(E) that institutions of higher education
establish a regional consortium to provide tech-
nical assistance and training to increase inter-
national trade between businesses in the Delta
Region and foreign countries;
(F) designating the Great River Road as a
scenic byway, and designating other hiking and
motorized trails throughout the Delta Region;
(G) that the Federal Government identify
sites and structures of historic and prehistoric
importance throughout the Delta Region;
(H) the further study of potential new
units of the National Park System within the
Delta Region;
(I) that the Federal Government should
create economic incentives to encourage the lo-
cation of value-added facilities for processing
agricultural products within the Delta Region;
and
(J) that Congress provide practical incen-
tives to encourage the construction of alter-
native fuel production facilities in the Delta Re-
gion.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act, the term—
(1) ‘‘Commission’’ means the Lower Mississippi
Delta Development Commission established pursuant
to Public Law 100–460;
(2) ‘‘Delta Initiatives Report’’ means the May
14, 1990 Final Report of the Commission entitled
‘‘The Delta Initiatives: Realizing the Dream * * *
Fulfilling the Potential’’;
(3) ‘‘Delta Region’’ means the Lower Mis-
sissippi Delta Region including the 219 counties and
parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois, Ken-
tucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ten-
nessee, as defined in the Delta Initiatives Report,
except that, for any State for which the Delta Re-
gion was defined in such report comprises more than
half of the geographic area of such State, the entire
State shall be considered part of the Delta Region
for purposes of this Act;
(4) ‘‘Historically Black College or University’’
means a college or university that would be consid-
ered a ‘‘part B institution’’ by section 322(2) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2));
and
(5) ‘‘minority college or university’’ means a
Historically Black College or University that would
be considered a ‘‘part B institution’’ by section
322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1061(2)) or a ‘‘minority institution’’ as that
term is defined in section 1046 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1135d–5(3)).
TITLE 
I—INITIATIVES 
WITHIN
THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title, the term—
(1) ‘‘Department’’ means the United States De-
partment of the Interior, unless otherwise specifi-
cally stated; and
(2) ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the In-
terior, unless otherwise specifically stated.
SEC. 102. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES.
(a) OFFICE OF EDUCATION.—(1) There shall be es-
tablished within the Department an Office of Education
to encourage, support, and coordinate education programs
of the Department at the elementary, secondary, college
and university, and graduate levels.
(2) The goals of the Office of Education shall be to—
(A) enhance the quality of education in the
areas of natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resources management, historic
preservation, archeology, aquaculture, and related
subjects;
(B) establish initiatives at minority colleges or
universities;
(C) encourage the consideration of careers in
the areas of natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resource management, historic
preservation, archeology, aquaculture, and related
subjects;
(D) enhance teacher development and recruit-
ment;
(E) increase research opportunities for teachers
and students;
(F) enhance curriculum development; and
(G) improve laboratory instrumentation and
equipment through purchase, loan, or other transfer
mechanisms.
(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Secretary, through
the Office of Education, shall be to—
(1) coordinate the educational programs within
the Department, including implementation of pro-
grams established under this title, in order to ensure
the goals of the Office of Education are met; and
(2) inventory existing education programs with-
in the Department.
(c) The Secretary shall report to Congress, within one
year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annu-
ally thereafter, on an inventory of existing education pro-
grams of the Department, the status of such programs,
and progress toward meeting the goals of the Office of
Education as established in this Act.
(d) MINORITY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY INITIA-
TIVE.—(1) Within one year after the date of enactment
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary,
through the Office of Education, shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United
States Senate and to the United States House of Rep-
resentatives a report identifying opportunities for minority
colleges or universities to participate in programs and ac-
tivities carried out by the Department. The Secretary,
through the Office of Education, shall consult with rep-
resentatives of minority colleges or universities in prepar-
ing the report. Such report shall—
(A) describe ongoing education and training
programs carried out by the Department with re-
spect to, or in conjunction with, minority colleges or
universities in the areas of natural resources, the en-
vironment, the sciences, cultural resource manage-
ment, historic preservation, archeology, aquaculture,
and related subjects;
(B) describe ongoing research, development or
demonstration programs involving the Department
and minority colleges or universities;
(C) describe funding levels for the programs re-
ferred to in subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(D) include specific proposals and recommenda-
tions for providing assistance to minority colleges
and universities to enter into memoranda of under-
standing and other appropriate forms of agreement
with the Department in order to plan and develop
programs to foster greater involvement of these
schools in the contract, research, education, training,
and recruitment activities of the Department;
(E) address the need for, and potential role of,
the Department in providing minority colleges or
universities with—
(i) increased research opportunities for fac-
ulty and students;
(ii) assistance in faculty department and
recruitment;
(iii) curriculum enhancement and develop-
ment; and
(iv) improved laboratory instrumentation
and equipment, through purchase, loan, or
other transfer mechanisms;
(F) address the need for, and potential role of,
the Department in providing financial and technical
assistance for the development of infrastructure fa-
cilities, including buildings and laboratory facilities,
at minority colleges or universities; and
(G) include specific proposals and recommenda-
tions, together with estimates of necessary funding
levels, for initiatives to be carried out by the Depart-
ment in order to assist minority colleges or univer-
sities in providing education and training in the
areas of natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resource management, historic
preservation, archeology, aquaculture, and related
subjects.
