[Senate Report 106-317]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 635
106th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 106-317
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UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA STUDY ACT OF 2000
_______
June 27, 2000.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2421]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 2421) to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and feasibility
of establishing an Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage
Area in Connecticut and Massachusetts, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
purpose of the measure
The purpose of S. 2421 is to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and feasibility
of establishing an Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage
Area in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
background and need
The Housatonic River region of New England is home to many
of the nation's first industrial iron sites, which produced
iron used to make weapons for the Revolutionary War.
Furthermore, the area includes homes of historical significance
belonging to Edith Wharton and author Herman Melville as well
as the Monument Mountain Reservation, where Melville and
Nathaniel Hawthorne picnicked. The area also has great outdoor
recreational resources and is the base for much of
Connecticut's tourism business.
S. 2421 authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a
study to determine the feasibility and suitability of
designating the Upper Housatonic Valley as a National Heritage
Area.
legislative history
S. 2421 was introduced by Senators Lieberman, Dodd, Kerry,
and Kennedy on April 13, 2000. Testimony from witnesses on this
bill was included in the record of the hearing held by the
Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation, and
Recreation on May 25, 2000. At its business meeting on June 7,
2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S.
2421 favorably reported.
committee recommendation and tabulation of votes
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on June 7, 2000, by a unanimous vote of a
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 2421 as
described herein.
section-by-section analysis
Section 1 designates the bill's short title.
Section 2 defines the term ``Secretary'' as the Secretary
of the Interior, and describes the areas in Connecticut and
Massachusetts that comprise the ``Study Area.''
Section 3 directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the
Study Area that addresses 8 specific elements with respect to
the area's resources, community support, and existence of a
potential management entity. The Secretary must consult with
State Historic Preservation Officers, State Historical
Societies, and other appropriate organizations, and must
complete and submit the report to Congress within 3 years after
the date of enactment of this legislation.
Section 4 authorizes the appropriation of $300,000 to carry
out the purposes of this legislation.
cost and budgetary considerations
The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, June 9, 2000.
Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 2421, the Upper
Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Study Act of 2000.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contacts for this
estimate are Deborah Reis and Ali Aslam.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
S. 2421--Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Study Act of
2000
S. 2421 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of
establishing an Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area
in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The bill would require the
Secretary to report on the national, historical, and cultural
resources within the study area which merit recognition and
conservation.
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO
estimates that the federal government would spend about
$300,000 over the next three years to implement S. 2421. The
bill would not affect direct spending or receipts; therefore,
pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. S. 2421 contains no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets
of state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Deborah Reis
and Ali Aslam. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine,
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. 2421. 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. 2421, as ordered reported.
executive communications
On May 23, 2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of
the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting
forth Executive agency recommendations on S. 2421. These
reports had not been received at the time the report on S. 2421
was filed. When the reports become available, the Chairman will
request that they be printed in the Congressional Record for
the advice of the Senate. The testimony provided by the
National Park Service at the Subcommittee hearing follows:
Statement of Katherine H. Stevenson, Associate Director, Cultural
Resource Stewardship and Partnerships, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear
before the subcommittee to present the views of the Department
of the Interior on S. 2421, a bill to direct the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and
feasibility of establishing an Upper Housatonic Valley National
Heritage Area in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The Department of the Interior supports this legislation.
S. 2421 would authorize a suitability and feasibility study to
determine the potential for establishing a national heritage
area along sixty miles of the Upper Housatonic River, in
twenty-six towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts. State
historic preservation officers, State historical societies and
other appropriate organizations would be consulted in
conducting the study.
The study would include a number of components we believe
are helpful for public review. These components are based on
our experience with heritage areas previously designated by
Congress. The components include analysis and documentation
that the study area:
1. Has an assemblage of natural, historic, or
cultural resources representing distinctive aspects of
American heritage worthy of recognition, conservation,
interpretation, and continued use, and are best managed
through partnerships among public and private entities,
and by combining diverse and sometimes noncontiguous
resources and active communities;
2. Reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and
folklife that are a valuable part of the national
story;
3. Provides outstanding opportunities to conserve
natural, cultural, historic, and/or scenic features;
4. Provides outstanding recreational and educational
opportunities;
5. Contains resources important to the identified
theme or themes of the study area that retain a degree
of integrity capable of supporting interpretation;
6. Includes residents, business interests, non-profit
organizations, and local and State governments involved
in the planning who have demonstrated support for the
concept of a national heritage area;
7. Has a potential management entity to work in
partnership with residents, business interests,
nonprofit organizations and local and state governments
to develop a heritage area consistent with continued
local and state economic activity;
8. Is depicted on a conceptual boundary map supported
by the public.
In conducting the study, the National Park Service would
assist the communities in the valley in determining their own
sense of how best to work together to protect those resources.
A description of the area's resources would be developed and
the theme or themes for the area would be identified. We would
also work with State and local agencies to address the
interests of local governments in preserving their heritage,
maintaining their local economy and determining the means for
that preservation, whether through a national heritage area, a
state heritage area, or regional effort. Funding for this study
would be subject to the availability of appropriations and
National Park Service priorities among the many requirements
for studies.
The Housatonic River has played an important role in the
growth and development of the valley. The earliest residents
were Native Americans who settled along the river's banks to
farm and fish. The first English colonists arrived in 1639 at
the mouth of the river and later began farming in the upper
reaches. Agriculture was a major activity throughout the valley
and is evident today.
During the 18th and 19th century, waterpower played a
prominent role in the region's industrial development, with the
remnants of dams, millraces, and furnaces still seen today. The
iron industry evolved based on the high-grade ore found in the
hills of northwestern Connecticut. Forged products included
utensils and armaments used in the American Revolution.
Throughout the valley more than forty blast furnaces were
active over time. The last furnace closed in 1923.
In the 1800s, the area was known for manufacturing and
mining. The region was the first in the country to make paper,
and by the end of the Civil War there were at least twenty-
eight paper mills in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, alone.
However, the onset of the 20th century brought a decline of
industrialization due to inadequate railroad and roadways, as
well as competition from larger industries outside the region.
The resources that illustrate the area's history in
agriculture, iron making and industry and the growing public
commitment to heritage conservation, make the Upper Housatonic
Valley worthy of the proposed study.
This concludes my prepared testimony. I would be happy to
answer any questions you 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 S. 2421, as
ordered reported.