Lackawanna Valley Heritage Area Act of 1998

Summary: Lackawanna Valley Heritage Area Act of 1998 - Establishes the Lackawanna Heritage Valley American Heritage Area, comprised of all or parts of four coal-producing counties in northeast Pennsylvania, to be managed by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. 
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a management compact with the Authority to determine Area goals and objectives. 
Directs the Authority to develop an Area management plan that presents comprehensive recommendations for the Area's conservation, funding, management, and development.  Requires the plan to be submitted to the Secretary for approval within three years after the enactment of this Act.  Outlines related management duties.  Prohibits the Authority from using Federal funds to acquire real property under this Act.  Provides for:  (1) technical and financial assistance from the Secretary to the Authority to develop and implement the plan; (2) approval or disapproval of compacts and management plans; and (3) termination on September 30, 2012, of the Secretary's authority to make a grant or provide assistance under this Act. 
Authorizes appropriations.  Prohibits Federal funding for the Area from exceeding 50 percent of total costs.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lackawanna Valley Heritage Area Act 
of 1998''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The industrial and cultural heritage of northeastern 
        Pennsylvania inclusive of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and 
        Susquehanna counties, related directly to anthracite and 
        anthracite-related industries, is nationally significant, as 
        documented in the United States Department of the Interior-
        National Parks Service, National Register of Historic Places, 
        Multiple Property Documentation submittal of the Pennsylvania 
        Historic and Museum Commission (1996).
            (2) These industries include anthracite mining, ironmaking, 
        textiles, and rail transportation.
            (3) The industrial and cultural heritage of the anthracite 
        and related industries in this region includes the social 
        history and living cultural traditions of the people of the 
        region.
            (4) The labor movement of the region played a significant 
        role in the development of the Nation including the formation 
        of many key unions such as the United Mine Workers of America, 
        and crucial struggles to improve wages and working conditions, 
        such as the 1900 and 1902 anthracite strikes.
            (5) The Department of the Interior is responsible for 
        protecting the Nation's cultural and historic resources, and 
        there are significant examples of these resources within this 
        4-county region to merit the involvement of the Federal 
        Government to develop programs and projects, in cooperation 
        with the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, the Commonwealth 
        of Pennsylvania, and other local and governmental bodies, to 
        adequately conserve, protect, and interpret this heritage for 
        future generations, while providing opportunities for education 
        and revitalization.
            (6) The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority would be an 
        appropriate management entity for a Heritage Area established 
        in the region.
    (b) Purpose.--The objectives of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley 
American Heritage Area are as follows:
            (1) To foster a close working relationship with all levels 
        of government, the private sector, and the local communities in 
        the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania and 
        empower the communities to conserve their heritage while 
        continuing to pursue economic opportunities.
            (2) To conserve, interpret, and develop the historical, 
        cultural, natural, and recreational resources related to the 
        industrial and cultural heritage of the 4-county region of 
        northeastern Pennsylvania.

SEC. 3. LACKAWANNA HERITAGE VALLEY AMERICAN HERITAGE AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the Lackawanna 
Heritage Valley American Heritage Area (in this Act referred to as the 
``Heritage Area'').
    (b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall be comprised of all or 
parts of the counties of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Susquehanna in 
Pennsylvania, determined pursuant to the compact under section 4.
    (c) Management Entity.--The management entity for the Heritage Area 
shall be the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.

SEC. 4. COMPACT.

    To carry out the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall enter 
into a compact with the management entity. The compact shall include 
information relating to the objectives and management of the area, 
including each of the following:
            (1) A delineation of the boundaries of the Heritage Area.
            (2) A discussion of the goals and objectives of the 
        Heritage Area, including an explanation of the proposed 
        approach to conservation and interpretation and a general 
        outline of the protection measures committed to by the 
        partners.

SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT ENTITY.

