[Senate Report 115-296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 510
115th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 115-296
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PRESIDENT STREET STATION STUDY ACT
_______
July 11, 2018.--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. 1646]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 1646), to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study of President
Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes,
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without
amendment and an amendment to the title and recommends that the
bill, as amended, do pass.
AMENDMENT
The amendment is as follows:
Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study
of President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for
other purposes.''.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 1646 is to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study of President
Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
President Street Station in downtown Baltimore is the
oldest surviving big-city railroad terminal and one of a few
remaining historical structures along Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
In addition to being architecturally significant, President
Street Station has been at the center of several historically
significant events. The property is associated with the
Baltimore riots of 1861, which saw the first blood shed in the
Civil War when Massachusetts troops bound for Washington, D.C.
were attacked by an angry mob of Southern sympathizers.
President Street Station also played a role in the ``Baltimore
Plot'' to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln as he was
en route to his inauguration. In addition, President Street
Station has ties to the Underground Railroad and helps tell the
stories of the growth of the railroad industry in the 19th
century and the immigrant influx of the early 20th century.
The legislation would authorize the National Park Service
(NPS) to undertake a special resource study to examine the
national significance of President Street Station, its
suitability and feasibility for potential designation as a unit
of the National Park System, and the potential need for NPS
management of the site.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 1646 was introduced on July 27, 2017, by Senators Cardin
and Van Hollen. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on the bill on February 14, 2018.
In the 114th Congress, similar legislation, S. 521, was
introduced by Senators Cardin and Mikulski on February 12,
2015. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S.
521 on June 10, 2015. The Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources met in open business session on July 30, 2015 and
ordered S. 521 favorably reported as amended (S. Rept. 114-
126).
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open
business session on May 17, 2018 and ordered S. 1646 favorably
reported as amended.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on May 17, 2018, by a majority voice vote
of a quorum present recommends that the Senate pass S. 1646, if
amended as described herein. Senator Lee asked to be recorded
as voting no.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
During its consideration of S. 1646, the Committee adopted
a technical amendment to the title.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 contains the short title, the ``President Street
Station Study Act.''
Section 2. Definitions
Section 2 contains definitions.
Section 3. Special resource study
Section 3 directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct
a special resource study of President Street Station.
Subsection (b) requires the study to evaluate the national
significance of the study area; determine the suitability and
feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the
National Park System; consider alternatives for the
preservation, protection, and interpretation of the study area;
consult with interested government entities, private and non-
profit organizations or other interested individuals; and
identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition,
development, interpretation, operation and maintenance
associated with the alternatives.
Subsection (c) requires the study be conducted in
accordance with applicable law.
Subsection (d) requires the Secretary to submit a report on
the study's findings and conclusions, and provide any
recommendations, to the House Committee on Natural Resources
and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources within
three years after funds are made available to carry out the
study.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of the costs of this measure has
been provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
S. 1646 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to
conduct a special resource study of the President Street
Station in Baltimore, Maryland. As part of that study, the NPS
would determine the suitability and feasibility of designating
the site as a unit of the National Park System.
Based on the costs of similar studies, CBO estimates that
implementing S. 1646 would cost less than $500,000; such
spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated
funds.
Enacting S. 1646 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 1646 would not increase net
direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
S. 1646 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out S. 1646. 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. 1646, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 1646, 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 provided by the Department of the Interior at
the February 14, 2018, hearing on S. 1646 follows:
Statement of P. Daniel Smith, Deputy Director, Exercising the Authority
of the Director of the National Park Service, Department of the
Interior
Chairman Daines, Ranking Member King, and members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to provide the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 1646, to conduct a
special resource study of President Street Station in
Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes.
The Department recognizes that President Street Station
would be an appropriate subject for a National Park special
resource study. However, we do not support enactment of S. 1646
at this time. In order to focus resources on reducing the
National Park Service's $11.6 billion deferred maintenance
backlog and addressing other critical national park needs, no
increase in funding is requested for special resource studies
in the Administration's FY 2019 budget. Currently, the National
Park Service is conducting 22 previously authorized studies to
determine if areas have potential for inclusion in the National
Park System as new units, national heritage areas, national
trails, or wild and scenic rivers. Under these circumstances,
we believe it would be unwise to authorize a new special
resource study.
The President Street Station was built by the Philadelphia,
Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. Opened in 1850, it served
as the company's passenger terminus with connections south to
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad terminal via horse-drawn track
through the City of Baltimore. Originally consisting of a
headhouse, a 208-feet long barrel vaulted train shed, and a
freight house, only the headhouse remains today. The property
is associated with the Baltimore Riot of 1861, where members of
the Massachusetts militia on their way to Washington were
attacked by a mob as they transited the city, resulting in the
deaths of four soldiers and twelve civilians. That event is
considered the first act of the Civil War in which blood was
shed. The station is also recognized by the National Park
Service's Network to Freedom program for its use by the General
Vigilance Committee Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia, as
well as other groups and individuals, to escape or to aid
others in escaping slavery.
President Street Station is owned by the City of Baltimore.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is
included in the Baltimore National Heritage Area. It houses the
Baltimore Civil War Museum which is operated by a state-
chartered organization, the Friends of President Street
Station, and is open to the public.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. 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, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by the bill as ordered
reported.
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