(2) The Secretary, through the Office of Education,
shall encourage memoranda of understanding and other
appropriate forms of agreement between the Department
and minority colleges or universities directed at jointly
planning and developing programs to foster greater in-
volvement of minority colleges or universities in the re-
search, education, training, and recruitment activities of
the Department.
(e) 
SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM.—The 
Secretary,
through the Office of Education, shall establish a scholar-
ship program for students pursuing undergraduate or
graduate degrees in natural resource and environmental
related fields including, but not limited to: biology, wildlife
biology, forestry, botany, horticulture, historic preserva-
tion, cultural resource management, archeology, anthro-
pology, aquaculture, geology, engineering, the environ-
ment, the sciences, and ecology at minority colleges and
universities in the Delta Region. The scholarship program
shall include tuition assistance. Recipients of such scholar-
ships shall be students deemed by the Secretary to have
demonstrated (1) a need for such assistance; and (2) aca-
demic potential in the particular area of study.
(f) PRE-COLLEGE
EDUCATION.—The Secretary,
through the Office of Education, shall undertake activities
to encourage pre-college education programs in subjects
relating to natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resource management, historic preserva-
tion, archeology, aquaculture, and related subjects, for
students in the Delta Region. Such activities shall include,
but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Cooperation with, and assistance to, State
departments of education and local school districts
in the Delta Region to develop and carry out after
school and summer education programs for elemen-
tary, middle, and secondary school students.
(2) Cooperation with, and assistance to, institu-
tions of higher education in the Delta Region to de-
velop and carry out pre-college education programs
for elementary, middle, and secondary school stu-
dents.
(3) Cooperation with, and assistance to, State
departments of education and local school districts
in the Delta Region in the development and use of
curriculum and educational materials.
(4) The establishment of education programs
for elementary, middle, and secondary school teach-
ers in the Delta Region at research facilities of the
Department.
(g) VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.—The Secretary, through
the Office of Education, shall establish and carry out a
program to encourage the involvement on a voluntary
basis of qualified employees of the Department in edu-
cational enrichment programs relating to natural re-
sources, the environment, the sciences, cultural resource
management, historic preservation, archeology, aqua-
culture, and related subjects, in cooperation with State de-
partments of education and local school districts in the
Delta Region.
(h) WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN THE SCIENCES.—
The Secretary, through the Office of Education, shall es-
tablish a Center for Excellence in the Sciences at Alcorn
State in Lorman, Mississippi, in cooperation with South-
ern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Uni-
versity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and other
minority colleges or universities for purposes of encourag-
ing women and minority students in the Delta Region to
study and pursue careers in the sciences. The Center shall
enter into cooperative agreements with Southern Univer-
sity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the University of Ar-
kansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and other minority col-
leges and universities in the Delta Region, to carry out
affiliated programs and coordinate programs activities at
such colleges and universities. The Secretary is authorized
to provide grants and other forms of financial assistance
to the Center.
(i) CENTER FOR AQUACULTURE STUDIES.—The Sec-
retary, through the Office of Education, shall establish a
Center for Aquaculture Studies at the University of Ar-
kansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in cooperation with
Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and
Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, and other minority
colleges or universities for purposes of encouraging women
and minority students in the Delta Region to study and
pursue careers in the field of aquaculture. The Center
shall enter into cooperative agreements with Southern
University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Alcorn State
in Lorman, Mississippi, and other minority colleges or uni-
versities in the Delta Region to carry out affiliated pro-
grams and coordinate program activities at such colleges
or universities.
(j) COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES.—The Secretary, through the Office of Education,
shall ensure that the programs authorized in this section
are coordinated with, and complimentary to, educational
assistance programs administered by other Federal agen-
cies. These agencies include, but are not limited to, the
Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture,
the Department of Education, the Department of Defense,
the National Science Foundation, and the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration.
SEC. 103. LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION HERITAGE
STUDY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation
with the States of the Delta Region, the Lower Mississippi
Delta Development Center, and other appropriate Delta
Region institutions, is directed to prepare and transmit
to the Congress within three years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, a study of significant natural, rec-
reational, historical or prehistorical, and cultural lands,
waters, sites, and structures located within the Delta Re-
gion. This study shall take into consideration the research
and inventory of resources conducted by the Mississippi
River Heritage Corridor Study Commission.
(b) TRANSPORTATION ROUTES.—(1) The study shall
include recommendations on appropriate designation and
interpretation of historically significant roads, trails, by-
ways, waterways, or other routes within the Delta Region.
(2) In order to provide for public appreciation, edu-
cation, understanding, interpretation, and enjoyment of
the significant sites identified pursuant to subsection (a),
which are accessible by public roads, the Secretary shall
recommend in the study vehicular tour routes along exist-
ing public roads linking such sites within the Delta Re-
gion.
(3) Such recommendations shall include an analysis
of designating the Great River Road (as depicted on the
map entitled ‘‘Proposed Delta Transportation Network’’
on pages 102–103 of the Delta Initiatives Report) and
other sections of the Great River Road between Baton
Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana and an analysis of
designating that portion of the Old Antonio Road and the
Louisiana Natchez Trace which extends generally along
Highway 84 from Vidalia, Louisiana, to Clarence, Louisi-
ana, and Louisiana Highway 6 from Clarence, Louisiana,
to the Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, as a National
Scenic Byway, or as a component of the National Trails
System, or such other designation as the Secretary deems
appropriate.
(4) The Secretary shall also recommend in the study
an appropriate route along existing public roads to com-
memorate the importance of timber production and trade
to the economic development of the Delta Region in the
early twentieth century, and to highlight the continuing
importance of timber production and trade to the eco-
nomic life of the Delta Region. Recommendations shall in-
clude an analysis of designating that portion of US 165
which extends from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Monroe,
Louisiana, as a National Scenic Byway, or as a component
of the National Trails System, or such other designation
as the Secretary deems appropriate.
(5) The study shall also include a comprehensive
recreation, interpretive, and visitor use plan for the routes
described in the above paragraphs, including bicycle and
hiking paths, and make specific recommendations for the
acquisition and construction of related interpretive and
visitor information facilities at selected sites along such
routes.
(6) The Secretary is authorized to make grants to
States for work necessary to stabilize, maintain, and widen
public roads to allow for adequate access to the nationally
significant sites and structures identified by the study, to
allow for proper use of the vehicular tour route, trails, by-
ways, including the routes defined in paragraphs (3) and
(4) or other public roads within the Delta Region and to
implement the comprehensive recreation, interpretive, and
visitor use plan required in paragraph (5).
(c) LISTING.—On the basis of the study, and in con-
sultation with the National Trust for Historic Preserva-
tion, the Secretary shall inventory significant structures
and sites in the Delta Region. The Secretary shall further
recommend and encourage cooperative preservation and
economic development efforts such as the establishment
of preservation districts linking groups of contiguous
counties or parishes, especially those that lie along the
aforementioned designated routes. The Secretary shall
prepare a list of the sites and structures for possible inclu-
sion by the National Park Service as National Historic
Landmarks of such other designation as the Secretary
deems appropriate.
SEC. 104. DELTA REGION HERITAGE CORRIDORS AND HER-
ITAGE AND CULTURAL CENTERS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) in 1990, the Congress authorized the Insti-
tute of Museum Services to prepare a report assess-
ing the needs of small, emerging, minority, and rural
museums in order to identify the resources such mu-
seums needed to meet their education mission, to
identify the areas of museum operation in which the
needs were greatest, and to make recommendations
on how these needs could best be met;
(2) the Institute of Museum Services undertook
a comprehensive eighteen month study of such needs
with the assistance of two advisory groups, surveyed
524 museums from throughout the Nation, held dis-
cussion groups in which representatives of 25 mu-
seum groups participated, and conducted case stud-
ies of 12 museum facilities around the Nation;
(3) on the basis of this assessment, the Insti-
tute of Museum Services issued a report in Septem-
ber 1992, entitled, ‘‘National Needs Assessment of
Small, Emerging, Minority and Rural Museums in
the United States’’ (hereinafter ‘‘National Needs As-
sessment’’) which found that small, emerging, mi-
nority, and rural museums provide valuable edu-
cational and cultural resources for their communities
and contain a reservoir of the Nation’s material, cul-
tural and scientific heritage, but due to inadequate
resources are unable to meet their full potential or
the demands of the surrounding communities;
(4) the needs of these institutions are not being
met through existing Federal programs;
(5) fewer than half of the participants in the
survey had applied for Federal assistance in the past
two years and that many small, emerging, minority
and rural museums believe existing Federal pro-
grams do not meet their needs;
(6) based on the National Needs Assessment,
that funding agencies should increase support avail-
able to small, emerging, minority, and rural muse-
ums and make specific recommendations for increas-
ing technical assistance in order to identify such in-
stitutions and provide assistance to facilitate their
participation in Federal programs;
(7) the Delta Initiatives Report made specific
recommendations for the creation and development
of centers for the preservation of the cultural, histor-
ical, scientific and literary heritage of the Delta Re-
gion, including recommendations for the establish-
ment of a Delta Region Native American Heritage
and Cultural Center and a Delta Region African
American Heritage and Cultural Center with addi-
tional satellite centers or museums linked through-
out the Delta Region;
(8) the Delta Initiatives Report stated that new
ways of coordinating, preserving, and promoting the
Delta Region’s literature, art, and music should be
established including the creation of a network to
promote the Delta Region’s literary, artistic, and
musical heritage; and
(9) wholesale destruction and attrition of ar-
cheological sites and structures has eliminated a sig-
nificant portion of Native American heritage as well
as the interpretive potential of the Delta Region’s
parks and museums. Furthermore, site and struc-
ture destruction is so severe that an ambitious pro-
gram of site and structure acquisition in the Delta
Region is necessary.
(b) GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with
the States of the Delta Region, the Chairman of the Na-
tional Endowment for the Arts, the Chairman of the Na-
tional Endowment for the Humanities, the Director of the
Smithsonian Institution, the Lower Mississippi Delta De-
velopment Center, Historically Black Colleges and Univer-
sities, other Delta Regional educational institutions, and
appropriate African American and Native American orga-
nizations in the Delta Region, is further directed to pre-
pare and transmit to the Congress a plan outlining specific
recommendations, including recommendations for nec-
essary funding, for the establishment of a Delta Region
Native American Heritage Corridor and Heritage and Cul-
tural Center with a network of satellite or cooperative
units.
