59–010 

Calendar No. 605 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 114–332 

STE. GENEVIEVE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK 

ESTABLISHMENT ACT OF 2016 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016.—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. 2954] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 2954) to establish the Ste. Genevieve National 

Historical Park in the State of Missouri, and for other purposes, 

having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the 

title and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

The amendments are as follows: 

1. Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to establish the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park in the State of Missouri, and for 

other purposes.’’. 

2. Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Establishment Act of 2016’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) HISTORIC DISTRICT.—The term ‘‘Historic District’’ means the Ste. Genevieve Historic District National Historic Landmark, as generally depicted on the 

Map. 

(2) HISTORICAL PARK.—The term ‘‘Historical Park’’ means the Ste. Genevieve 

National Historical Park established by section 3(a). 

(3) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map entitled ‘‘Ste. Genevieve National 

Historical Park Proposed Boundary’’, numbered 571/132,626, and dated May 

2016. 

(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior. 

(5) SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.—The term ‘‘special resource study’’ means the 

study entitled ‘‘Ste. Genevieve Final Special Resources Study and Environmental Assessment, Missouri’’ and dated May 2016. 

(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State of Missouri. 

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SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STE. GENEVIEVE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), there is established the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park in the State as a unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the themes of French settlement, vernacular architecture, and community form and farming on the frontier associated with Ste. Genevieve. 

(2) CONDITIONS FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The Historical Park shall not be established until the date on which the Secretary determines that— 

(A) sufficient land has been acquired for the Historical Park to constitute 

a manageable unit; and 

(B) the Secretary has entered into a written agreement providing that 

land owned by the State, the City of Ste. Genevieve, or other entity within 

the Historic District shall be managed consistent with the purposes of this 

Act. 

(b) BOUNDARIES.—The boundaries of the Historical Park shall be the boundaries 

generally depicted on the Map. 

(c) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The Map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 

(d) ACQUISITION AUTHORITY.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may acquire any land or interest in land located within the boundary of the Historical Park or any nationally significant 

property identified in the special resource study within the Historic District 

by— 

(A) donation; 

(B) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or 

(C) exchange. 

(2) BOUNDARY REVISION.—On the acquisition of any property within the Historic District under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall revise the boundary of 

the Historical Park to include the property. 

(e) ADMINISTRATION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer the Historical Park in accordance with— 

(A) this Act; and 

(B) the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System, 

including— 

(i) section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and sections 100751(a), 100752, 

100753, and 102101 of title 54, United States Code; and 

(ii) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States Code. 

(2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds 

are made available to prepare a general management plan for the Historical Park, the Secretary shall prepare the general management plan in accordance with section 100502 of title 54, United States Code. 

(B) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On completion of the general management plan under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate the general management plan. 

(3) RELATED SITES.—The Secretary may provide interpretative tours and educational programs at related historic and cultural sites within the Historic District associated with the purposes for which the Historical Park is established. 

(f) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide technical assistance and enter 

into cooperative agreements with the owner of a nationally significant property 

within the Historical Park or the Historic District, to identify, mark, interpret, 

improve, and restore the property. 

(2) RIGHT OF ACCESS.—A cooperative agreement entered into under paragraph 

(1) shall provide that the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National 

Park Service, shall have the right of access at all reasonable times to all public 

portions of the property covered by the agreement for the purposes of— 

(A) conducting visitors through the property; and 

(B) interpreting the property for the public. 

(3) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 

(A) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the total cost of any activity 

carried out under a cooperative agreement entered into under this subsection shall be not more than 50 percent. 

(B) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share of an activity 

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section may be in the form of donated property, goods, or services fairly valued. 

(4) CHANGES OR ALTERATIONS.—No changes or alterations shall be made to 

any property or project covered by a cooperative agreement entered into under 

paragraph (1) unless the Secretary and the other party to the agreement agree 

to the changes or alterations. 

(5) CONVERSION, USE, OR DISPOSAL.—Any payment by the Secretary under 

this subsection shall be subject to an agreement that the conversion, use, or disposal of a property or project for purposes contrary to the purposes of this section, as determined by the Secretary, shall entitle the United States to reimbursement in any amount equal to the greater of— 

(A) the amounts made available to the property or project by the United 

States; or 

(B) the portion of the increased value of the property or project attributable to the amounts made available under this subsection, as determined 

at the time of the conversion, use, or disposal. 

