An act to provide for the establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes.
PL 96-612 (S.2261), enacted 12/28/1980

PUBLIC LAW 96-612—DEC. 28, 1980 
94 STAT. 3575 
Public Law 96-612 
96th Congress 
An Act 
To provide for the establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Act 
entitled "An Act to provide for the establishment of the Indiana 
Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes", approved 
November 5, 1966 (80 Stat. 1309), as amended (16 U.S.C. 460u), is 
further amended as follows: 
(1) A new section is added at the end thereof to read as follows: 
"SEC. 20. (a) The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is hereby 
dedicated to the memory of Paul H. Douglas in grateful recognition of 
his leadership in the effort to protect, preserve, and enhance the 
natural, scientific, historic, and recreational value of the lake-
shore for the use, enjoyment, and edification of present and future 
generations. 
"(b) To further accomplish the purposes of subsection (a) of this 
section, the Secretary of the Interior shall designate the west unit of 
the lakeshore as the 'Paul H. Douglas Ecological and Recreational 
Unit' and shall, subject to appropriations being granted, design and 
construct a suitable structure or designate an existing structure 
within the lakeshore to be known as the 'Paul H. Douglas Center for 
Environmental Education' which shall provide facilities designed 
primarily to familiarize students and other visitors with, among 
other things: (1) the natural history of the lakeshore and ite associ-
ation with the natural history of the Great Lakes region; (2) the 
evolution of human activities in the area; and (3) the historical 
features which led to the establishment of the lakeshore by the 
Congress of the United States. 
"(c) To inform the public of the contributions of Paul H. Douglas to 
the creation of the lakeshore, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
provide such signs, markers, maps, interpretive materials, literature, 
and programs as he deems appropriate.". 
(2) Section 1 of the Act is amended by changing "September 
1976 and bearing the number 626-91007" to "December 1980, 
and bearing the number 626-91014". 
(3) Section 2(a) of the Act is amended by adding the following 
new sentence at the end thereof: "The Secretary is expressly 
authorized to acquire by donation, purchase with donated or 
appropriated funds, or exchange, lands or interests therein 
which are owned for school or educational purposes by a State or 
a political subdivision thereof.". 
(4) Section 2(b) of the Act is amended by changing the phrase 
"section 10" to "section 9". 
(5) In the first sentence of section 4 of the Act, preceding the 
word "February" insert: "January 1, 1981 or, in the case of 
improved property located within the boundaries delineated on a 
map identified as 'Boundary Map, Indiana Dunes National 
Dec. 28, 1980 
[S. 2261] 
Indiana Dunes 
National 
Lakeshore, 
amendment. 
Paul H. Douglas, 
dedication. 
16 u s e 460U-20. 
16 u s e 460u. 
Land 
acquisition. 
16 u s e 460U-1. 
16 u s e 460U-3. 
94 STAT. 3576 
PUBLIC LAW 96-612—DEC. 28, 1980 
Use and 
occupancy 
rights. 
16 u s e 460U-5. 
Use and 
occupancy 
rights, 
extension. 
16 u s e 460U-7. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
16 u s e 460u-9. 
Ante, p. 3575. 
Lakeshore', dated September 1976 and bearing the number 
626-91007, before". 
(6) The first sentence of section 5(a) of the Act is amended to 
read as follows: "Except for owners of improved property within 
the area on the map referred to in the first section of this Act as 
area II-B, any owner or owners of record of improved property 
may retain a right of use and occupancy of said improved 
property for noncommercial residential purposes for a term (1) 
ending on his or her death or the death of his or her spouse, 
whichever occurs last, or (2) for a fixed term not to extend beyond 
September 30, 2010, or such lesser term as the owner or owners 
may elect at the time of acquisition by the Secretary: Provided, 
That the retention of a retained right under clause numbered (1) 
shall only be available to homeowners of record as of October 1, 
1980, who have attained the age of majority as of that date and 
make a bona fide written offer not later than October 1, 1985, to 
sell to the Secretary.". 