(c) DELTA REGION NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE
CORRIDOR AND CULTURAL CENTER.—(1) The plan re-
ferred to in subsection (b) of this section shall include rec-
ommendations for establishing a network of parks, muse-
ums, and other centers to interpret Native American cul-
ture and heritage in the Delta Region, including a ten year
development strategy for such a network.
(2) Such plan shall include specific proposals for the
development of a Native American Heritage Corridor and
Heritage and Cultural Center in the Delta Region, along
with recommendations for the appropriate Federal role in
such a center including matching grants, technical and
interpretive assistance.
(3) Such plan shall be conducted in consultation with
tribal leaders in the Delta Region.
(4) Such plan shall also include specific proposals for
educational and training assistance for Delta Region Na-
tive Americans to carry out the recommendations provided
in the study.
(d) DELTA REGION AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE
CORRIDOR AND HERITAGE AND CULTURAL CENTER.—(1)
The plan referred to in subsection (b) of this section shall
include recommendations for establishing a heritage cor-
ridor or trail system, consisting of one or two major north-
south routes and several east-west-spur loops to preserve,
interpret and commemorate the African American herit-
age and culture in the Delta Region during all significant
historical periods.
(2) Such plan shall make specific recommendations
for representing all forms of expressive culture including
the musical, folklore, literary, artistic, scientific, historical,
educational, and political contributions and accomplish-
ments of African Americans in the Delta Region.
(3) Such plan shall make specific recommendations
for implementing the findings of the Delta Initiatives Re-
port with respect to establishing an African American
Heritage Corridor and Heritage and Cultural Center and
related satellite museums in the Delta Region, together
with specific funding levels necessary to carry out these
recommendations and shall also include recommendations
for improving access of small, emerging, minority or rural
museums to technical and financial assistance.
(4) Such plan shall be conducted in consultation with
institutions of higher education in the Delta Region with
expertise in African American studies, Southern studies,
archeology, anthropology, history and other relevant fields.
(5) Such plan shall make specific recommendations
for improving educational programs offered by existing
cultural facilities and museums as well as establishing new
outreach programs for elementary, middle and secondary
schools, including summer programs for youth in the
Delta Region.
(e)(1) In furtherance of the purposes of this section,
the Secretary is authorized to make planning grants to
State Humanities Councils in the Delta Region to assist
small, emerging, minority and rural museums selected on
a financial needs basis in the development of a comprehen-
sive long term plan for these institutions. The Secretary
is also authorized to make implementation grants to State
Humanities Councils in the Delta Region who, in consulta-
tions with State Museum Associations, shall make grants
to small, emerging, minority or rural museums for the
purpose of carrying out an approved plan for training per-
sonnel, improving exhibits or other steps necessary to as-
sure the integrity of collections in their facilities, for edu-
cational outreach programs, or for other activities the Sec-
retary deems appropriate including the promotion of tour-
ism in the region. Such institutions shall be selected com-
petitively and on the basis of demonstrated financial need.
The Secretary is also authorized to make grants to State
Humanities Councils to update, simplify and coordinate
the respective State Works Progress Administration
guides and to develop a single comprehensive guide for the
Delta Region.
(2) The Secretary is authorized to provide grants and
other appropriate technical assistance to State Human-
ities Councils, State Museum Associations, and State Arts
Councils in the Delta Region for the purpose of assessing
the needs of such institutions. Such grants may be used
by these institutions to undertake such an assessment and
to provide other technical, administrative and planning as-
sistance to small, emerging, minority or rural institutions
seeking to preserve the Delta Region’s literary, artistic,
and musical heritage.
(f) MUSIC HERITAGE PROGRAM.—(1) The plan re-
ferred to in subsection (b) of this section shall include rec-
ommendations for establishing a Music Heritage Program,
with specific emphasis on the Mississippi Delta Blues. The
plan shall include specific recommendations for developing
a network of heritage sites, structures, small museums,
and festivals in the Delta Region.
(2) The plan shall include an economic strategy for
the promotion of the Delta Region’s music, through the
participation of musicians, festival developers, museum
operators, universities, and other relevant individuals and
organizations.
(g) COMPLETION DATE.—The plan authorized in this
section shall be completed not later than three years after
the date funds are made available for such plan.
SEC. 105. HISTORIC AND PREHISTORIC STRUCTURES AND
SITES SURVEY.
(a) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary is authorized to
provide technical and financial assistance to Historically
Black Colleges and Universities to undertake a com-
prehensive survey of historic and prehistoric structures
and sites located on their campuses, including rec-
ommendations as to the inclusion of appropriate struc-
tures and sites on the National Register of Historic
Places, designation as National Historic Landmarks, or
other appropriate designation as determined by the Sec-
retary. The Secretary shall also make specific proposals
and recommendations, together with estimates of nec-
essary funding levels, for a Comprehensive Plan to be car-
ried out by the Department to assist Historically Black
Colleges and Universities in the preservation and interpre-
tation of such sites and structures.
(b) GRANTS.—In furtherance of the purposes of this
section, the Secretary is authorized to provide technical
and financial assistance to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities for stabilization, preservation and interpreta-
tion of such sites and structures.
SEC. 106. DELTA ANTIQUITIES SURVEY.
(a) GENERAL.—(1) The Secretary is directed to pre-
pare and transmit to the Congress, in cooperation with
the States of the Delta Region, State Archeological Sur-
veys and Regional Archeological Centers, a study of the
feasibility of establishing a Delta Antiquities Trail or
Delta Antiquities Heritage Corridor in the Delta Region.
(2) Such study shall, to the extent practicable, use
nonintrusive 
methods 
of 
identifying, 
surveying,
inventorying, and stabilizing ancient archeological sites
and structures.
(3) In undertaking this study, the Secretary is di-
rected to enter into cooperative agreements with the
States of the Delta Region, the State Archeological Sur-
veys, and Regional Archeological Centers located in Delta
Region institutions of higher education for on-site activi-
ties including surveys, inventories, and stabilization and
other activities which the Secretary deems appropriate.
(4) In addition to the over 100 known ancient archeo-
logical sites located in the Delta Region including Wat-
son’s Brake, Frenchman’s Bend, Hedgepeth, Monte Sano,
Banana Bayou, Hornsby, Parkin, Toltec, Menard-Hodges,
Eaker, Blytheville Mound, Nodena, Taylor Mounds,
DeSoto Mound and others, such study shall also employ
every practical means possible, including assistance from
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the
Forest Service and Soil Conservation Service of the De-
partment of Agriculture, the Army Corps of Engineers of
the Department of Defense, and other appropriate Federal
agencies, to locate and confirm the existence of a site
known as Balbansha in southern Louisiana and a site
known as Autiamque in Arkansas. The heads of these
Federal agencies shall cooperate with the Secretary as the
Secretary requires on a non-reimbursable basis.
(b) In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the
Secretary is authorized to provide technical assistance and
grants to private landowners for necessary stabilization
activities of identified sites and for preparing rec-
ommendations for designating such sites as National
Landmarks or other appropriate designations as the Sec-
retary, with the concurrence of the landowners, determines
to be appropriate.
(c) The Secretary is authorized to enter into coopera-
tive agreements with the States, State Archeological Sur-
veys, and Regional Archeological Centers of the Delta Re-
gion to develop a ten-year plan for the stabilization, pres-
ervation and interpretation of those sites and structures
as may be identified by the Secretary.
SEC. 107. HISTORIC AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES
PROGRAM.
(a) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall conduct a com-
prehensive program for the research, interpretation, and
preservation of significant historic and archeological re-
sources in the Delta Region.
(b) ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM.—The program
shall include, but not be limited to—
(1) identification of research projects related to
historic and archeological resources in the Delta Re-
gion and a proposal for the regular publication of re-
lated research materials and publications;
(2) the development of a survey program to in-
vestigate, inventory and further evaluate known his-
toric and archeological sites and structures and iden-
tify those sites and structures that require additional
study;
(3) identification of a core system of interpre-
tive sites and structures that would provide a com-
prehensive overview of historic and archeological re-
sources of the Delta Region;
(4) preparation of educational materials to in-
terpret the historical and archeological resources of
the Delta Region; and
(5) preparation of surveys and archeological
and historical investigations of sites, structures, and
artifacts relating to the Delta Region, including the
preparation of reports, maps, and other related ac-
tivities.
(c) GRANTS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) The
Secretary is authorized to award grants to qualified tribal,
governmental and non-governmental entities and individ-
uals to assist the Secretary in carrying out those elements
of the program which the Secretary deems appropriate.
(2) The Secretary is further authorized to award
grants and provide other types of technical and financial
assistance to such entities and individuals to conserve and
protect historic and archeological sites and structures in
the Delta Region identified in the program prepared pur-
suant to this section.
(d) The Secretary shall establish a national dem-
onstration project for the conservation and curation of the
archeological records and collections of Federal and State
management agencies in the Delta Region.
SEC. 108. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as
may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this title.
TITLE II—INITIATIVES WITHIN
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title, the term—
(1) ‘‘Center’’ means the Delta Energy Tech-
nology and Business Development Center established
under section 202 of this Act;
(2) ‘‘Department’’ means the United States De-
partment of Energy, unless otherwise specifically
stated;
(3) ‘‘departmental laboratory’’ means a facility
operated by or on behalf of the Department of En-
ergy that would be considered a laboratory as that
term is defined in section 12 of the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15
U.S.C. 3710(d)(2)) or other laboratory or facility
the Secretary designates;
(4) ‘‘persons in the Delta Region’’ means an
entity primarily located in the Delta Region, the
controlling interest (as defined by the Secretary) of
which is held by persons of the United States, in-
cluding—
(A) a for-profit entity;
(B) a private foundation or corporation ex-
empt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code;
(C) a non-profit organization such as a
public trust;
(D) a trade or professional society;
(E) a tribal government;
(F) institutions of higher education; or
(G) a unit of State or local government;
and
(5) ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of Energy,
unless otherwise specifically stated.
