2062 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

1 If a statute that created a penalty is amended to 

change the penalty amount, the Department does 

not adjust the penalty in the year following the 

adjustment. 

Consideration and a Memorandum for 

the Record are not required for this rule. 

G. Protest Activities 

The Coast Guard respects the First 

Amendment rights of protesters. 

Protesters are asked to contact the 

person listed in the ‘‘For Further 

Information Contact’’ section to 

coordinate protest activities so that your 

message can be received without 

jeopardizing the safety or security of 

people, places or vessels. 

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 117 

Bridges. 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33 

CFR part 117 as follows: 

PART 117—DRAWBRIDGE 

OPERATION REGULATIONS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 117 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 499; 33 CFR 1.05–1; 

and Department of Homeland Security 

Delegation No. 0170.1. 

§ 117.879 [Suspended] 

■ 2. Suspend § 117.879 effective 6 a.m. 

on February 26, 2018, through 6 p.m. on 

July 31, 2019. 

■ 3. Add temporary § 117.T879, 

effective 6 a.m. on February 26, 2018, 

through 6 p.m. on July 31, 2019, to read 

as follows: 

§ 117.T879 Isthmus Slough. 

The draw of the Oregon State 

secondary highway bridge, mile 1.0, at 

Coos Bay, shall operate in single leaf, 

and open half the draw on signal if at 

least 24 hours notice is given. The 

vertical clearance of the non-functioning 

leaf will be reduced up to ten feet. 

David G. Throop, 

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, 

Thirteenth Coast Guard District. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00611 Filed 1–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

34 CFR Parts 36 and 668 

[Docket ID ED–2018–OGC–0004] 

RIN 1801–AA17 

Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties 

for Inflation 

AGENCY: Department of Education. 

ACTION: Final regulations. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) issues these final 

regulations to adjust the Department’s 

civil monetary penalties (CMPs) for 

inflation. An initial ‘‘catch-up’’ 

adjustment was required by the Federal 

Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act 

Improvements Act of 2015 (2015 Act), 

which amended the Federal Civil 

Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 

1990 (Inflation Adjustment Act). These 

final regulations provide the 2018 

annual inflation adjustments being 

made to the penalty amounts in the 

Department’s final regulations 

published in the Federal Register on 

April 20, 2017 (2017 final rule). 

DATES: These regulations are effective 

January 15, 2018. The adjusted CMPs 

established by these regulations are 

applicable only to civil penalties 

assessed after January 15, 2018, whose 

associated violations occurred after 

November 2, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Levon Schlichter, U.S. Department of 

Education, Office of the General 

Counsel, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 6E235, Washington, DC 20202– 

2241. Telephone: (202) 453–6387 or by 

email: levon.schlichter@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf or a text telephone, 

call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, 

at 1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain this document in an accessible 

format (e.g., braille, large print, 

audiotape, or compact disc) on request 

to the contact person listed in this 

section. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

A CMP is defined in the Inflation 

Adjustment Act (28 U.S.C. 2461 note) as 

any penalty, fine, or other sanction that 

is (1) for a specific monetary amount as 

provided by Federal law, or has a 

maximum amount provided for by 

Federal law; (2) assessed or enforced by 

an agency pursuant to Federal law; and 

(3) assessed or enforced pursuant to an 

administrative proceeding or a civil 

action in the Federal courts. 

The Inflation Adjustment Act 

provides for the regular evaluation of 

CMPs to ensure that they continue to 

maintain their deterrent value. The 

Inflation Adjustment Act required that 

each agency issue regulations to adjust 

its CMPs beginning in 1996 and at least 

every four years thereafter. The 

Department published its most recent 

cost adjustment to its CMPs in the 

Federal Register on April 20, 2017 (82 

FR 18559), and those adjustments 

became effective on the date of 

publication. 

The 2015 Act (section 701 of Pub. 

Law 114–74) amended the Inflation 

Adjustment Act to improve the 

effectiveness of CMPs and to maintain 

their deterrent effect. 

The 2015 Act requires agencies to: (1) 

Adjust the level of CMPs with an initial 

‘‘catch-up’’ adjustment through an 

interim final rule (IFR); and (2) make 

subsequent annual adjustments for 

inflation. Catch-up adjustments are 

based on the percentage change between 

the Consumer Price Index for all Urban 

Consumers (CPI–U) for the month of 

October in the year the penalty was last 

adjusted by a statute other than the 

Inflation Adjustment Act, and the 

October 2015 CPI–U. Annual inflation 

adjustments are based on the percentage 

change between the October CPI–U 

preceding the date of each statutory 

adjustment, and the prior year’s October 

CPI–U.1 The Department published an 

IFR with the initial ‘‘catch-up’’ penalty 

adjustment amounts on August 1, 2016 

(81 FR 50321). 