(g) LIMITED ROLE OF THE SECRETARY.—Nothing in this Act authorizes the Secretary to assume overall financial responsibility for the operation, maintenance, or 

management of the Historic District. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 2954 is to establish the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park in the State of Missouri. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Ste. Genevieve was founded circa 1750 by French Canadian settlers, most of whom came from earlier settlements just across the 

Mississippi in present-day Illinois. Though resources such as salt 

and lead attracted settlers to the west side of the Mississippi, the 

rich soil was the greatest draw. Ste. Genevieve was primarily an 

agricultural settlement, with free and enslaved residents working 

in the Grand Champ, or Common Field, a large area of privately 

held, long agricultural lots surrounded by one large fence. 

After a series of floods, the most severe of which occurred in 

1785, the town was moved inland approximately three miles, to 

where it stands today. Residents continued to work the Common 

Field, which though smaller, is still cultivated today. Ste. Genevieve became a hub of trade. Following the Revolutionary War, 

there was an influx of British Americans that intensified following 

the Louisiana Purchase, expanding the village. Ste. Genevieve retains many of its historic buildings, landscapes, and community 

characteristics. 

Ste. Genevieve is one of the oldest National Historic Landmark 

districts in the country. When a portion of the district was initially 

designated as such in 1960, it was recognized for the unique concentration of French vertical log architecture—the largest extant 

collection of this architecture in North America. The most notable 

feature of French vernacular log architecture is the use of logs 

vertically, rather than horizontally, as seen in buildings in the 

frontier settlements of people of other ethnic European extractions. 

With new research and an expanded understanding of French settlement in the mid-Mississippi ‘‘Illinois Country,’’ new resources 

have been identified and the nationally significant district encompasses much of the City of Ste. Genevieve and agricultural landscapes and archeological sites in Ste. Genevieve County. 

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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 2954 was introduced by Senators Blunt and McCaskill on May 

19, 2016. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on 

S. 2954 on June 15, 2016. 

Representative Smith introduced similar legislation, H.R. 5305, 

in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2016, which was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open 

business session on July 13, 2016, and ordered S. 2954 favorably 

reported as amended. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 

open business session on July 13, 2016, by a majority voice vote of 

a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 2954, if 

amended as described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

During its consideration of S. 2954, the Committee adopted an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the 

title. The substitute amendment designates the site as a national 

historical park and makes other clarifying and conforming changes. 

The substitute amendment is explained in detail in the sectionby-section analysis, below. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 contains the short title. 

Section 2. Definitions 

Section 2 defines key terms. 

Section 3. Establishment of the Ste. Genevieve National Historical 

Park 

Section 3(a) establishes the Ste. Genevieve National Historical 

Park in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System. The establishment of the Ste. Genevieve Historical Park is 

conditioned on the Secretary determining that sufficient land has 

been acquired for the Historical Park to constitute a manageable 

unit and entering into a written agreement providing that land 

owned by the State, the City of Ste. Genevieve, or other entity 

within the Historic District shall be managed consistent with the 

purposes of the Act. 

Subsection (b) establishes the boundaries of the Historical Park 

as generally depicted on the referenced map. 

Subsection (c) requires that the map be on file and available for 

public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park 

Service. 

Subsection (d) authorizes the Secretary to acquire any land or interest in land within the boundary of the Historical Park or any 

nationally significant property identified in the special resource 

study within the Historic District by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange. Upon acquisition of any 

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property within the Historic District, the Secretary is directed to 

revise the boundary of the Historical Park to include the property. 

Subsection (e) requires the Secretary to administer the Historical 

Park in accordance with this Act and applicable law. The Secretary 

is further directed to prepare the general management plan within 

three years of receiving funding and to submit the general management plan to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. 

Subsection (f) authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements with the owner of 

a nationally significant property within the Historical Park or the 

Historical District to identify, mark, interpret, improve, and restore 

the property. Cooperative agreements shall provide access, at reasonable times, to public portions of the property, for the purposes 

of conducting visitors through the property and interpreting the 

property for the public. The Federal cost share of this agreement 

is limited to 50 percent. The non-Federal share of an activity carried out under a cooperative agreement may be in the form of donated property, goods, or services rendered. No changes or alterations shall be made to any property or project covered by a cooperative agreement entered into unless the Secretary and the other 

party to the agreement concur with the changes or alterations. 

