II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2114 

To establish the Confluence National Heritage Corridor in the States of 

Missouri and Illinois, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 15, 2005 

Mr. TALENT introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Confluence National Heritage Corridor in 

the States of Missouri and Illinois, 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 ‘‘Confluence National 

5 Heritage Corridor Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the Confluence National Heritage Corridor 

9 is a nationally important and cohesive assemblage of 

10 natural, historic, cultural, educational, scenic, and 
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1 recreational resources geographically focused on the 

2 confluences of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois 

3 Rivers in the St. Louis region that— 

4 (A) represents the center of the nationally 

5 significant 3,740-mile transcontinental river 

6 system and landscape that runs from Min7 nesota, the Great Lakes, and the Rocky Moun8 tains to the Gulf of Mexico, thence to the St. 

9 Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic coast, and 

10 drains approximately 40 percent of the conti11 nental United States; 

12 (B) forms a nationally distinctive Midwest 

13 riverine landform, climate, and vegetation that 

14 for centuries has attracted and supported a 

15 great variety of people and activities as a place 

16 of economic, social, and artistic exchange, en17 counter, and inspiration; 

18 (C) has been instrumental in the creation 

19 and perpetuation of American river culture and 

20 contains numerous sites and structures that tell 

21 a nationally significant story of economic 

22 growth, transportation corridors, and artistic 

23 endeavors, all unique and critical to the fabric 

24 of American life; 
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1 (D) expresses a confluence of diverse cul2 tures, traditions, customs, beliefs, and folk life 

3 spanning more than 1,000 years, including 

4 confluences of prehistoric Mississippian to 

5 Siouan, Spanish to French, English to Amer6 ican, and others, making the Midwest a valu7 able and distinctive part of the heritage of the 

8 United States; 

9 (E) served as America’s Gateway to the 

10 West for centuries and contains many of the 

11 most significant crosscontinental trails; 

12 (F) was the departing and returning point 

13 for Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery, a 

14 great scientific and mapping expedition of the 

15 western half of the United States; and 

16 (G) has been the site of many nationally 

17 significant stories, legal court cases, and de18 bates in the quest to realize the ideals of free19 dom, including stories, cases, and debates relat20 ing to Dred and Harriet Scott, Mary Meachum, 

21 Elijah Lovejoy, and others; 

22 (2) the Heritage Corridor represents a distinc23 tive landscape reflecting many aspects of American 

24 heritage worthy of recognition, conservation, inter25 pretation, and continuing use; 
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1 (3) the Heritage Corridor provides outstanding 

2 opportunities to conserve natural, cultural, and his3 toric features; 

4 (4) the Heritage Corridor provides outstanding 

5 recreational and interpretive opportunities; 

6 (5) the Heritage Corridor has an identifiable 

7 theme, the resources of which retain integrity capa8 ble of supporting interpretation; 

9 (6) the Heritage Corridor and adjacent areas 

10 contain at least— 

11 (A) 1 designated and 2 pending United 

12 Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 

13 Organization World Heritage sites; 

14 (B) 13 National Historic Landmarks; 

15 (C) 62 districts of the National Register of 

16 Historic Places; 

17 (D) 250 National Register properties; 

18 (E) the Lewis and Clark National Historic 

19 Trail; 

20 (F) 4 National Scenic Roads and Byways; 

21 (G) 2 properties listed on the National 

22 Park Service’s National Underground Railroad 

23 Network to Freedom that contribute to the 

24 Heritage Corridor; and 
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1 (H) other significant undesignated prop2 erties and landscapes; 

3 (7) the importance of the Heritage Corridor 

4 and the role of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois 

5 Rivers in the history of the United States has been 

6 honored and recognized in many ways, including— 

7 (A) the designation by Congress of the site 

8 for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 

9 in 1935; 

10 (B) the authorization of that memorial in 

11 1954; and 

12 (C) the construction of Eero Saarinen’s 

13 Arch, an engineering marvel and a symbol of 

14 the gateway to the West; 

15 (8) capturing the interconnected stories relating 

16 to the Heritage Corridor through partnerships with 

17 the National Park Service, Missouri and Illinois his18 torical sites and programs, local organizations, and 

19 citizens will augment the story opportunities within 

20 the Heritage Corridor for the educational and rec21 reational benefit of this and future generations of 

22 Americans; 

23 (9) residents, nonprofit organizations, other pri24 vate entities, and units of Federal, State, and local 
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1 government throughout the Heritage Corridor dem2 onstrate support for— 

