IB 

Union Calendar No. 518 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 706 

[Report No. 113–687] 

To establish the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, to dedicate 

the Park to John H. Chafee, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2013 

Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mr. NEAL) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources 

DECEMBER 22, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 14, 2013] 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 706 RH

A BILL 

To establish the Blackstone River Valley National Historical 

Park, to dedicate the Park to John H. Chafee, and 

for other purposes. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 706 RH

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 ‘‘Blackstone River Valley 

5 National Historical Park Establishment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR.—The term 

9 ‘‘National Heritage Corridor’’ means the John H. 

10 Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 

11 Corridor. 

12 (2) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the Black13 stone River Valley National Historical Park estab14 lished under section 3. 

15 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of the Interior. 

17 (4) STATES.—The term ‘‘States’’ means— 

18 (A) the State of Massachusetts; and 

19 (B) the State of Rhode Island. 

20 SEC. 3. BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HISTOR21 ICAL PARK. 

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

23 States a unit of the National Park System, to be known 

24 as the ‘‘Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park’’. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 706 RH

1 (b) HISTORIC SITES AND DISTRICTS.—The Park may 

2 include— 

3 (1) Blackstone River State Park; and 

4 (2) the following resources, as described in Man5 agement Option 3 of the study entitled ‘‘Blackstone 

6 River Valley Special Resource Study—Study Report 

7 2011’’: 

8 (A) Old Slater Mill National Historic 

9 Landmark District. 

10 (B) Slatersville Historic District. 

11 (C) Ashton Historic District. 

12 (D) Whitinsville Historic District. 

13 (E) Hopedale Village Historic District. 

14 (F) Blackstone River and the tributaries of 

15 Blackstone River. 

16 (G) Blackstone Canal. 

17 (c) ACQUISITION OF LAND; PARK BOUNDARY.— 

18 (1) LAND ACQUISITION.—The Secretary may ac19 quire land or interests in land in the historic sites 

20 and districts described in subsection (b)(2) for inclu21 sion in the Park boundary by donation or exchange. 

22 (2) PARK BOUNDARY.—On a determination by 

23 the Secretary that a sufficient quantity of land or in24 terests in land has been acquired to constitute a man25 ageable park unit, the Secretary may establish a 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 706 RH

1 boundary for the Park by publishing a boundary map 

2 in the Federal Register. 

3 (3) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.—On the acquisi4 tion of additional land or interests in land under 

5 paragraph (1), the boundary of the Park shall be ad6 justed to reflect the acquisition by publishing a Park 

7 boundary map in the Federal Register. 

8 (4) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The maps referred 

9 to in this subsection shall be available for public in10 spection in the appropriate offices of the National 

11 Park Service. 

12 (5) WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE OWNER.—No 

13 non-Federal property may be included in the Park 

14 without the written consent of the owner. 

15 (6) LIMITATION.—Land owned by the States or 

16 a political subdivision of the States may be acquired 

17 under this subsection only by donation. 

18 (d) ADMINISTRATION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall admin20 ister land within the boundary of the Park in accord21 ance with— 

22 (A) this section; and 

23 (B) the laws generally applicable to units of 

24 the National Park System, including— 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 706 RH

1 (i) the National Park Service Organic 

2 Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 

3 (ii) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 

4 U.S.C. 461 et seq.). 

5 (2) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 

7 after the date on which funds are made available 

8 to carry out this section, the Secretary shall pre9 pare a general management plan for the Park— 

10 (i) in consultation with the States and 

11 other interested parties; and 

12 (ii) in accordance with section 12(b) of 

13 the National Park System General Authori14 ties Act (16 U.S.C. 1a–7(b)). 

15 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The plan shall con16 sider ways to use preexisting or planned visitor 

17 facilities and recreational opportunities devel18 oped in the National Heritage Corridor, includ19 ing— 

20 (i) the Blackstone Valley Visitor Cen21 ter, Pawtucket, Rhode Island; 

22 (ii) the Captain Wilbur Kelly House, 

23 Blackstone River State Park, Lincoln, 

24 Rhode Island; 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 706 RH

1 (iii) the Museum of Work and Culture, 

2 Woonsocket, Rhode Island; 

3 (iv) the River Bend Farm/Blackstone 

4 River and Canal Heritage State Park, 

5 Uxbridge, Massachusetts; 

6 (v) the Worcester Blackstone Visitor 

7 Center, located at the former Washburn & 

8 Moen wire mill facility, Worcester, Massa9 chusetts; 

10 (vi) the Route 295 Visitor Center adja11 cent to Blackstone River State Park; and 

12 (vii) the Blackstone River Bikeway. 

13 (3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

14 may provide technical assistance to State, local, or 

15 tribal governments, organizations, or individuals for 

16 the management, interpretation, and historic preser17 vation of historically significant Blackstone River 

18 Valley resources not included within the Park. 

19 (4) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

21 into cooperative agreements to carry out this 

22 Act. 

23 (B) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Sec24 retary shall require that any Federal funds made 

25 available under a cooperative agreement entered 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 706 RH

1 into under this paragraph are to be matched on 

2 a 1-to-1 basis by non-Federal funds. 

3 (C) REIMBURSEMENT.—Any payment made 

4 by the Secretary under subparagraph (A) shall 

5 be subject to an agreement that the conversion, 

6 use, or disposal of the project for purposes that 

7 are inconsistent with the purposes of this section, 

8 as determined by the Secretary, shall result in a 

9 right of the United States to reimbursement of 

10 the greater of— 

11 (i) the amount provided by the Sec12 retary to the project under subparagraph 

13 (A); or 

14 (ii) an amount equal to the increase in 

15 the value of the project that is attributable 

16 to the funds, as determined by the Secretary 

17 at the time of the conversion, use, or dis18 posal. 

19 (D) PUBLIC ACCESS.—Any cooperative 

20 agreement entered into under this paragraph 

21 shall provide for reasonable public access to the 

22 resources covered by the cooperative agreement. 

23 (e) DEDICATION; MEMORIAL.— 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 706 RH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Congress dedicates the Park to 

2 John H. Chafee, the former United States Senator 

3 from Rhode Island, in recognition of— 

4 (A) the role of John H. Chafee in the preser5 vation of the resources of the Blackstone River 

6 Valley and the heritage corridor that bears the 

7 name of John H. Chafee; and 

8 (B) the decades of the service of John H. 

9 Chafee to the people of Rhode Island and the 

10 United States. 

11 (2) MEMORIAL.—The Secretary shall display a 

12 memorial at an appropriate location in the Park that 

13 recognizes the role of John H. Chafee in preserving 

14 the resources of the Blackstone River Valley for the 

15 people of the United States. 

16 (f) NO USE OF CONDEMNATION.—The Secretary may 

17 not acquire by condemnation any land or interest in land 

18 under this Act for the purposes of this Act. 

19 (g) NO BUFFER ZONE CREATED.—Nothing in this 

20 Act, the establishment of the Park, or the management plan 

21 for the Park shall be construed to create buffer zones outside 

22 of the Park. That activities or uses can be seen, heard, or 

23 detected from areas within the Park shall not preclude, 

24 limit, control, regulate, or determine the conduct or man25 agement of activities or uses outside of the Park. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 518 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 706 

[Report No. 113–687] 

A BILL 

To establish the Blackstone River Valley National 

Chafee, and for other purposes. Historical Park, to dedicate the Park to John H. 

DECEMBER 22, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS