II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1325 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 5, 2011 

Ms. LANDRIEU introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lower Mississippi 

5 River National Historic Site Study Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1325 IS

1 (1) the Lower Mississippi area located south of 

2 New Orleans, Louisiana, which is known as 

3 ‘‘Plaquemines Parish’’, has great historical signifi4 cance; 

5 (2) from the earliest Spanish explorers traveling 

6 along the banks of the Lower Mississippi River in 

7 the 1500s, to Robert de LaSalle claiming all of the 

8 land drained by the Lower Mississippi River in 

9 1682, to the petroleum, fisheries, and transportation 

10 industries of today, the area is one of the most 

11 unique areas in the continental United States; 

12 (3) while, in 1699, the area became the site of 

13 the first fortification on the Lower Mississippi River, 

14 known as ‘‘Fort Mississippi’’, it has since been home 

15 to 10 different fortifications, more than a dozen 

16 light houses, and several wildlife refuges, quarantine 

17 stations, and pilot stations; 

18 (4) of particular interest to the area are— 

19 (A) Fort St. Philip, originally built in 

20 1749, at which, during the Battle of New Orle21 ans, the British navy was blocked from going 

22 up river and a victory for the Colonial Army 

23 was ensured; and 

24 (B) Fort Jackson, built across from Fort 

25 St. Philip at the request of General Andrew 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1325 IS

1 Jackson and partially constructed by famous 

2 local Civil War General P.G.T. Beauregard, 

3 which was the site of the famous Civil War bat4 tle known as the ‘‘Battle of the Forts’’, which 

5 is also referred to as the ‘‘night the war was 

6 lost’’; 

7 (5) the area is— 

8 (A) at the end of the longest continuous 

9 river road and levee system in the United 

10 States; and 

11 (B) a part of the River Road highway sys12 tem; 

13 (6) lower Plaquemines Parish is split down the 

14 middle by the Mississippi River, surrounded on 3 

15 sides by the Gulf of Mexico, and crossed by numer16 ous bayous, canals, and ditches; 

17 (7) Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip are lo18 cated on— 

19 (A) an ancient Head of Passes site; and 

20 (B) 1 of the most historic areas on the 

21 Lower Mississippi River known as 

22 ‘‘Plaquemines Bend’’; 

23 (8) the modern Head of Passes is only 21 miles 

24 south of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip where the 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1325 IS

1 Mississippi River splits into a bird foot delta to trav2 el the last 20 miles to the Gulf of Mexico; 

3 (9) there are numerous geological features that 

4 are unique to a large river mouth or delta that could 

5 make a national park in the area a particularly in6 triguing attraction; 

7 (10) the coastal erosion, subsidence, river hy8 draulics, delta features, fresh, salt, and brackish 

9 water marshes, and other unique features of the 

10 area could be an effective classroom for the public 

11 on the challenges of protecting our river and coastal 

12 zones; 

13 (11) the area includes the beginning of the Mis14 sissippi River flyway, which is— 

15 (A) 1 of the most pristine eco-sites in the 

16 United States; and 

17 (B) the site of 2 national wildlife refuges 

18 and 1 State wildlife refuge; 

19 (12) the area is culturally diverse in history, 

20 population, industry, and politics; 

21 (13) many well-known characters lived or per22 formed deeds of great notoriety in the area; 

23 (14) in the area, Creoles, Europeans, Indians, 

24 Yugoslav, African-Americans, and Vietnamese all 

25 worked together to weave an interesting history of 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 1325 IS

1 survival and success in a very treacherous environ2 ment; 

3 (15) the area has tremendous tourism potential, 

4 particularly for historical tourism and eco-tourism, 

5 because of the location, pristine ecosystems, and 

6 past indifference of the local government to promote 

7 tourism in the area; and 

8 (16) since Hurricane Katrina, the local govern9 ment in the area has— 

10 (A) passed a resolution strongly supporting 

11 a national park study; and 

12 (B) shown an interest in developing tour13 ism in the area. 

14 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) STUDY AREA.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Study 

18 Area’’ means the Lower Mississippi River area 

19 in the State of Louisiana. 

20 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘Study Area’’ 

21 includes Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson, the 

22 Head of Passes, and any related and supporting 

23 historical, natural, cultural, and recreational re24 sources located in Plaquemines Parish, Lou25 isiana. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 1325 IS

1 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di3 rector of the National Park Service. 

4 SEC. 4. STUDY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

6 the date on which funds are made available to carry out 

7 this Act under section 6 or from non-Federal sources, the 

8 Secretary, in consultation with the State of Louisiana and 

9 interested groups and organizations, shall complete a spe10 cial resource study that— 

11 (1) evaluates— 

12 (A) the national significance of the Study 

13 Area; and 

14 (B) the suitability and feasibility of desig15 nating the Study Area as a unit of the National 

16 Park System, to be known as the ‘‘Lower Mis17 sissippi River National Park’’; 

18 (2) includes cost estimates for the acquisition, 

19 development, operation, and maintenance of the 

20 Study Area; and 

21 (3) identifies alternatives for management, ad22 ministration, and protection of the Study Area. 

23 (b) CRITERIA.—In conducting the study under sub24 section (a), the Secretary shall use the criteria for the 

25 study of areas for potential inclusion in the National Park 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 1325 IS

1 System under section 8(c) of Public Law 91–383 (16 

2 U.S.C. 1a–5(c)). 

3 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

4 On completion of the study under section 4, the Sec5 retary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Re6 sources of the House of Representatives and the Com7 mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 

8 a report that describes— 

9 (1) the findings and conclusions of the study; 

10 and 

11 (2) any recommendations of the Secretary. 

12 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

14 as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

Æ 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS