[Senate Report 115-296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                      Calendar No. 510
115th Congress      }                                   {       Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session         }                                   {      115-296

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



 
                   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.

                                  [all]