In these final regulations, based on 

the CPI–U for the month of October 

2017, not seasonally adjusted, we are 

annually adjusting each CMP amount by 

a multiplier for 2018 of 1.02041, as 

directed by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) Memorandum No. 

M–18–03 issued on December 15, 2017. 

The Department’s Civil Monetary 

Penalties 

The following analysis calculates new 

CMPs for penalty statutes in the order 

in which they appear in 34 CFR 36.2. 

The penalty amounts are being adjusted 

up based on the multiplier of 1.02041 

provided in OMB Memorandum No. M– 

18–03. 

Statute: 20 U.S.C. 1015(c)(5). 

Current Regulations: The CMP for 20 

U.S.C. 1015(c)(5) (Section 131(c)(5) of 

the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (HEA)), as last set out in 

statute in 1998 (Pub. Law 105–244, title 

I, § 101(a), October 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 

1602), is a fine of up to $25,000 for 

failure by an institution of higher 

education (IHE) to provide information 

on the cost of higher education to the 

Commissioner of Education Statistics. In 

the 2017 final rule, we increased this 

amount to $36,849. 

New Regulations: The new penalty for 

this section is $37,601. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new penalty is calculated 

as follows: $36,849 × 1.02041 = 

$37,601.09, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $37,601, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 2063 

Statute: 20 U.S.C. 1022d(a)(3). 

Current Regulations: The CMP for 20 

U.S.C. 1022d(a)(3) (Section 205(a)(3) of 

the HEA), as last set out in statute in 

2008 (Pub. Law 110–315, title II, 

§ 201(2), August 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 

3147), provides for a fine of up to 

$27,500 for failure by an IHE to provide 

information to the State and the public 

regarding its teacher-preparation 

programs. In the 2017 final rule, we 

increased this amount to $30,694. 

New Regulations: The new penalty for 

this section is $31,320. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new penalty is calculated 

as follows: $30,694 × 1.02041 = 

$31,320.46, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $31,320, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. 

Statute: 20 U.S.C. 1082(g). 

Current Regulations: The CMP for 20 

U.S.C. 1082(g) (Section 432(g) of the 

HEA), as last set out in statute in 1986 

(Pub. Law 99–498, title IV, § 402(a), 

October 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1401), 

provides for a fine of up to $25,000 for 

violations by lenders and guaranty 

agencies of Title IV of the HEA, which 

authorizes the Federal Family Education 

Loan Program. In the 2017 final rule, we 

increased this amount to $54,789. 

New Regulations: The new penalty for 

this section is $55,907. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new penalty is calculated 

as follows: $54,789 × 1.02041 = 

$55,907.24, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $55,907, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. 

Statute: 20 U.S.C. 1094(c)(3)(B). 

Current Regulations: The CMP for 20 

U.S.C. 1094(c)(3)(B) (Section 

487(c)(3)(B) of the HEA), as set out in 

statute in 1986 (Pub. Law 99–498, title 

IV, § 407(a), October 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 

1488), provides for a fine of up to 

$25,000 for an IHE’s violation of Title IV 

of the HEA or its implementing 

regulations. Title IV authorizes various 

programs of student financial assistance. 

In the 2017 final rule, we increased this 

amount to $54,789. 

New Regulations: The new penalty for 

this section is $55,907. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new penalty is calculated 

as follows: $54,789 × 1.02041 = 

$55,907.24, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $55,907, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. 

Statute: 20 U.S.C. 1228c(c)(2)(E). 

Current Regulations: The CMP for 20 

U.S.C. 1228c(c)(2)(E) (Section 429 of the 

General Education Provisions Act), as 

set out in statute in 1994 (Pub. Law 

103–382, title II, § 238, October 20, 

1994, 108 Stat. 3918), provides for a fine 

of up to $1,000 for an educational 

organization’s failure to disclose certain 

information to minor students and their 

parents. In the 2017 final rule, we 

increased this amount to $1,617. 

New Regulations: The new penalty for 

this section is $1,650. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new penalty is calculated 

as follows: $1,617 × 1.02041 = 

$1,650.00, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $1,650, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. 

Statute: 31 U.S.C. 1352(c)(1) and 

(c)(2)(A). 

Current Regulations: The CMPs for 31 

U.S.C. 1352(c)(1) and (c)(2)(A), as set 

out in statute in 1989, provide for a fine 

of $10,000 to $100,000 for recipients of 

Government grants, contracts, etc. that 

improperly lobby Congress or the 

Executive Branch with respect to the 

award of Government grants and 

contracts. In the 2017 final rule, we 

increased these amounts to $19,246 to 

$192,459. 

