
provide technical assistance and to enter into cooperative
agreements to preserve significant sites related to the
purposes of the park.
Ste. Genevieve is one of the oldest National Historic
Landmark districts in the country. When initially designated it
was recognized for the unique concentration of French vertical
log architecture. Since then, research has identified the
national significance of not only the large and rare collection
of French vernacular vertical log houses, but also the
contemporaneous examples of British American and German
American architecture that contribute to the compelling
historical associations with French exploration and settlement
of the United States' interior in the late 18th and early 19th
century. There is no comparably protected or managed area
interpreting these themes.
The boundary of the Historic Site is encompassed by the
Ste. Genevieve Historic District and National Historic
Landmark, which includes lands between State Highways 61 and 31
and the Mississippi River. The National Historic Landmark, one
of the oldest, was established on October 9, 1960. The proposed
historic site includes a mix of privately and publicly-owned
parcels. The State of Missouri owns many of those properties
and could transfer them to NPS ownership by donation. Private
properties may be acquired over time through donation or
purchase from willing sellers as funding allows.
The Ste. Genevieve Special Resource Study and Environmental
Assessment estimated the annual cost to operate the site would
be $800,000 to $1.2 million per year, which is comparable to
other national historic sites. This operational budget would
primarily fund a NPS staff of 6-12 FTE, for interpretive and
educational programs, and outreach. The additional facilities
and properties will increase park operational and maintenance
costs, but the amount will depend on the number of facilities
acquired and their condition. Additional funds for maintenance,
repairs and capital improvements would be awarded through the
NPS competitive process, subject to service-wide priorities and
the availability of appropriations.
There is widespread support for the establishment of the
historic site. The National Park Service received letters of
support for the establishment of Ste. Genevieve National
Historic Site from the City of Ste. Genevieve, the County
Commission of Ste. Genevieve, the Foundation for the
Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Les Amis, the Missouri Parks
Association, the National Society Colonial Dames of America in
the State of Missouri, the New Bourbon Regional Port Authority,
the Sierra Club (Eastern Missouri Group), the State Historical
Society of Missouri, Ste. Genevieve Chamber of Commerce, the
Ste. Genevieve Downtown Renewal Project, the Ste. Genevieve
Museum, and the Ste. Genevieve Tourism Tax Commission.
We recommend two amendments to the bill. First, we
recommend that the language for cooperative agreements in
Sec. 3(f) of the bill be revised to authorize the Secretary to
enter into an agreement for a project related to the management
of the historic site in addition to an agreement to identify,
mark, interpret, improve, or restore a ``property'' within the
historic district or site. Cooperative agreements may include
the expenditure of federal funds to help maintain a property,
but also may be provided for projects such as interpretive
signage or other informational materials found in wayside
exhibits. The reference to a ``project'' assures that the
interests of the federal government are protected in all
instances where federal funds are provided.
Second, we recommend adding a definition for the special
resource study referred to in the bill. This definition is
important to determine which nationally properties are being
considered for acquisition to the national historic site. The
special resource study has an inventory of the properties
contributing to the national significance of the study area in
Chapter 6. We would be happy to provide the committee with
language for our recommended amendments.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be happy
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, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by the bill as ordered
reported.
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