SEC. 202. DELTA ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS DE-
VELOPMENT CENTER.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall enter into
an agreement with Louisiana State University in partner-
ship with Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
to establish the Delta Energy Technology and Business
Development Center. The agreement shall provide for co-
operative agreements with the University of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Alcorn State University in
Lorman, Mississippi, and other universities and institu-
tions in the Delta Region, to carry out affiliated programs
and coordinate program activities at such universities and
institutions.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Center shall be
to—
(1) foster the creation and retention of energy
resource and manufacturing and related energy serv-
ice jobs in the Delta Region;
(2) encourage the export of energy resources
and technologies, including services related thereto,
from the Delta Region;
(3) develop markets for energy resources and
technologies manufactured in the Delta Region for
use in meeting the energy resource and technology
needs for foreign countries;
(4) encourage the successful, long-term market
penetration of energy resources and technologies
manufactured in the Delta Region into foreign coun-
tries;
(5) encourage participation in energy-related
projects in foreign countries by persons in the Delta
Region as well as the utilization in such projects of
energy resources and technologies significantly devel-
oped, demonstrated, or manufactured in the Delta
Region; and
(6) assist in the establishment of technology
transfer programs in cooperation with Federal lab-
oratories to create businesses in energy resources
and technology in the Delta Region.
(c) GENERAL.—The Center, in cooperation with par-
ticipating universities and institutions in the Delta Re-
gion, shall—
(1) identify and foster the establishment of
flexible manufacturing networks in consultation with
the States of the Delta Region to promote the devel-
opment of energy resources and technologies that
have the potential to expand technology development
and manufacturing in, and exports from, the Delta
Region;
(2) provide technical, business, training, mar-
keting, and other assistance to persons in the Delta
Region;
(3) develop a comprehensive database and infor-
mation dissemination system, that will provide de-
tailed information on the specific energy resources
and technologies of the Delta Region itself, as well
as domestic and international market opportunities
for businesses in the Delta Region, and electronically
link the Center with other institutions of higher edu-
cation in the Delta Region;
(4) establish a network of business and tech-
nology incubators to promote the design, manufac-
ture, and sale of energy resources and technologies
from the Delta Region;
(5) enter into contracts, cooperative agree-
ments, and other arrangements with the Federal
Government, international development agencies, or
persons in the Delta Region to carry out these objec-
tives; and
(6) coordinate existing Department and other
Federal programs having comparable goals and pur-
poses.
(d) ASSISTANCE FROM THE SECRETARY.—The Sec-
retary is authorized to provide the Center assistance in
obtaining such personnel, equipment, and facilities as may
be needed by the Center and affiliated participating uni-
versities and institutions to carry out its activities under
this section.
(e) GRANTS.—The Secretary is authorized to provide
grants and other forms of financial assistance to the Cen-
ter for the Center and participating universities and insti-
tutions to (1) support the creation of flexible manufactur-
ing networks as identified in subsection (c)(1); and (2)
develop the comprehensive database described in para-
graph (c)(3); and (3) support the training, marketing, and
other related activities of the Center.
(f) ACCEPTANCE OF GRANTS AND TRANSFERS.—The
Center may accept—
(1) grants and donations from private individ-
uals, groups, organizations, corporations, founda-
tions, State and local governments, and other enti-
ties; and
(2) transfers of funds from other Federal agen-
cies.
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out the programs under this section and
for the establishment, operation, construction, and main-
tenance of the Center and facilities of participating univer-
sities and institutions.
SEC. 203. INSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR
THE DELTA REGION.
Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act
(42 U.S.C. 6371, et seq.) is amended by adding a new
section 400K as follows:
‘‘INSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR THE
DELTA REGION
‘‘SEC. 400K. (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this sec-
tion is to encourage the use of energy conservation meas-
ures in the schools and hospitals of the Delta Region.
‘‘(b) GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—
Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment
of the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiatives Act of 1994, the
Secretary is authorized to provide grants to schools or hos-
pitals, or to consortiums consisting of a school or hospital
and one or more of the following: State or unit of local
government; local education agency; State hospital facili-
ties agency; or State school facilities agency. Such grants
shall be for purposes of conducting innovative energy con-
servation projects and providing Federal financing for en-
ergy conservation projects at schools and hospitals in the
Delta Region.
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—(1) Applications of schools or
hospitals for grants under this section shall be made not
more than once for any fiscal year. Such applications shall
be submitted to the State energy agency, in consultation
with the Planning and Development Districts in the Delta
Region, and the State energy agency shall make a single
submittal to the Secretary containing all applications
which comply with subsection (e).
‘‘(2) Applications for grants shall contain, or be ac-
companied by, such information as the Secretary may rea-
sonably require in accordance with regulations governing
institutional conservation programs under this part; pro-
vided, however, that the Secretary shall encourage flexible
and innovative approaches consistent with this Act.
‘‘(d) SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS.—(1) Not later
than six months after the receipt of applications under
subsection (c), the Secretary shall select at least seven,
but not more than 21, proposals from States to receive
grants under subsection (b).
‘‘(2) The Secretary may select more than 21 applica-
tions under this subsection, if the Secretary determines
that the total amount of available funds is not likely to
be otherwise utilized.
‘‘(3) No one State shall receive less than one, or more
than four, grants under subsection (b).
‘‘(4) Such grants shall be in addition to such grants
as would otherwise be provided under Part G of this Act.
‘‘(5) No one grant recipient under this section shall
receive Federal funds in excess of $2,000,000.
‘‘(e) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall se-
lect recipients of grants under this section on the basis
of the following criteria:
‘‘(1) The location of the grant recipient in the
Delta Region.
‘‘(2) The demonstrated or potential resources
available to the grant applicant for carrying out the
purposes of this section.