New Regulations: The new penalties 

for these sections are $19,639 to 

$196,387. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new minimum penalty is 

calculated as follows: $19,246 × 1.02041 

= $19,638.81, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $19,639, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. The new maximum 

penalty is calculated as follows: 

$192,459 × 1.02041 = $196,387.09, 

which makes the adjusted penalty 

$196,387, when rounded to the nearest 

dollar. 

Statute: 31 U.S.C. 3802(a)(1) and 

(a)(2). 

Current Regulations: The CMPs for 31 

U.S.C. 3802(a)(1) and (a)(2), as set out in 

statute in 1986 (Pub. Law 99–509, title 

VI, § 6103(a), Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 

1937), provide for a fine of up to $5,000 

for false claims and statements made to 

the Government. In the 2017 final rule, 

we increased this amount to $10,957. 

New Regulations: The new penalty for 

this section is $11,181. 

Reason: Using the multiplier of 

1.02041 from OMB Memorandum No. 

M–18–03, the new penalty is calculated 

as follows: $10,957 × 1.02041 = 

$11,180.63, which makes the adjusted 

penalty $11,181, when rounded to the 

nearest dollar. 

Executive Orders 12866, 13563, and 

13771 

Regulatory Impact Analysis 

Under Executive Order 12866, the 

Secretary must determine whether this 

regulatory action is ‘‘significant’’ and, 

therefore, subject to the requirements of 

the Executive order and subject to 

review by OMB. Section 3(f) of 

Executive Order 12866 defines a 

significant regulatory action as an action 

likely to result in a rule that may— 

(1) Have an annual effect on the 

economy of $100 million or more, or 

adversely affect a sector of the economy; 

productivity; competition; jobs; the 

environment; public health or safety; or 

State, local, or Tribal governments or 

communities in a material way (also 

referred to as ‘‘economically significant’’ 

regulations); 

(2) Create serious inconsistency or 

otherwise interfere with an action taken 

or planned by another agency; 

(3) Materially alter the budgetary 

impacts of entitlement grants, user fees, 

or loan programs or the rights and 

obligations of recipients thereof; or 

(4) Raise novel legal or policy issues 

arising out of legal mandates, the 

President’s priorities, or the principles 

stated in the Executive order. 

We have determined that these final 

regulations: (1) Exclusively implement 

the annual adjustment; (2) are consistent 

with OMB Memorandum No. M–18–03; 

and (3) have an annual impact of less 

than $100 million. Therefore, based on 

OMB Memorandum No. M–18–03, this 

is not a significant regulatory action 

subject to review by OMB under section 

3(f) of Executive Order 12866. 

We have also reviewed these 

regulations under Executive Order 

13563, which supplements and 

explicitly reaffirms the principles, 

structures, and definitions governing 

regulatory review established in 

Executive Order 12866. To the extent 

permitted by law, Executive Order 

13563 requires that an agency— 

(1) Propose or adopt regulations only 

upon a reasoned determination that 

their benefits justify their costs 

(recognizing that some benefits and 

costs are difficult to quantify); 

(2) Tailor its regulations to impose the 

least burden on society, consistent with 

obtaining regulatory objectives and 

taking into account, among other things, 

and to the extent practicable, the costs 

of cumulative regulations; 

(3) In choosing among alternative 

regulatory approaches, select those 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety, 

and other advantages; distributive 

impacts; and equity); 

(4) To the extent feasible, specify 

performance objectives, rather than the 

behavior or manner of compliance a 

regulated entity must adopt; and 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
2064 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

(5) Identify and assess available 

alternatives to direct regulation, 

including economic incentives—such as 

user fees or marketable permits—to 

encourage the desired behavior, or 

providing information that enables the 

public to make choices. 

Executive Order 13563 also requires 

an agency ‘‘to use the best available 

techniques to quantify anticipated 

present and future benefits and costs as 

accurately as possible.’’ The Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs of 

OMB has emphasized that these 

techniques may include ‘‘identifying 

changing future compliance costs that 

might result from technological 

innovation or anticipated behavioral 

changes.’’ 

We are issuing these final regulations 

as required by statute and in accordance 

with OMB Memorandum No. M–18–03. 

The Secretary has no discretion to 

consider alternative approaches as 

delineated in the Executive order. Based 

on this analysis and the reasons stated 

in the preamble, the Department 

believes that these final regulations are 

consistent with the principles in 

Executive Order 13563. 