Subsection (g) states that nothing in the Act authorizes the Secretary to assume overall financial responsibility for the operation, 

maintenance, or management of the Historic District. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the costs of this 

measure has been requested but was not received at the time the 

report was filed. When the Congressional Budget Office completes 

the cost estimate, it will be posted on the internet at www.cbo.gov. 

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. 2954. 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. 2954, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 2954, 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. 

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EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The testimony received from the National Park Service on the 

June 15, 2016, Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S. 2954 

follows: 

STATEMENT OF DR. STEPHANIE TOOTHMAN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CULTURAL RESOURCES, PARTNERSHIPS AND

SCIENCE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2954, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Ste. Genevieve National Historic Site in the State of Missouri, and for other 

purposes. 

The Department supports S. 2954 with amendments. 

This legislation would establish the Ste. Genevieve National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System 

to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of 

present and future generations the themes of French settlement, vernacular architecture, and community form and 

farming on the frontier associated with Ste. Genevieve. It 

would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 

approximately thirteen acres of land for the historic site 

and other significant related sites within the surrounding 

historic district. This bill also authorizes the Secretary of 

the Interior to provide interpretive tours and education 

programs within the historic district. Finally, it would also 

authorize the secretary to provide technical assistance and 

to enter into cooperative agreements to preserve significant sites related to the purposes of the park. 

Ste. Genevieve is one of the oldest National Historic 

Landmark districts in the country. When initially designated it was recognized for the unique concentration of 

French vertical log architecture. Since then, research has 

identified the national significance of not only the large 

and rare collection of French vernacular vertical log 

houses, but also the contemporaneous examples of British 

American and German American architecture that contribute to the compelling historical associations with 

French exploration and settlement of the United States’ interior in the late 18th and early 19th century. There is no 

comparably protected or managed area interpreting these 

themes. 

The boundary of the Historic Site is encompassed by the 

Ste. Genevieve Historic District and National Historic 

Landmark, which includes lands between State Highways 

61 and 31 and the Mississippi River. The National Historic 

Landmark, one of the oldest, was established on October 

9, 1960. The proposed historic site includes a mix of privately and publicly-owned parcels. The State of Missouri 

owns many of those properties and could transfer them to 

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quired over time through donation or purchase from willing sellers as funding allows. 

The Ste. Genevieve Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment estimated the annual cost to operate 

the site would be $800,000 to $1.2 million per year, which 

is comparable to other national historic sites. This operational budget would primarily fund a NPS staff of 6–12 

FTE, for interpretive and educational programs, and outreach. The additional facilities and properties will increase 

park operational and maintenance costs, but the amount 

will depend on the number of facilities acquired and their 

condition. Additional funds for maintenance, repairs and 

capital improvements would be awarded through the NPS 

competitive process, subject to service-wide priorities and 

the availability of appropriations. 

There is widespread support for the establishment of the 

historic site. The National Park Service received letters of 

support for the establishment of Ste. Genevieve National 

Historic Site from the City of Ste. Genevieve, the County 

Commission of Ste. Genevieve, the Foundation for the Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Les Amis, the Missouri Parks 

Association, the National Society Colonial Dames of America in the State of Missouri, the New Bourbon Regional 

Port Authority, the Sierra Club (Eastern Missouri Group), 

the State Historical Society of Missouri, Ste. Genevieve 

Chamber of Commerce, the Ste. Genevieve Downtown Renewal Project, the Ste. Genevieve Museum, and the Ste. 

Genevieve Tourism Tax Commission. 

We recommend two amendments to the bill. First, we 

recommend that the language for cooperative agreements 

in § 3(f) of the bill be revised to authorize the Secretary to 

enter into an agreement for a project related to the management of the historic site in addition to an agreement to 

identify, mark, interpret, improve, or restore a ‘‘property’’ 

within the historic district or site. Cooperative agreements 

may include the expenditure of federal funds to help maintain a property, but also may be provided for projects such 

as interpretive signage or other informational materials 

found in wayside exhibits. The reference to a ‘‘project’’ 

assures that the interests of the federal government are 

protected in all instances where federal funds are provided. 

Second, we recommend adding a definition for the special resource study referred to in the bill. This definition 

is important to determine which nationally properties are 

being considered for acquisition to the national historic 

site. The special resource study has an inventory of the 

properties contributing to the national significance of the 

study area in Chapter 6. We would be happy to provide 

the committee with language for our recommended amendments. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I would be 

happy to answer any questions you or other members of 

the subcommittee may have. 

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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. 

Æ 

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