‘‘(3) The demonstrated or potential ability of
the grant applicant to improve energy conservation
measures in the designated school or hospital.
‘‘(4) Such other criteria as the Secretary deems
appropriate for carrying out the purposes of this
section.
‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘Delta Region’ means the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region including the 219 counties and parishes within the
States of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined in the May
14, 1990 Final Report of the Lower Mississippi Delta De-
velopment Commission entitled ‘The Delta Initiatives: Re-
alizing the Dream * * * Fulfilling the Potential’.
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
is authorized to be appropriated for purposes of carrying
out this section, to remain available until expended, not
more than $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995, and
1996, and 1997.’’.
SEC. 204. ENERGY RELATED EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES.
(a) MINORITY COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITY INITIA-
TIVE.—(1) Within one year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the United States Senate and to the United
States House of Representatives a report identifying op-
portunities for minority colleges and universities to par-
ticipate in programs and activities carried out by the De-
partment or the departmental laboratories. The Secretary
shall consult with representatives of minority colleges or
universities in preparing the report. Such report shall—
(A) describe ongoing education and training
programs carried out by the Department or the de-
partmental laboratories with respect to, or in con-
junction with, minority colleges or universities in the
areas of mathematics, science, and engineering;
(B) describe ongoing research, development,
demonstration, or commercial application activities
involving the Department or the departmental lab-
oratories and minority colleges or universities;
(C) describe funding levels for the programs re-
ferred to in subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(D) identify ways for the Department or the de-
partmental laboratories to assist minority colleges or
universities in providing education and training in
the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering;
(E) identify ways for the Department or the de-
partmental laboratories to assist minority colleges
and universities in entering into partnerships;
(F) address the need for, and potential role of,
the Department or the departmental laboratories in
providing minority colleges or universities with—
(i) increased research opportunities for fac-
ulty and students;
(ii) assistance in faculty development and
recruitment;
(iii) curriculum enhancement and develop-
ment; and
(iv) improved laboratory instrumentation
and equipment, including computer equipment,
through purchase, loan, or other transfer mech-
anisms;
(G) address the need for, and potential role of,
the Department or departmental laboratories in pro-
viding financial and technical assistance for the de-
velopment of infrastructure facilities; including
buildings and laboratory facilities, at minority col-
leges and universities; and
(H) make specific proposals and recommenda-
tions, together with estimates of necessary funding
levels, for initiatives to be carried out by the Depart-
ment or the departmental laboratories in order to
assist minority colleges or universities in providing
education and training in the areas of mathematics,
science, and engineering, and in entering into part-
nerships with the Department or departmental lab-
oratories.
(2) The Secretary shall encourage memoranda of un-
derstanding and other appropriate forms of agreement be-
tween the Department and minority colleges and univer-
sities directed at jointly planning and developing programs
to foster greater involvement of minority colleges and uni-
versities in research, education, training, and recruitment
activities of the Department.
(b) MINORITY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY SCHOLAR-
SHIP PROGRAMS FOR THE DELTA REGION.—The Sec-
retary shall establish a scholarship program for students
pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in energy-re-
lated scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical
disciplines at minority colleges and universities in the
Delta Region. The scholarship program shall include tui-
tion assistance. Recipients of such scholarships shall be
students deemed by the Secretary to have demonstrated
(1) a need for such assistance and (2) academic potential
in the particular area of study.
(c) PRE-COLLEGE EDUCATION.—The Secretary shall
undertake activities to encourage pre-college education
programs in energy-related scientific, mathematical, engi-
neering, and technical disciplines for students in the Delta
Region. Such activities shall include, but not be limited
to the following:
(1) Cooperation with, and assistance to, State
departments of education and local school districts
in the Delta Region to develop and carry out after
school and summer education programs for elemen-
tary, middle, and secondary school students in en-
ergy-related scientific, mathematical, engineering,
and technical disciplines.
(2) Cooperation with, and assistance to, institu-
tions of higher education in the Delta Region to de-
velop and carry out pre-college education programs
in energy related scientific, mathematical, engineer-
ing, and technical disciplines for middle and second-
ary school students.
(3) Cooperation with, and assistance to, State
departments of education and local school districts
in the development and use of curriculum and edu-
cational materials in energy-related scientific, mathe-
matical, engineering, and technical disciplines for
middle and secondary students.
(4) The establishment of education programs in
subjects relating to energy-related scientific, mathe-
matical, engineering, and technical disciplines for el-
ementary, middle, and secondary school teachers in
the Delta Region.
(d) VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall
carry out a program to encourage the involvement on a
voluntary basis of qualified employees of the Department
in educational programs relating to energy-related sci-
entific, mathematical, engineering, and technical dis-
ciplines, in cooperation with State departments of edu-
cation and local school districts in the Delta Region.
(e) WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN THE SCIENCES.—
The Secretary shall establish a Center for Excellence in
the Sciences at Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, in
cooperation with Southern University in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
Arkansas, and other minority colleges or universities for
purposes of encouraging women and minority students in
the Delta Region to study and pursue careers in the
sciences, mathematics, engineering and technical dis-
ciplines. The Center shall enter into cooperative agree-
ments with Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisi-
ana, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkan-
sas, and other minority colleges and universities in the
Delta Region, to carry out affiliated programs and coordi-
nate programs activities at such colleges and universities.