Under Executive Order 13771, if the 

Department proposes for notice and 

comment or otherwise promulgates a 

new regulation that is a significant 

regulatory action under Executive Order 

12866 and that imposes total costs 

greater than zero, it must identify two 

existing regulations for elimination. For 

fiscal year 2018, any new incremental 

costs associated with the new regulation 

must be fully offset by the elimination 

of existing costs through the repeal of at 

least two regulations. These final 

regulations are not a significant 

regulatory action. Therefore, the 

requirements of Executive Order 13771 

do not apply. 

Waiver of Rulemaking and Delayed 

Effective Date 

Under the Administrative Procedure 

Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the 

Department generally offers interested 

parties the opportunity to comment on 

proposed regulations. However, section 

4(b)(2) of the 2015 Act (28 U.S.C. 2461 

note) provides that the Secretary can 

adjust these 2018 penalty amounts 

notwithstanding section 553 of title 5, 

United States Code. Therefore, the 

requirements of 5 U.S.C. 553 for notice 

and comment and delaying the effective 

date of a final rule do not apply here. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification 

The Secretary certifies that these 

regulations will not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities. The formula 

for the amount of the inflation 

adjustments is prescribed by statute and 

is not subject to the Secretary’s 

discretion. These CMPs are infrequently 

imposed by the Secretary, and the 

regulations do not involve any special 

considerations that might affect the 

imposition of CMPs on small entities. 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

These regulations do not contain any 

information collection requirements. 

Intergovernmental Review 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372 and the 

regulations in 34 CFR part 79. 

Assessment of Educational Impact 

Based on our own review, we have 

determined that these regulations do not 

require transmission of information that 

any other agency or authority of the 

United States gathers or makes 

available. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free internet access to the 

official edition of the Federal Register 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can view this document, as well as all 

other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Portable Document Format 

(PDF). To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

List of Subjects in 34 CFR Part 36 

Claims, Fraud, Penalties. 

Dated: January 10, 2018. 

Betsy DeVos, 

Secretary of Education. 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Secretary amends parts 36 

and 668 of title 34 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations as follows: 

PART 36—ADJUSTMENT OF CIVIL 

MONETARY PENALTIES FOR 

INFLATION 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 36 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e–3 and 3474; 28 

U.S.C. 2461 note, as amended by section 701 

of Pub. Law 114–74, unless otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Section 36.2 is amended by revising 

Table I to read as follows: 

§ 36.2 Penalty adjustment. 

* * * * * 

TABLE I—SECTION 36.2.—CIVIL MONETARY PENALTY INFLATION ADJUSTMENTS

Statute Description 

New maximum (and 

minimum, if applicable) 

penalty amount 

20 U.S.C. 1015(c)(5) (Section 131(c)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA)).Provides for a fine, as set by Congress in 1998, of up to 

$25,000 for failure by an institution of higher education 

(IHE) to provide information on the cost of higher education to the Commissioner of Education Statistics.

$37,601. 

20 U.S.C. 1022d(a)(3) (Section 205(a)(3) of the HEA) ....... Provides for a fine, as set by Congress in 2008, of up to 

$27,500 for failure by an IHE to provide information to 

the State and the public regarding its teacher-preparation programs.

$31,320. 

20 U.S.C. 1082(g) (Section 432(g) of the HEA) .................. Provides for a civil penalty, as set by Congress in 1986, 

of up to $25,000 for violations by lenders and guaranty 

agencies of Title IV of the HEA, which authorizes the 

Federal Family Education Loan Program.

$55,907. 

20 U.S.C. 1094(c)(3)(B) (Section 487(c)(3)(B) of the HEA) Provides for a civil penalty, as set by Congress in 1986, 

of up to $25,000 for an IHE’s violation of Title IV of the 

HEA, which authorizes various programs of student financial assistance.

$55,907. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 2065 

TABLE I—SECTION 36.2.—CIVIL MONETARY PENALTY INFLATION ADJUSTMENTS—Continued 

Statute Description 

New maximum (and 

minimum, if applicable) 

penalty amount 

20 U.S.C. 1228c(c)(2)(E) (Section 429 of the General Education Provisions Act).Provides for a civil penalty, as set by Congress in 1994, 

of up to $1,000 for an educational organization’s failure 

to disclose certain information to minor students and 

their parents.

$1,650. 

31 U.S.C. 1352(c)(1) and (c)(2)(A) ...................................... Provides for a civil penalty, as set by Congress in 1989, 

of $10,000 to $100,000 for recipients of Government 

grants, contracts, etc. that improperly lobby Congress 

or the Executive Branch with respect to the award of 

Government grants and contracts.

