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] 
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A BILL 
To establish the Blackstone River Valley National Historical 
Park, to dedicate the Park to John H. Chafee, and 
for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blackstone River Valley 
National Historical Park Establishment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR.—The term 
‘‘National Heritage Corridor’’ means the John H. 
Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 
Corridor. 
(2) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the Black-
stone River Valley National Historical Park estab-
lished under section 3. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(4) STATES.—The term ‘‘States’’ means— 
(A) the State of Massachusetts; and 
(B) the State of Rhode Island. 
SEC. 3. BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HISTOR-
ICAL PARK. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
States a unit of the National Park System, to be known 
as the ‘‘Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park’’. 
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(b) HISTORIC SITES AND DISTRICTS.—The Park may 
include— 
(1) Blackstone River State Park; and 
(2) the following resources, as described in Man-
agement Option 3 of the study entitled ‘‘Blackstone 
River Valley Special Resource Study—Study Report 
2011’’: 
(A) Old Slater Mill National Historic 
Landmark District. 
(B) Slatersville Historic District. 
(C) Ashton Historic District. 
(D) Whitinsville Historic District. 
(E) Hopedale Village Historic District. 
(F) Blackstone River and the tributaries of 
Blackstone River. 
(G) Blackstone Canal. 
(c) ACQUISITION OF LAND; PARK BOUNDARY.— 
(1) LAND ACQUISITION.—The Secretary may ac-
quire land or interests in land in the historic sites 
and districts described in subsection (b)(2) for inclu-
sion in the Park boundary by donation or exchange. 
(2) PARK BOUNDARY.—On a determination by 
the Secretary that a sufficient quantity of land or in-
terests in land has been acquired to constitute a man-
ageable park unit, the Secretary may establish a 
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boundary for the Park by publishing a boundary map 
in the Federal Register. 
(3) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.—On the acquisi-
tion of additional land or interests in land under 
paragraph (1), the boundary of the Park shall be ad-
justed to reflect the acquisition by publishing a Park 
boundary map in the Federal Register. 
(4) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The maps referred 
to in this subsection shall be available for public in-
spection in the appropriate offices of the National 
Park Service. 
(5) WRITTEN
CONSENT
OF
THE
OWNER.—No 
non-Federal property may be included in the Park 
without the written consent of the owner. 
(6) LIMITATION.—Land owned by the States or 
a political subdivision of the States may be acquired 
under this subsection only by donation. 
(d) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall admin-
ister land within the boundary of the Park in accord-
ance with— 
(A) this section; and 
(B) the laws generally applicable to units of 
the National Park System, including— 
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(i) the National Park Service Organic 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 
(ii) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 
U.S.C. 461 et seq.). 
(2) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 
after the date on which funds are made available 
to carry out this section, the Secretary shall pre-
pare a general management plan for the Park— 
(i) in consultation with the States and 
other interested parties; and 
(ii) in accordance with section 12(b) of 
the National Park System General Authori-
ties Act (16 U.S.C. 1a–7(b)). 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—The plan shall con-
sider ways to use preexisting or planned visitor 
facilities and recreational opportunities devel-
oped in the National Heritage Corridor, includ-
ing— 
(i) the Blackstone Valley Visitor Cen-
ter, Pawtucket, Rhode Island; 
(ii) the Captain Wilbur Kelly House, 
Blackstone River State Park, Lincoln, 
Rhode Island; 
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(iii) the Museum of Work and Culture, 
Woonsocket, Rhode Island; 
(iv) the River Bend Farm/Blackstone 
River and Canal Heritage State Park, 
Uxbridge, Massachusetts; 
(v) the Worcester Blackstone Visitor 
Center, located at the former Washburn & 
Moen wire mill facility, Worcester, Massa-
chusetts; 
(vi) the Route 295 Visitor Center adja-
cent to Blackstone River State Park; and 
(vii) the Blackstone River Bikeway. 
(3) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 
may provide technical assistance to State, local, or 
tribal governments, organizations, or individuals for 
the management, interpretation, and historic preser-
vation of historically significant Blackstone River 
Valley resources not included within the Park. 
(4) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 
into cooperative agreements to carry out this 
Act. 
(B) MATCHING
REQUIREMENT.—The Sec-
retary shall require that any Federal funds made 
available under a cooperative agreement entered 
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into under this paragraph are to be matched on 
a 1-to-1 basis by non-Federal funds. 
(C) REIMBURSEMENT.—Any payment made 
by the Secretary under subparagraph (A) shall 
be subject to an agreement that the conversion, 
use, or disposal of the project for purposes that 
are inconsistent with the purposes of this section, 
as determined by the Secretary, shall result in a 
right of the United States to reimbursement of 
the greater of— 
(i) the amount provided by the Sec-
retary to the project under subparagraph 
(A); or 
(ii) an amount equal to the increase in 
the value of the project that is attributable 
to the funds, as determined by the Secretary 
at the time of the conversion, use, or dis-
posal. 
(D) 
PUBLIC
ACCESS.—Any 
cooperative 
agreement entered into under this paragraph 
shall provide for reasonable public access to the 
resources covered by the cooperative agreement. 
(e) DEDICATION; MEMORIAL.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Congress dedicates the Park to 
John H. Chafee, the former United States Senator 
from Rhode Island, in recognition of— 
(A) the role of John H. Chafee in the preser-
vation of the resources of the Blackstone River 
Valley and the heritage corridor that bears the 
name of John H. Chafee; and 
(B) the decades of the service of John H. 
Chafee to the people of Rhode Island and the 
United States. 
(2) MEMORIAL.—The Secretary shall display a 
memorial at an appropriate location in the Park that 
recognizes the role of John H. Chafee in preserving 
the resources of the Blackstone River Valley for the 
people of the United States. 
(f) NO USE OF CONDEMNATION.—The Secretary may 
not acquire by condemnation any land or interest in land 
under this Act for the purposes of this Act. 
(g) NO BUFFER ZONE CREATED.—Nothing in this 
Act, the establishment of the Park, or the management plan 
for the Park shall be construed to create buffer zones outside 
of the Park. That activities or uses can be seen, heard, or 
detected from areas within the Park shall not preclude, 
limit, control, regulate, or determine the conduct or man-
agement of activities or uses outside of the Park. 
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Union Calendar No. 518 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 706 
[Report No. 113–687] 
A BILL 
To establish the Blackstone River Valley National 
Historical Park, to dedicate the Park to John H. 
Chafee, and for other purposes. 
DECEMBER 22, 2014 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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