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[Senate Report 106-332]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                       Calendar No. 666
106th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     106-332

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                   NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY, MISSISSIPPI

                                _______
                                

                 July 10, 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. 2020]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 2020) to adjust the boundary of the 
Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                         purpose of the measure

    The purpose of S. 2020 is to adjust the boundary of the 
Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi to include specified 
additional lands totaling 230 acres, and to authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to lease certain land within the 
boundary of the Parkway to the city of Natchez, Mississippi, 
for any purpose compatible with the Parkway.

                          background and need

    During the late 18th and 19th centuries, the historic 
Natchez Trace was the principal overland link between the old 
Southwest Territory on the lower Mississippi River and the 
United States. The trace was a primitive network of trails that 
stretched from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. 
The Natchez Trace Parkway was established as a unit of the 
National Park System in 1938 to commemorate the Natchez Trace.
    Two segments of the Parkway remain unfinished, including 
the southern terminus near Natchez, Mississippi. In 1998, the 
National Park Service (NPS) released the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement for completion of the southern terminus, and 
selected a development alternative that will require the NPS to 
acquire approximately 150 acres of land to provide a corridor 
for approximately 4 miles of new roadway and an interchange in 
the city of Natchez.
    In addition, the Parkway's General Management Plan (GMP) 
includes the Emerald Mound Development Concept Plan (DCP). The 
Emerald Mound is a prehistoric Natchez Indian ceremonial mound 
covering nearly eight acres. The property lines for the site 
are not contiguous with the present parkway boundary, and 
access is via a narrow, winding county road with hazardous 
intersections. The Parkway's GMP/DCP calls for the acquisition 
of 60-80 acres of private land to accommodate construction of a 
short spur road directly from the Parkway motor road to the 
mound site, an enlarged parking area, a wayside shelter with 
interpretive exhibits, and a new trail.
    S. 2020 addresses both land acquisition issues by 
authorizing the acquisition of 150 acres to provide for the 
Parkway's southern terminus, and 80 acres near the Emerald 
Mound. In addition, S. 2020 authorizes the Secretary to lease 
land within the boundary of the Parkway to the city of Natchez 
for any purpose compatible with the Parkway. The latter 
provision stems from a parcel of land which was donated to the 
Parkway by the State of Mississippi, based on the assumption 
that it would be needed for the Parkway's southern terminus. 
Because a different alignment will be used for the terminus, 
the land is not needed for that purpose. The city of Natchez, 
however, desires use of the land for recreational purposes.

                          legislative history

    S. 2020 was introduced by Senators Cochran and Lott on 
February 1, 2000. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic 
Preservation, and Recreation held a hearing on S. 2020 on May 
11, 2000. At its business meeting on June 7, 2000, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 2020 
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. 2020.

                      section-by-section analysis

    Section 1 provides definitions for terms used in the bill.
    Section 2 directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) 
to adjust the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway (Parkway) 
by adding 230 acres of land depicted on specified maps. The 
Secretary is authorized to acquire the land through donation, 
purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange, and 
to administer the lands as part of the Parkway.
    Section 3 authorizes the Secretary to lease land within the 
boundary of the Parkway to the City of Natchez, Mississippi, 
for any purpose compatible with the Parkway.
    Section 4 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are 
necessary to carry out the Act.

                   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 26, 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. 2020, a bill to 
adjust the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, 
and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contacts for this 
estimate are James O'Keeffe (for federal costs), and Victoria 
Heid Hall (for the state and local impact).
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

S. 2020--A bill to adjust the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway, 
        Mississippi, and for other purposes

    S. 2020 would expand the Natchez Trace Parkway in 
Mississippi to include a 150-acre plot and an 80-acre plot, 
which are currently both privately owned. The bill would 
authorize the Department of the Interior (DOI) to acquire those 
pieces of property by donation, purchase, or exchange. Finally, 
under the bill, land within the parkway boundary could be 
leased to the city of Natchez. CBO estimates that acquiring 
this property would have no significant impact on the federal 
budget, but this acquisition would be necessary to complete 
construction of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
    Based on information from DOI, CBO expects that the 150-
acre piece of land would be purchased by the state of 
Mississippi and donated to the United States. There has been no 
formal appraisal of the land, but based on information from 
DOI, CBO estimates that purchasing the 80-acre plot would cost 
about $500,000.
    DOI and the city of Natchez have not agreed on the terms of 
a possible lease for a portion to the parkway, but DOI expects 
that it would charge only a nominal amount. Any money collected 
from a lease would be recorded as offsetting receipts--a credit 
against direct spending. Because S. 2020 would affect direct 
spending, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply; but based on 
information from DOI, CBO expects that any receipts collected 
under the bill would be less than $5,000 annually.
    Expanding the boundaries of this parkway could enable the 
Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Lands Highways 
Program to construct an access road and the southern terminus 
of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Based on information from DOT, 
CBO estimates this construction would cost about $25 million 
over the 2003-2005 period, assuming appropriation of the 
necessary amounts. Spending for the Federal Lands Highways 
Program is authorized under current law.
    S. 2020 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would have no significant impact on the budgets of state, 
local, or tribal governments. Enacting the bill would benefit 
the city of Natchez, Mississippi, by allowing it to lease a 
portion of the parkway. Any nonfederal land acquired by the 
National Park Service under this bill would only be acquired if 
agreeable to the state or local jurisdictions.
    The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are James O'Keeffe 
(for federal costs), and Victoria Heid Hall (for the state and 
local impact). 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. 2020. 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. 2020, as ordered reported.

                        executive communications

    On June 6, 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. 2020. These 
reports had not been received at the time the report on S. 2020 
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 Denis P. Galvin, Deputy Director, National Park Service, 
                       Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the 
Department of the Interior's views on S. 2020, to adjust the 
boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, and for 
other purposes.
    The Department supports S. 2020. This legislation would set 
the stage for completing the southern terminus of Natchez Trace 
Parkway, which would allow visitors direct access into the 
historic city of Natchez by way of an historic transportation 
route. The legislation would provide the authority necessary to 
build a direct access road from the parkway to the Emerald 
Mound site.
    The historical Natchez Trace extended from Natchez, 
Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. The trace was the main 
overland link between the Southwest Territory on the lower 
Mississippi River and the United States in the late 18th and 
early 19th centuries. In 1938, Congress established the 445-
mile Natchez Trace Parkway as a unit of the National Park 
System. Currently, the southern end of the parkway is eight 
miles outside of the city of Natchez at U.S. Highway 61. The 
southern terminus, and another segment in the vicinity of 
Jackson, Mississippi, are the only two parkway segments that 
still need to be completed.
    A southern extension of the parkway has been partially 
constructed from U.S. Highway 61 to U.S. Highway 84/98, but 
this four-mile segment will not open to traffic until a 
terminus alternative has been selected and fully constructed. 
Planning for the southern terminus has been going on for 
several decades, but several different options considered over 
the years were determined to be infeasible. During the 1990's, 
the possibilities were narrowed to three alternatives that were 
analyzed in a 1998 Environmental Impact Statement prepared by 
the National Park Service. The options included a ``no action'' 
alternative, the Liberty Road alternative, and the Sergeant 
Prentiss Drive alternative. After analyzing the total range of 
the impacts of these alternatives, the National Park Service 
concluded that the Liberty Road alternative would be the best 
choice.
    S. 2020 reflects the National Park Service's preference for 
locating the southern terminus at Liberty Road. The bill would 
expand the boundary of the parkway by approximately 150 acres 
from the vicinity of St. Catherine Creek to Liberty Road. Land 
acquisition authority provided by the bill would enable the 
National Park Service to acquire the property necessary for the 
construction of an interchange and about four miles of parkway, 
as called for in the Liberty Road alternative. We anticipate 
that funding for the necessary land acquisition would be 
provided by the State of Mississippi, and that funding for 
construction would be provided through the Federal Lands 
Highways Program of the Department of Transportation, subject 
to National Park Service priorities.
    S. 2020 would also expand the boundary of the parkway by 
about 80 acres in the Emerald Mound area, a National Park 
Service site along the parkway about 10 miles northeast of 
Natchez. Emerald Mound, which was constructed and used during 
the Mississippian period (approximately 1300 to 1600 A.D.), is 
the third largest Indian mound of any type and the second 
largest ceremonial mound in the United States.
    Access to Emerald Mound is in serious need of improvement. 
Visitors reach the mound by exiting the parkway motor road at 
milepost 10.3 and traveling about one mile to the parking area 
on a narrow winding county road with hazardous intersections. 
The Emerald Mound property lines are not contiguous with the 
present parkway boundary. The parkway's 1987 general management 
plan and 1993 land protection plan update call for acquiring 60 
to 80 acres of land to construct a three-quarter-mile spur 
road, parking area, wayside shelter, and trail to Emerald 
Mound. Besides enhancing visitor use and interpretation and 
consolidating parkway lands, this project would enable the 
National Park Service to improve protection and preservation of 
this very impressive and valuable ceremonial mound.
    In addition, S. 2020 would authorize the Secretary to lease 
land within the boundary of the parkway to the city of Natchez 
for purposes compatible with the parkway. Several years ago, 
the State of Mississippi donated to the National Park Service 
land that was expected to be used as a right-of-way for the 
southern terminus. However, this land would not be necessary 
for the southern terminus under the Liberty Road alternative. 
The authority provided by S. 2020 would enable the National 
Park Service to lease a portion of the property to the city of 
Natchez for public recreational uses.
    Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement. I will 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 S. 2020, as 
ordered reported.

                                
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