$19,639 to $196,387. 

31 U.S.C. 3802(a)(1) and (a)(2) ........................................... Provides for a civil penalty, as set by Congress in 1986, 

of up to $5,000 for false claims and statements made 

to the Government.

$11,181. 

* * * * * 

PART 668—STUDENT ASSISTANCE 

GENERAL PROVISIONS 

■ 3. The authority citation for part 668 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1001–1003, 1070a, 

1070g, 1085, 1087b, 1087d, 1087e, 1088, 

1091, 1092, 1094, 1099c, and 1099c–1, 

1221e–3, and 3474; Pub. L. 111–256, 124 

Stat. 2643; unless otherwise noted. 

§ 668.84 [Amended] 

■ 4. Section 668.84 is amended by, in 

paragraph (a), removing the number 

‘‘$27,500’’ and adding, in its place, the 

number ‘‘$55,907’’. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00614 Filed 1–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

36 CFR Part 2 

[NPS–WASO–23396; GPO Deposit Account 

4311H2] 

RIN 1024–AE32 

General Regulations; Areas of the 

National Park System, Free 

Distribution of Other Message-Bearing 

Items 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

revises its general rule governing the 

sale or distribution of printed matter to 

include the free distribution of messagebearing items that do not meet the 

regulatory definition of ‘‘printed 

matter.’’ This change gives visitors an 

additional channel of communication 

while protecting the resources and 

values of the National Park System. 

DATES: This rule is effective on February 

15, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lee 

Dickinson, Special Park Use Program 

Manager, at (202) 513–7092 or lee_

dickinson@nps.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Authority and Jurisdiction To 

Promulgate Regulations 

In the National Park Service (NPS) 

Organic Act (54 U.S.C. 100101), 

Congress granted the NPS broad 

authority to regulate the use of areas 

under its jurisdiction. The Organic Act 

authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, 

acting through the NPS, to ‘‘prescribe 

such regulations as the Secretary 

considers necessary or proper for the 

use and management of [National Park] 

System units.’’ 54 U.S.C. 100751(a). 

National Park System 

Consisting of over 400 units in 50 

states, the District of Columbia and 

multiple territories, the National Park 

System covers more than 84 million 

acres. These units are located in a wide 

range of environments as diverse as the 

United States itself. The size of these 

units also varies tremendously, ranging 

from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 

and National Preserve, Alaska, at 13.2 

million acres, to Thaddeus Kosciuszko 

National Memorial, Pennsylvania, at 

0.02 acres. 

About one-third of the units—such as 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 

Tennessee; Grand Canyon National 

Park, Arizona; Everglades National Park, 

Florida; and Hawaii Volcanoes National 

Parks, Hawaii—preserve nature’s many 

and varied gifts to the nation. The other 

two-thirds of the units recognize 

benchmarks of human history in 

America. These units protect elements 

of great native cultures, far older than 

European exploration and settlement; 

preserve battle sites from the 

Revolutionary and Civil Wars— 

including the key surrender fields of 

both great conflicts; embrace Thomas 

Edison’s New Jersey laboratories where 

he and his staff led a technological 

revolution more dramatic even than the 

coming of the computer age; and more. 

These historical park units reflect the 

development of both art and industry in 

America, along with landmarks of social 

and political change. 

As a broader understanding of history 

took hold, the National Park System 

eventually grew to include the historic 

homes of civil rights, political, and 

corporate leaders, and the lands of the 

poor, struggling to build lives for 

themselves on a Nebraska homestead 

claim or in an urban community. The 

National Park System now embraces the 

birthplace, church, and grave of Dr. 

Martin Luther King at Martin Luther 

King, Jr. National Historical Site, 

Georgia; the birth of jazz at New Orleans 

Jazz National Historical Park, Louisiana; 

the flowering of a literary giant at the 

Eugene O’Neill National Historical Site, 

California; and the artistic grace of a 

great sculptor’s studios at SaintGaudens National Historical Site, New 

Hampshire. Because of the lessons they 

help us remember, the National Park 

System also includes the Japanese 

American World War II internment 

camp in the desert at Manzanar National 

Historical Site, California, as well as 

Andersonville National Historical Site, 

Georgia, one of the very bleakest of the 

Civil War prison sites. 

The National Park System is habitat 

for 247 threatened or endangered 

species, has more than 167 million 

items in museum collections, has 75,000 

archaeological sites, and 27,000 historic 

and prehistoric structures. The National 

Park System also has an extensive 

physical infrastructure, which includes 

thousands of buildings, tens of 

thousands of miles of trails and roads, 


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