II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 46 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 31, 2017 

Received 

AN ACT 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

special resource study of Fort Ontario in the State of 

New York. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fort Ontario Study 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) From 1755 until 1814, Fort Ontario and 

7 three previous fortifications built on the site of the 

8 Fort in Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake 

9 Ontario were used as military installations during 

10 the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, 

11 and the War of 1812. 

12 (2) The original fort, erected by the British in 

13 1755, was destroyed by French forces in 1756. The 

14 fort was rebuilt and subsequently destroyed during 

15 both the American Revolution and the War of 1812. 

16 The star-shaped fort was constructed on the site of 

17 the original fortifications in the 1840s, with im18 provements made from 1863 through 1872. 

19 (3) The United States Armed Forces began ex20 panding Fort Ontario in the early 20th century and 

21 by 1941, approximately 125 buildings stood at the 

22 fort. 

23 (4) On June 9, 1944, President Franklin D. 

24 Roosevelt announced that Fort Ontario would serve 

25 as the Nation’s only Emergency Refugee Camp dur26 ing World War II. From August of 1944 until FebVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:18 Feb 03, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H46.RDS H46

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1 ruary 1946, nearly 1,000 refugees were sheltered at 

2 Fort Ontario. 

3 (5) Fort Ontario was conveyed from the Fed4 eral Government to the State of New York in 1946; 

5 it was used to house World War II veterans and 

6 their families and then converted to a State historic 

7 site in 1953. 

8 (6) A post cemetery containing the graves of 77 

9 officers, soldiers, women, and children who served at 

10 Fort Ontario in war and peace is situated on the 

11 grounds of the fort. 

12 (7) In 1970, Fort Ontario was placed on the 

13 National Register of Historic Places. 

14 SEC. 3. FORT ONTARIO SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

15 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior (referred 

16 to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall conduct a spe17 cial resource study of Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York. 

18 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub19 section (a), the Secretary shall— 

20 (1) evaluate the national significance of the 

21 site; 

22 (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 

23 designating the site as a unit of the National Park 

24 System; 


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1 (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 

2 protection, and interpretation of the lands by Fed3 eral, State, or local governmental entities, or private 

4 and nonprofit organizations; 

5 (4) consult with interested Federal, State, or 

6 local governmental entities, private and nonprofit or7 ganizations or any other interested individuals; 

8 (5) determine the effect of the designation of 

9 the site as a unit of the National Park System on 

10 existing commercial and recreational uses and the 

11 effect on State and local governments to manage 

12 those activities; 

13 (6) identify any authorities, including con14 demnation, that may compel or allow the Secretary 

15 to influence or participate in local land use decisions 

16 (such as zoning) or place restrictions on non-Federal 

17 land if the site is designated a unit of the National 

18 Park System; and 

19 (7) identify cost estimates for any Federal ac20 quisition, development, interpretation, operation, and 

21 maintenance associated with the alternatives. 

22 (c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study authorized under 

23 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with sec24 tion 100507 of title 54, United States Code. 


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1 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

2 on which funds are first made available for the study 

3 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 

4 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep5 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

6 Resources of the Senate a report that describes— 

7 (1) the findings of the study; and 

8 (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the 

9 Secretary. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 30, 

2017. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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