3 (A) the designation of the Heritage Cor4 ridor as a national heritage area; and 

5 (B) the management of the Heritage Cor6 ridor in accordance with that designation; 

7 (10) a well-organized collaboration of Federal, 

8 State, and local government agencies, nonprofit or9 ganizations, and officials in the St. Louis region has 

10 come together during the last decade to work col11 laboratively on efforts to feature and promote the 

12 heritage, conservation, and recreation aspects of the 

13 Heritage Corridor along the Mississippi River, 

14 through its confluences with the Missouri River and 

15 the Illinois River; 

16 (11) the collaboration has completed sufficient 

17 planning and community outreach, including— 

18 (A) developing a master plan with imple19 mentation strategies and a suitability and feasi20 bility study for the national heritage designa21 tion to document and recognize a sufficient as22 semblage of nationally distinctive, historical re23 sources within the Heritage Corridor; 
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1 (B) cultivating programs, projects, and 

2 sites that honor the historic, cultural, and nat3 ural resources of the confluence; and 

4 (C) demonstrating the feasibility and need 

5 of establishing the Heritage Corridor; 

6 (12) the St. Louis region officially recognized 

7 the national significance of the Heritage Corridor 

8 when the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth 

9 Association and the East/West Gateway Coordi10 nating Council, St. Louis’s regional planning author11 ity, endorsed the confluence project as a regional 

12 priority, encouraging tourism and continued eco13 nomic development while improving the quality of 

14 life for all residents and visitors; 

15 (13) public and private sector interests, having 

16 embraced and endorsed the Heritage Corridor, in17 tend to collaborate with the Federal Government to 

18 conserve, develop, and promote the Heritage Cor19 ridor; and 

20 (14) the Heritage Corridor is best managed by 

21 the Confluence National Heritage Corridor Associa22 tion, a nonprofit corporation created for the pur23 poses of preserving, interpreting, developing, pro24 moting, and making available to the public the story 

25 and resources within the Heritage Corridor. 
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1 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

2 (1) to preserve, conserve, and interpret, for the 

3 educational, cultural, and historic benefit of present 

4 and future generations, the unique and significant 

5 contributions to the national heritage of the people, 

6 land, water, and structures within the Heritage Cor7 ridor; 

8 (2) to encourage within the Heritage Corridor 

9 a broad range of economic opportunities to enhance 

10 the quality of life for present and future generations; 

11 (3) to encourage collaboration and partnerships 

12 among Federal, State, and local governments, non13 profit organizations, and the private sector to con14 serve and manage resources and opportunities in the 

15 Heritage Corridor by providing grants, technical as16 sistance, and training; and 

17 (4) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 

18 provide financial and technical assistance to the 

19 Heritage Corridor through a nonprofit organization, 

20 in accordance with this Act and in cooperation with 

21 local agencies, in a collaborative effort to prepare 

22 and implement a Heritage Corridor management 

23 plan. 

24 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

25 In this Act: 
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1 (1) HERITAGE CORRIDOR.—The term ‘‘Herit2 age Corridor’’ means the Confluence National Herit3 age Corridor established by section 4(a). 

4 (2) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 

5 ‘‘Local Coordinating Entity’’ means the Confluence 

6 National Heritage Corridor Association. 

7 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘Manage8 ment Plan’’ means the management plan developed 

9 under section 6. 

10 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

11 the Secretary of the Interior. 

12 SEC. 4. CONFLUENCE NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

14 States of Missouri and Illinois a national heritage cor15 ridor, to be known as the ‘‘Confluence National Heritage 

16 Corridor’’. 

17 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The boundaries of the Heritage 

18 Corridor are as follows: 

19 (1) The corridor consisting of the land and 

20 water within the area generally bounded— 

21 (A) in the State of Illinois, from the con22 fluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers at 

23 Pere Marquette State Park along the Illinois 

24 Bluffs adjacent to the Mississippi River and the 

25 National Scenic Byway to Alton, Illinois, thence 
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1 along Great River Road/State Route 3 to Mac2 Arthur Bridge; and 

3 (B) in the State of Missouri, from the area 

4 of the MacArthur Bridge, Jefferson National 

5 Expansion Memorial, and Eads Bridge in the 

6 south, thence north along Broadway Street and 

7 Riverview Drive to the Columbia Bottom Con8 servation Area and the confluence of the Mis9 sissippi and Missouri Rivers, thence along the 

10 Missouri Bluffs adjacent to the Missouri River, 

11 to Interstate Route 370 at St. Charles, thence 

12 north to the confluence of the Illinois and Mis13 sissippi Rivers. 

14 (2) Of sites connected to the corridor, the fol15 lowing: 

16 (A) Cahokia Mounds (a United Nations 

17 Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organiza18 tion World Heritage Site and a National His19 toric Landmark). 

20 (B) Sites in adjacent neighborhoods and 

21 cities, including— 

22 (i) downtown St. Louis; 

23 (ii) north St. Louis and north St. 

24 Louis county communities; 

25 (iii) the Village of Brooklyn; and 
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1 (iv) the cities of Cahokia, East St. 

2 Louis, Venice, Brooklyn, Hartford, Wood 

3 River, and Godfrey. 

4 (C) Such sites, such as Calvary Cemetery, 

5 Bellefontaine Cemetery, Fort Bellefontaine, and 

6 Horseshoe Lake State Park, as the Local Co7 ordinating Entity determines to be appropriate. 

8 (D) Other contributing communities, sites, 

9 buildings, and districts in the area of the Herit10 age Corridor, in accordance with the Manage11 ment Plan. 

12 (c) FINAL BOUNDARIES.—The final boundaries of 

13 the Heritage Corridor shall be determined by the Local 

14 Coordinating Entity in the Management Plan. 

15 (d) MAP.—A map of the Heritage Corridor shall— 

16 (1) be included in the Management Plan; and 

17 (2) be on file in the appropriate offices of the 

18 National Park Service and the Department of the 

19 Interior, as determined by the Secretary. 

20 SEC. 5. LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Confluence National Herit22 age Corridor Association shall serve as the local coordi23 nating entity for the Heritage Corridor. 
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1 (b) AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the Management 

2 Plan, the Local Coordinating Entity may use funds made 

3 available pursuant to this Act— 

4 (1) to enter into cooperative agreements with 

5 and provide technical assistance to the States of 

6 Missouri and Illinois, including political jurisdictions, 

7 nonprofit organizations, and other interested parties 

8 of those States; 

9 (2) to hire and compensate staff; 

10 (3) to obtain money or services from any 

11 source, including money or services provided under 

12 any other Federal law or program; 

13 (4) to enter into contracts for goods and serv14 ices; and 

15 (5) to encourage any other activity that, as de16 termined by the Local Coordinating Entity— 

17 (A) furthers the purposes of the Heritage 

18 Corridor; and 

19 (B) is consistent with the Management 

20 Plan. 

21 (c) DUTIES.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—To further the purposes of 

23 the Heritage Corridor, the Local Coordinating Enti24 ty shall— 
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1 (A) determine the final boundaries of, and 

2 prepare a map with respect to, the Heritage 

3 Corridor; 

4 (B) prepare and submit to the Secretary a 

5 Management Plan in accordance with section 6; 

6 (C) assist units of local government, re7 gional planning organizations, and nonprofit or8 ganizations to— 

9 (i) carry out programs and projects 

10 that recognize, conserve, and enhance im11 portant resource values in the Heritage 

12 Corridor; 

13 (ii) establish and maintain interpre14 tive exhibits and programs in the Heritage 

15 Corridor; 

16 (iii) develop recreational and edu17 cational opportunities in the Heritage Cor18 ridor; 

19 (iv) increase public awareness and ap20 preciation of natural, historic, scenic, and 

21 cultural resources of the Heritage Cor22 ridor; 

23 (v) conserve and restore historic sites 

24 and buildings in the Heritage Corridor in 

25 accordance with heritage area themes; and 
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1 (vi) ensure that clear, consistent, and 

2 appropriate signs identifying points of pub3 lic access and sites of interest are posted 

4 throughout the Heritage Corridor; 

5 (D) promote a wide range of partnerships 

6 among agencies, organizations, and individuals 

7 to further the purposes of the Heritage Cor8 ridor; and 

9 (E) encourage economic viability that is 

10 consistent with the purposes of the Heritage 

11 Area. 

12 (2) MEETINGS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Local Coordinating 

14 Entity shall meet at least semiannually regard15 ing the development and implementation of the 

16 Management Plan. 

17 (B) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—Meetings of 

18 the Local Coordinating Entity shall be open to 

19 the public. 

