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[House Report 113-708]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

113th Congress    }                                   {        Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                   {        113-708
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                 LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AREA STUDY ACT

                                _______
                                

 December 22, 2014.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 311]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (S. 311) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
study the suitability and feasibility of designating sites in 
the Lower Mississippi River Area in the State of Louisiana as a 
unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of S. 311 is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of 
designating sites in the Lower Mississippi River area in the 
State of Louisiana as a unit of the National Park System.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Lower Mississippi River area of Plaquemines Parish, 
Louisiana, has been home to ten different fortifications, 
including Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson. Fort St. Philip was 
built by the French in 1746 and rebuilt by the Spanish in 1791. 
President Andrew Jackson repaired the fort in anticipation of a 
British attack during the War of 1812. Fort Jackson, named 
after Andrew Jackson, was completed in 1832 to provide further 
protection for New Orleans.
    Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson were heavily fortified 
during the Civil War. The Confederates felt that the presence 
of these two forts made passage up the Mississippi River 
impossible. Union leadership determined that the forts were not 
impenetrable and that opening the river to Union navigation was 
necessary for the war effort. Eight days of heavy bombardment 
led to the bloodless surrender of both forts, giving the North 
control of the river.
    Fort St. Philip was not regularly garrisoned after 1871 and 
was later sold at public auction and remains in private 
ownership. Fort Jackson was badly damaged by the Civil War 
bombardment. It was repaired and used as a prison, then later a 
minor training base during the Spanish-American War and World 
War I, and then sold as surplus. The buyers donated the 82-acre 
site to the Parish of Plaquemines where it was converted into a 
historical park and recreation area.
    The Lower Mississippi region is home to the longest 
continuous river road and levee system in the United States. 
The land in Plaquemines Parish was created about 700 years ago 
when a natural levee eroded and the river changed course. In 
this area, there are also two National Wildlife Refuges, Delta 
and Breton, which together encompass nearly 56,000 acres.
    S. 311 authorizes the National Park Service to evaluate the 
suitability and feasibility of designating Fort St. Philip, 
Fort Jackson and the Head of Passes as unit of the National 
Park System. To better calculate the level of local public 
support, S. 311 requires the Secretary to use only non-Federal 
funds for the cost of conducting the study.

                          COMMITTEE ACTION

    S. 311 was introduced on February 13, 2013, by Senator Mary 
Landrieu (D-LA). On July 9, 2014, the bill passed the Senate by 
unanimous consent with amendments. The bill was then referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee 
to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental 
Regulation. On July 29, 2014, the Subcommittee held a hearing 
on the bill. On July 30, 2014, the Natural Resources Committee 
met to consider S. 311. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and 
Environmental Regulation was discharged by unanimous consent. 
No amendments were offered and the bill was adopted and ordered 
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous 
consent.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

S. 311--Lower Mississippi River Area Study Act

    S. 311 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating specified sites along the Lower Mississippi River 
in the state of Lousiana as a unit of the National Park System. 
Based on information provided by the National Park Service and 
assuming the availability of appropriated funds, CBO estimates 
that carrying out the proposed study would cost about $400,000 
over the next three years. Enacting S. 311 would not affect 
direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures do not apply.
    S. 311 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    On March 25, 2013, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
311 as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources on March 14, 2013. The two versions of the 
legislation are similar, and the CBO cost estimates are the 
same.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von 
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required 
by clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new budget 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures. CBO estimates that carrying out 
the proposed study would cost about $400,000 over the next 
three years, although the bill requires that this amount be 
first donated to the United States or the costs are borne by 
the state, local government or other non-federal entity.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill is to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of 
designating sites in the Lower Mississippi River Area in the 
State of Louisiana as a unit of the National Park System.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                       COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

    Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that 
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any 
specific rule-making proceedings.
    Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not 
establish or reauthorize a program of the Federal Government 
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was 
not included in any report from the Government Accountability 
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program 
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 
98-169) as relating to other programs.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.
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