I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5014

To direct the Director of the National Park Service to prepare a report 

on the sustainability of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley 

National Heritage Corridor and the John H. Chafee Blackstone River 

Valley National Heritage Commission. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2004

Mr. MCGOVERN (for himself, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. KENNEDY of 

Rhode Island, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Resources 

A BILL

To direct the Director of the National Park Service to prepare a report on the sustainability of the John H. Chafee 

Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and 

the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Commission.

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 ‘‘John H. Chafee Black5 stone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Sustain6 ability Report Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

3 (1) the Blackstone River Valley National Herit4 age Corridor (redesignated the John H. Chafee 

5 Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor 

6 in 1999) was established in 1986 in recognition of 

7 the national importance of the region as the birth8 place of the American Industrial Revolution; 

9 (2) the Corridor has become a national model 

10 of how the National Park Service can work coopera11 tively with local communities and a multi-agency 

12 partnership to create a seamless system of parks, 

13 preserved historic sites, and open spaces that en14 hance the protection and understanding of America’s 

15 heritage, without Federal ownership and regulations; 

16 (3) the Corridor is managed by a bi-State, 19-

17 member Federal commission representing Federal, 

18 State and local authorities from the Commonwealth 

19 of Massachusetts and the State of Rhode Island 

20 whose mandate has been to implement an approved 

21 integrated resource management plan; 

22 (4) the authorization and funding for the John 

23 H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Herit24 age Commission are scheduled to expire in Novem25 ber 2006, while the Federal designation of the area 

26 and its boundaries continues in perpetuity; and 
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1 (5) the National Park System Advisory Board 

2 will be reviewing the future of all national heritage 

3 areas and making recommendations to the Director 

4 of the National Park Service and the Secretary of 

5 the Interior. 

6 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—

7 (1) to explore the options for preserving, en8 hancing, and interpreting the resources of the John 

9 H. Chafee Blackstone River Corridor and the part10 nerships that sustain those resources; and 

11 (2) to direct the Director of the National Park 

12 Service to submit to Congress a report that—

13 (A) analyzes the sustainability of the Cor14 ridor; and 

15 (B) provides recommendations for the fu16 ture of the Corridor. 

17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act: 

19 (1) CORRIDOR.—The term ‘‘Corridor’’ means 

20 the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley Na21 tional Heritage Corridor. 

22 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

23 means the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley 

24 National Heritage Commission. 
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1 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

2 the Director of the National Park Service. 

3 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall prepare a re5 port on the sustainability of the Corridor. 

6 (b) COMPONENTS.—The report prepared under sub7 section (a) shall—

8 (1) document the progress that has been made 

9 in accomplishing the purpose of Public Law 99–647 

10 (6 U.S.C. 461 note; 100 Stat. 3625) and the strate11 gies and goals set forth in the Cultural Heritage and 

12 Land Management Plan for the Corridor, includ13 ing—

14 (A) historic preservation; 

15 (B) interpretation and education; 

16 (C) environmental recovery; 

17 (D) recreational development; and 

18 (E) economic improvement; 

19 (2) based on the results documented under 

20 paragraph (1), identify further actions and commit21 ments that are needed to protect, enhance, and in22 terpret the Corridor; 

23 (3)(A) determine the extent of Federal funding 

24 provided to the Corridor; and 
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1 (B) determine how the Federal funds have le2 veraged additional Federal, State, local, and private 

3 funding for the Corridor since the establishment of 

4 the Corridor; and 

5 (4)(A) evaluate the Commission form of author6 ity and management structure for the Corridor, as 

7 established by Public Law 99–647 (6 U.S.C. 461 

8 note; 100 Stat. 3625); and 

9 (B) identify and evaluate options for a perma10 nent National Park Service designation or a State 

11 park or regional entity as a sustainable framework 

12 to achieve the national interest of the Blackstone 

13 Valley. 

14 (c) COORDINATION.—To the maximum extent prac15 ticable, the Director shall prepare the report in coordina16 tion with the National Park System Advisory Board. 

17 (d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 

18 year after the date on which funds are made available to 

19 carry out this Act, the Director shall submit to the Com20 mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and 

21 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

22 Senate the report prepared under subsection (a). 
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1 (e) FUNDING.—Funding to prepare the report under 

2 this Act shall be made available from annual appropria3 tions for the Commission.

Æ