The Secretary is authorized to provide grants and other
forms of financial assistance to the Center.
(f) COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES.—The Secretary shall ensure that the programs au-
thorized in this section are coordinated with, and com-
plimentary to, education assistance programs adminis-
tered by the Department and by other Federal agencies
in the Delta Region. These agencies include, but are not
limited to, the Department of the Interior, the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, and Department of Education, the
National Science Foundation, and the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration.
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may
be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
SEC. 205. INTEGRATED BIOMASS ENERGY SYSTEMS.
(a) PROGRAM DIRECTION.—The Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall conduct
a research, development and demonstration program to
determine the economic viability of integrated biomass en-
ergy systems within the Delta Region.
(b) PROGRAM PLAN.—Not later than six months
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
prepare and submit to the Congress a program plan to
guide the activities under this section.
(c) SOLICITATION OF PROPOSALS.—Not later than
one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall solicit proposals for conducting activities con-
sistent with the program plan. Such activities shall include
at least three demonstrations of integrated biomass energy
systems that—
(1) involve the production of dedicated energy
crops of not less than 25,000 acres per demonstra-
tion;
(2) include predominantly herbaceous energy
crops;
(3) include predominantly short-rotation woody
crops;
(4) demonstrate cost-effective methods for
growing, harvesting, storing, transporting, and pre-
paring energy crops for conversion to electricity or
transportation fuel; and
(5) result in the conversion of such crops to
electricity or transportation fuel by a non-Federal
energy producer or the Tennessee Valley Authority.
(d) COST SHARING.—(1) For research and develop-
ment programs carried out under this section, the Sec-
retary shall require a commitment from non-Federal
sources of at least 20 percent of the cost of the project.
(2) The Secretary shall require at least 50 percent
of the costs directly and specifically related to any dem-
onstration or commercial application project under this
section to be provided from non-Federal sources. The Sec-
retary may reduce the non-Federal requirement under this
section if the Secretary determines that the reduction is
necessary and appropriate considering the technological
risks involved in the project and is necessary to meet the
objectives of this section.
(3) In calculating the amount of the non-Federal
commitment under paragraph (1) or (2), the Secretary
shall include cash, personnel, services, equipment, and
other resources.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated for purposes of carrying out
this section, to remain available until expended, not more
than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995, 1996, and
1997.
SEC. 206. WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR
THE DELTA REGION.
Title IV of the Energy Conservation and Production
Act (42 U.S.C. 6851, 6861–6846) is further amended by
adding a new section 423 as follows:
‘‘WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR THE
DELTA REGION
‘‘SEC. 423. (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this sec-
tion is to encourage the weatherization of low-income
dwelling units in the Delta Region.
‘‘(b) GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—
Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment
of the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiatives Act of 1994, the
Secretary shall make grants to (1) States, and (2) in ac-
cordance with the provisions of subsection (413)(d), to In-
dian tribal organizations to serve Native Americans in the
Delta Region. Such grants shall be made for the purposes
of providing financial assistance for the weatherization of
low-income dwelling units.
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—(1) Applications of States or
Indian tribal organizations for grants under this section
shall be made not more than once for any fiscal year. Such
applications shall be submitted to the State weatherization
agency, in consultation with Community Action Agencies
and Planning and Development Districts in the Delta Re-
gion, and the State weatherization agency shall make a
single submittal to the Secretary containing all applica-
tions which comply with subsection (e).
‘‘(2) Applications for grants for energy conservation
projects shall contain, or be accompanied by, such infor-
mation as the Secretary may reasonably require in accord-
ance with regulations governing weatherization assistance
programs under this Part.
‘‘(d) SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS.—(1) The Sec-
retary shall select applications from States to receive
grants under subsection (b).
‘‘(2) Such grants shall be in addition to such grants
as would otherwise be provided under section 414 of this
Act.
‘‘(3) No one grant recipient under this section shall
receive Federal funds in excess of $2,000,000,
‘‘(e) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall se-
lect recipients of grants under this section in accordance
with the requirements of sections 414(b) and 415 of this
Act, and on the basis of the following criteria:
‘‘(1) The location of the grant applicant in the
Delta Region.
‘‘(2) The demonstrated or potential resources
available to the grant applicant for carrying out the
purposes of this section.
‘‘(3) The demonstrated or potential ability of
the grant applicant to improve energy efficiency in
low-income dwelling units.
‘‘(f) COORDINATION WITH OTHER WEATHERIZATION
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall ensure that
the programs authorized in this section are coordinated
with, and complimentary to, Department weatherization
assistance programs under sections 413, 414A and 414B
of this Act.
‘‘(g) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘Delta Region’ means the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region including the 219 counties and parishes within the
States of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined in the May
14, 1990 Final Report of the Lower Mississippi Delta De-
velopment Commission entitled ‘The Delta Initiatives: Re-
alizing the Dream * * * Fulfilling the Potential’.
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
is authorized to be appropriated for purposes of carrying
out this section, to remain available until expended, not
more than $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995,
1996, and 1997.’’.
SEC. 207. RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES.
Section 1212 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42
U.S.C. 13317) is amended by inserting immediately after
‘‘foregoing,’’ the following: ‘‘by the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority,’’.
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