    (a) Authorities of the Management Entity.--The management entity 
may, for purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan 
developed under subsection (b), use funds made available through this 
Act for the following:
            (1) To make loans and grants to, and enter into cooperative 
        agreements with States and their political subdivisions, 
        private organizations, or any person.
            (2) To hire and compensate staff.
    (b) Management Plan.--The management entity shall develop a 
management plan for the Heritage Area that presents comprehensive 
recommendations for the Heritage Area's conservation, funding, 
management, and development. Such plan shall take into consideration 
existing State, county, and local plans and involve residents, public 
agencies, and private organizations working in the Heritage Area. It 
shall include actions to be undertaken by units of government and 
private organizations to protect the resources of the Heritage Area. It 
shall specify the existing and potential sources of funding to protect, 
manage, and develop the Heritage Area. Such plan shall include, as 
appropriate, the following:
            (1) An inventory of the resources contained in the Heritage 
        Area, including a list of any property in the Heritage Area 
        that is related to the themes of the Heritage Area and that 
        should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or 
        maintained because of its natural, cultural, historic, 
        recreational, or scenic significance.
            (2) A recommendation of policies for resource management 
        which considers and details application of appropriate land and 
        water management techniques, including, but not limited to, the 
        development of intergovernmental cooperative agreements to 
        protect the Heritage Area's historical, cultural, recreational, 
        and natural resources in a manner consistent with supporting 
        appropriate and compatible economic viability.
            (3) A program for implementation of the management plan by 
        the management entity, including plans for restoration and 
        construction, and specific commitments of the identified 
        partners for the first 5 years of operation.
            (4) An analysis of ways in which local, State, and Federal 
        programs may best be coordinated to promote the purposes of 
        this Act.
            (5) An interpretation plan for the Heritage Area.
The management entity shall submit the management plan to the Secretary 
for approval within 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act. If 
a management plan is not submitted to the Secretary as required within 
the specified time, the Heritage Area shall no longer qualify for 
Federal funding.
    (c) Duties of Management Entity.--The management entity shall--
            (1) give priority to implementing actions set forth in the 
        compact and management plan, including steps to assist units of 
        government, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit 
        organizations in preserving the Heritage Area;
            (2) assist units of government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations in establishing and 
        maintaining interpretive exhibits in the Heritage Area; assist 
        units of government, regional planning organizations, and 
        nonprofit organizations in developing recreational resources in 
        the Heritage Area;
            (3) assist units of government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations in increasing public 
        awareness of and appreciation for the natural, historical, and 
        architectural resources and sites in the Heritage Area; assist 
        units of government, regional planning organizations and 
        nonprofit organizations in the restoration of any historic 
        building relating to the themes of the Heritage Area;
            (4) encourage by appropriate means economic viability in 
        the Heritage Area consistent with the goals of the plan; 
        encourage local governments to adopt land use policies 
        consistent with the management of the Heritage Area and the 
        goals of the plan;
            (5) assist units of government, regional planning 
        organizations, and nonprofit organizations to ensure that 
        clear, consistent, and environmentally appropriate signs 
        identifying access points and sites of interest are put in 
        place throughout the Heritage Area;
            (6) consider the interests of diverse governmental, 
        business, and nonprofit groups within the Heritage Area;
            (7) conduct public meetings at least quarterly regarding 
        the implementation of the management plan;
            (8) submit substantial changes (including any increase of 
        more than 20 percent in the cost estimates for implementation) 
        to the management plan to the Secretary for the Secretary's 
approval; for any year in which Federal funds have been received under 
this Act, submit an annual report to the Secretary setting forth its 
accomplishments, its expenses and income, and the entity to which any 
loans and grants were made during the year for which the report is 
made; and
            (9) for any year in which Federal funds have been received 
        under this Act, make available for audit all records pertaining 
        to the expenditure of such funds and any matching funds, and 
        require, for all agreements authorizing expenditure of Federal 
        funds by other organizations, that the receiving organizations 
        make available for audit all records pertaining to the 
        expenditure of such funds.
    (d) Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The 
management entity may not use Federal funds received under this Act to 
acquire real property or an interest in real property. Nothing in this 
Act shall preclude any management entity from using Federal funds from 
other sources for their permitted purposes.

SEC. 6. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Technical and Financial Assistance.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may, upon request of the 
        management entity, provide technical and financial assistance 
        to the management entity to develop and implement the 
        management plan. In assisting the management entity, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to actions that in general assist 
        in--
                    (A) conserving the significant natural, historic, 
                and cultural resources which support its themes; and
                    (B) providing educational, interpretive, and 
                recreational opportunities consistent with its 
                resources and associated values.
            (2) Spending for non-federally owned property.--The 
        Secretary may spend Federal funds directly on non-federally 
        owned property to further the purposes of this Act, especially 
        in assisting units of government in appropriate treatment of 
        districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects listed or 
        eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic 
        Places. The Historic American Building Survey/Historic American 
        Engineering Record shall conduct those studies necessary to 
        document the industrial, engineering, building, and 
        architectural history of the region.
    (b) Approval and Disapproval of Compacts and Management Plans.--The 
Secretary, in consultation with the Governor of Pennsylvania, shall 
approve or disapprove a compact or management plan submitted under this 
Act not later than 90 days after receiving such compact or management 
plan.
    (c) Action Following Disapproval.--If the Secretary disapproves a 
submitted compact or management plan, the Secretary shall advise the 
management entity in writing of the reasons therefore and shall make 
recommendations for revisions in the compact or plan. The Secretary 
shall approve or disapprove a proposed revision within 90 days after 
the date it is submitted.
    (d) Approving Amendments.--The Secretary shall review substantial 
amendments to the management plan for the Heritage Area. Funds 
appropriated pursuant to this Act may not be expended to implement the 
changes made by such amendments until the Secretary approves the 
amendments.

SEC. 7. SUNSET.

    The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any assistance 
under this Act after September 30, 2012.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated under this 
Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not more than a total 
of $10,000,000 may be appropriated for the Heritage Area under this 
Act.
    (b) 50 Percent Match.--Federal funding provided under this Act, 
after the designation of the Heritage Area, may not exceed 50 percent 
of the total cost of any assistance or grant provided or authorized 
under this Act.