49–010 

Calendar No. 206 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 114–126 

PRESIDENT STREET STATION STUDY ACT 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015.—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. 521] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 521) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to conduct a special resource study of President Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes, having considered the 

same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and an 

amendment to the title and recommends that the bill, as amended, 

do pass. 

The amendments are as follows: 

1. On page 3, strike lines 5 and 6 and insert the following: subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of 

title 54, United States Code. 

2. Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘To authorize the Secretary of 

the Interior to conduct a special resource study of President Street 

Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes.’’. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 521 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior 

to conduct a special resource study of President Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

President Street Station in downtown Baltimore is the oldest 

surviving big-city railroad terminal and one of a few remaining historical structures along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. In addition to 

being architecturally significant, President Street Station has been 

at the center of several historically significant events. The property 

is associated with the Baltimore riots of 1861. The riot saw the 


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first blood in the Civil War when Massachusetts troops bound for 

Washington, D.C., were attacked by an angry mob of Southern 

sympathizers. President Street Station also played a role in the 

‘‘Baltimore Plot’’ to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln as 

he was en route to his inauguration. In addition, President Street 

Station has ties to the Underground Railroad and helps tell the 

stories of the growth of the railroad industry in the 19th century 

and the immigrant influx of the early 20th century. 

The legislation would authorize the National Park Service to undertake a special resource study to examine the national significance of President Street Station, its suitability and feasibility for 

potential designation as a unit of the national park system, and the 

need for National Park Service management of the site versus 

management by other public or private entities. The study is informational; Congress would still have to act on separate legislation 

to create a unit of the National Park System. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 521 was introduced by Senators Cardin and Mikulski on February 12, 2015. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the bill on June 10, 2015. 

In the 113th Congress a similar bill, S. 770, was introduced by 

Senators Cardin and Mikulski on April 18, 2013. 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open 

business session on July 30, 2015, and ordered S. 521 favorably reported, as amended. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 

open business session on July 30, 2015, by a majority voice vote of 

a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 521, if 

amended as described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During its consideration of S. 521, the Committee adopted an 

amendment to make a technical correction and an amendment to 

the title. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 contains the short title, the ‘‘President Street Station 

Study Act.’’ 

Section 2 contains definitions. 

Section 3 directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 

resource study of President Street Station. Section 3(b) requires the 

study to: evaluate the national significance of the site; determine 

the suitability and feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the 

National Park System; include cost estimates for any necessary acquisition, development, operation and maintenance of the site; consult with interested government entities, private and non-profit organizations or other interested individuals; and identify alternatives for the management, administration and protection of the 

site. Section 3(c) requires the study to be conducted in accordance 

with section 100507 of title 54, United States Code, which sets 

forth criteria for National Park Service special resource studies. 


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Section 3(d) requires the Secretary to submit a report that describes the findings and conclusions of the study and any recommendations to the House Committee on Natural Resources and 

the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources within 

three years after the funds are made available to carry out the 

study. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 521—President Street Station Study Act 

S. 521 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the 

suitability and feasibility of designating the President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland, as a unit of the National Park System 

(NPS). Based on information from NPS, CBO estimates that carrying out the proposed study would cost about $200,000; such 

spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 

Enacting S. 521 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

S. 521 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would affect 

the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Marin Burnett. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 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. 521. 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. 521, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 521, 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. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the June 

10, 2015, National Parks Subcommittee hearing on S. 521 follows: 

STATEMENT OF VICTOR KNOX, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, PARK

PLANNING, FACILITIES AND LANDS, NATIONAL PARK

SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to provide the Department of the 

Interior’s views on S. 521, to conduct a special resource 


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study of President Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for 

other purposes. 

The Department supports enactment of S. 521 with technical amendments. However, we believe that priority 

should be given to the 33 previously authorized studies for 

potential units of the National Park System, potential new 

National Heritage Areas, and potential additions to the 

National Trails System and National Wild and Scenic Rivers System that have not yet been transmitted to Congress. 

S. 521 authorizes a special resource study of the President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland. This study 

would determine whether this site meets the National 

Park Service’s criteria for inclusion in the National Park 

System of national significance, suitability, and feasibility, 

and need for National Park Service management. The 

study would also consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, and interpretation of the resources by the 

Federal government, State or local government entities, or 

private and non-profit entities. Alternatives might include, 

for example, the designation of the site as an affiliated 

area of the National Park Service, where the National 

Park Service would provide technical assistance to the site 

but not own or manage it. We estimate the cost of the 

study to range from $200,000 to $300,000, based on similar types of studies conducted in recent years. 

The President Street Station was built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. Opened in 

1850, it served as the company’s passenger terminus with 

connections south to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad terminal via horse-drawn track through the City of Baltimore. Originally consisting of a headhouse, a 208-feet long 

barrel vaulted train shed, and a freight house, only the 

headhouse remains today. The property is associated with 

the Baltimore Riot of 1861, where members of the Massachusetts militia on their way to Washington were attacked 

by a mob as they transited the city, resulting in the deaths 

of four soldiers and twelve civilians. That event is considered the first act in the Civil War in which blood was shed. 

The station is also recognized by the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program for its use by the General Vigilance Committee Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia, as well as other groups and individuals, to escape or 

aid others in escaping slavery. 

President Street Station is owned by the City of Baltimore. It is listed on the National Register of Historic 

Places and is included in the Baltimore National Heritage 

Area. It houses the Baltimore Civil War Museum which is 

operated by a state-chartered organization, the Friends of 

President Street Station, and is open to the public. 

We recommend two technical amendments, which are attached below: one to update the reference to the law that 

set requirements for special resource studies; the other to 

correct the name of the train station in the title of the bill. 


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Mr. Chairman, this concludes our prepared statement. I 

would be happy to respond to any questions about this 

matter. 

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. 521, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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