20 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Local Coordinating 

22 Entity shall prepare and submit to the Sec23 retary a Management Plan in accordance with 

24 section 6. 
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1 (B) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION.—In 

2 preparing the Management Plan, the Local Co3 ordinating Entity shall take into consideration 

4 the interests of units of government, businesses, 

5 organizations, and individuals in the Heritage 

6 Corridor. 

7 (4) REPORTS; AUDITS.— 

8 (A) REPORTS.—For any fiscal year during 

9 which the Local Coordinating Entity receives 

10 funds under section 9, the Local Coordinating 

11 Entity shall submit to the Secretary a report 

12 describing the activities of the Local Coordi13 nating Entity during that fiscal year, includ14 ing— 

15 (i) the accomplishments, expenses, 

16 and income of the Local Coordinating En17 tity; and 

18 (ii) any grant made by the Local Co19 ordinating Entity to another entity during 

20 the fiscal year. 

21 (B) AUDITS.—For any fiscal year during 

22 which the Local Coordinating Entity receives 

23 funds under section 9, the Local Coordinating 

24 Entity shall— 
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1 (i) make available for audit any infor2 mation relating to the expenditure of the 

3 funds and any matching funds; and 

4 (ii) require any other organization 

5 that receives funds pursuant to the Man6 agement Plan to make available for the 

7 audit all records and other information re8 lating to the expenditure of the funds. 

9 (d) PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION OF REAL PROP10 ERTY.—The Local Coordinating Entity shall not use funds 

11 received pursuant to section 9 to acquire real property. 

12 SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

14 first date on which funds are made available pursuant to 

15 section 9, the Local Coordinating Entity shall submit to 

16 the Secretary a Management Plan relating to the Heritage 

17 Corridor. 

18 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Management Plan shall— 

19 (1) include comprehensive policies, strategies, 

20 and recommendations for conservation, funding, 

21 management, and development of the Heritage Cor22 ridor; 

23 (2) include provisions relating to existing State, 

24 county, and local plans regarding the Heritage Cor25 ridor; 
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1 (3) include a description of any action of a 

2 State or local government, private organization, or 

3 individual to conserve the natural, historical, and 

4 cultural resources of the Heritage Corridor; 

5 (4) specify each existing and potential source of 

6 funding to conserve, manage, and develop the Herit7 age Corridor during the first 5 years of implementa8 tion of the Management Plan; 

9 (5) include an inventory of the natural, histor10 ical, cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational 

11 resources of the Heritage Corridor with respect to 

12 themes of the Heritage Corridor that should be pre13 served, restored, managed, developed, or maintained, 

14 as determined by the Local Coordinating Entity; 

15 (6) describe a program for implementing the 

16 Management Plan, including— 

17 (A) plans for resource conservation, res18 toration, construction; and 

19 (B) any agreement relating to the imple20 mentation between the Local Coordinating En21 tity and any unit of government, organization, 

22 or individual for the first 5 years of implemen23 tation of the Management Plan; and 

24 (7) include an interpretive plan for the Heritage 

25 Corridor. 
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1 (c) DETERMINATION OF SECRETARY.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall approve 

3 or disapprove a Management Plan under subsection 

4 (a) by not later than 90 days after the date on 

5 which the Management Plan is submitted. 

6 (2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In making a de7 termination under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

8 take into consideration— 

9 (A) whether the Local Coordinating Entity 

10 accurately represents the diverse interests of 

11 the Heritage Area, including— 

12 (i) units of State and local govern13 ment; 

14 (ii) natural and historic resource con15 servation organizations; 

16 (iii) educational institutions; 

17 (iv) businesses; and 

18 (v) recreational organizations; 

19 (B) whether the Local Coordinating Entity 

20 afforded adequate opportunity, including public 

21 hearings, for public and governmental involve22 ment in the preparation of the Management 

23 Plan; 

24 (C) whether the resource conservation and 

25 interpretation strategies contained in the Man-
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1 agement Plan, if implemented, would ade2 quately conserve the natural, historical, and cul3 tural resources of the Heritage Area; and 

4 (D) whether the Management Plan is sup5 ported by State and local officials the coopera6 tion of which is needed to ensure the effective 

7 implementation of the State and local aspects of 

8 the Management Plan. 

9 (3) DISAPPROVAL.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary dis11 approves the Management Plan under para12 graph (1), the Secretary shall provide to the 

13 Local Coordinating Entity— 

14 (i) a written explanation of the rea15 sons for the disapproval; and 

16 (ii) recommendations for revisions to 

17 the Management Plan. 

18 (B) REVISED MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

19 (i) IN GENERAL.—On disapproval of 

20 the Secretary under this paragraph, the 

21 Local Coordinating Entity shall prepare 

22 and submit to the Secretary a revised 

23 Management Plan, taking into consider24 ation any recommendation of the Secretary 

25 under subparagraph (A)(ii). 
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1 (ii) DETERMINATION BY SEC2 RETARY.—The Secretary shall approve or 

3 disapprove a revised Management Plan 

4 under clause (i) by not later than 60 days 

5 after the date on which the Management 

6 Plan is submitted. 

7 (4) AMENDMENTS TO MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Any substantial amend9 ment to the Management Plan shall be subject 

10 to approval by the Secretary in accordance with 

11 this subsection. 

12 (B) USE OF FUNDS.—The Local Coordi13 nating Entity shall not use funds made avail14 able pursuant to section 9 to carry out an 

15 amendment to the Management Plan until the 

16 Secretary has approved the amendment. 

17 (d) DISQUALIFICATION.—If the Local Coordinating 

18 Entity fails to submit to the Secretary a Management 

19 Plan by the deadline described in subsection (a), the Local 

20 Coordinating Entity shall be ineligible to receive funds 

21 under this Act until the date on which the Secretary re22 ceives the Management Plan. 

23 SEC. 7. ASSISTANCE; OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

24 (a) TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—On request of the Local Co2 ordinating Entity, the Secretary may provide tech3 nical and financial assistance on a reimbursable or 

4 nonreimbursable basis to entities in the Heritage 

5 Corridor to develop and implement the Management 

6 Plan. 

7 (2) PRIORITY.—In providing assistance under 

8 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to 

9 activities that, as determined by the Secretary, facili10 tate— 

11 (A) the conservation of significant natural, 

12 historical, cultural, and scenic resources of the 

13 Heritage Corridor; and 

14 (B) the provision of educational, interpre15 tive, and recreational opportunities in accord16 ance with the purposes of the Heritage Cor17 ridor. 

18 (3) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Sec19 retary may enter into such cooperative agreements 

20 to carry out this subsection as the Secretary deter21 mines to be appropriate. 

22 (b) OTHER ASSISTANCE.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—On request of the Local Co24 ordinating Entity, the Superintendent of the Jeffer25 son National Expansion Memorial may provide to 
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1 the Local Coordinating Entity and other public and 

2 private organizations in the Heritage Corridor such 

3 assistance as the Superintendent determines to be 

4 appropriate to support the implementation of the 

5 Management Plan, subject to the availability of 

6 funds. 

7 (2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Super8 intendent may enter into such cooperative agree9 ments with public and private organizations to carry 

10 out this subsection as the Superintendent determines 

11 to be appropriate. 

12 (c) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—A Federal agency 

13 carrying out an activity that affects the Heritage Corridor 

14 shall— 

15 (1) take into consideration the potential effect 

16 of the activity on the Management Plan; and 

17 (2) consult with the Local Coordinating Entity 

18 regarding the activity to minimize any adverse ef19 fects on the Heritage Corridor. 

20 SEC. 8. LAND USE REGULATION AND PRIVATE PROPERTY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act— 

22 (1) grants any power of zoning or land use to 

23 the Local Coordinating Entity; or 

24 (2) modifies, enlarges, or diminishes any au25 thority of the Federal Government or any State or 
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1 local government to regulate any use of land under 

2 any law (including regulations). 

3 (b) PRIVATE PROPERTY.—Nothing in this Act— 

4 (1) abridges the rights of any person with re5 spect to private property; 

6 (2) affects any authority of the State or local 

7 government with respect to private property; or 

8 (3) imposes any additional burden on any prop9 erty owner. 

10 SEC. 9. FUNDING. 

11 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

13 there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

14 this Act $10,000,000. 

15 (2) LIMITATION.—Not more than $1,000,000 

16 shall be made available to carry out this Act during 

17 any fiscal year. 

18 (b) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 

19 of an activity carried out under this Act shall not exceed 

20 50 percent. 

21 SEC. 10. TERMINATION. 

22 This Act and the authority of the Secretary to pro23 vide assistance under this Act terminate on the date that 
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1 is 15 years after the date on which funds are first made 

2 available under section 9. 

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