(7) Section 5 of the Act is amended by adding a new subsection 
(c) as follows: 
"(c) With respect to improved properties acquired prior to the 
enactment of this subsection and upon which a valid existing right of 
use and occupancy has been reserved for a term of not more than 
twenty years, the Secretary may, in his discretion, extend the term of 
such retained right for a period of not more than nine years upon 
receipt of payment prior to September 30,1983, from the holder of the 
retained right. The amount of such payment shall be equivalent to 
the amount discounted from the purchase price paid by the Secretary 
for the identical period of time under the terms of the original sale 
adjusted by a general index adopted by the Secretary reflecting 
overall value trends within Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 
between the time of the original sale and the time of the retained 
right of extension offered by this subsection.". 
(8) Section 7(a) of the Act is amended by changing "ten years 
after the date of establishment of the national lakeshore pursu-
ant to this Act" to "on September 30,1985". 
(9) Section 7(b) of the Act is amended as follows: 
(A) by striking out "eleven members" and inserting in lieu 
thereof "thirteen members"; 
(B) by striking out "one member who is a year-round 
resident" in clause (4) and inserting in lieu thereof "two 
members who are year-round residents"; and 
(C) by striking out "one member who is a year-round 
resident" in clause (7) and inserting in lieu thereof "two 
members who are year-round residents". 
(10) Section 9 of the Act is amended as follows: 
(A) in the first sentence, change "$9,440,000 for develop-
ment" to "$11,000,000 for development: Provided, That not 
more than $500,000 of said amount may be appropriated for 
the development of the Paul H. Douglas Environmental 
Education Center authorized pursuant to section 20 of this 
Act."; and 
(B) at the end thereof, add a new paragraph as follows: 
"In addition to any sums heretofore authorized for the acquisition 
of lands and interests in lands pursuant to the provisions of this Act, 
there are further authorized to be appropriated an additional 
$3,120,000.". 
(IDA new section 21 is added to the Act as follows: 
PUBLIC LAW 96-612—DEC. 28, 1980 
94 STAT. 3577 
"SEC. 21. (a) The Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of 
Transportation, shall conduct a study of various modes of public 
access into and within the lakeshore which are consistent with the 
preservation of the lakeshore and conservation of energy by encour-
aging the use of transportation modes other than personal motor 
vehicles. 
"(b) In carrying out the study, the Secretary shall utilize to the 
greatest extent practicable the resources and facilities of the organi-
zations designated as clearinghouses under title IV of the Intergov-
ernmental Cooperation Act of 1968 as implemented by Office of 
Management and Budget Circular A-95, and which have comprehen-
sive planning responsibilities in the regions where the lakeshore is 
located, as well as any other agencies or organizations which the 
Secretary may designate. The Secretary shall make provision for 
timely and substantive consultations with the appropriate agencies 
of the States of Indiana and Illinois, local elected officials, and the 
general public in the formulation and implementation of the study. 
"(c) The study shall address the adequacy of access facilities for 
members of the public who desire to visit and enjoy the lakeshore. 
Consideration shall be given to alternatives for alleviating the 
dependence on automobile transportation. The study of public trans-
portation facilities shall cover the distance from cities of thirty-five 
thousand population or more within fifty miles of the lakeshore. 
"(d) The study shall include proposals deemed necessary to assure 
equitable visitor access and public enjoyment by all segments of the 
population, including those who are physically or economically 
disadvantaged. It shall provide for retention of the natural, scenic, 
and historic values for which the lakeshore was established, and shall 
propose plans and alternatives for the protection and maintenance of 
these values as they relate to transportation improvements. 
"(e) The study shall examine proposals for the renovation and 
preservation of a portion of the existing South Shore Railroad 
passenger car fleet. The study shall consider the historic value of the 
existing rolling stock and its role in transporting visitors into and 
within the lakeshore. 
"(f) The study shall present alternative plans to improve, construct, 
and extend access roads, public transportation, and bicycle and 
pedestrian trails. It shall include cost estimates of all plans consid-
ered in this study, and shall discuss existing and proposed sources 
of funding for the implementation of the recommended plan 
alternatives. 
"(g) The study shall be completed and presented to the Congress 
within two complete fiscal years from the effective date of this 
provision. 
"(h) Effective October 1, 1981, there is herebv authoiized to be 
appropriated not to exceed $200,000 for this study. . 
(12) A new section 22 is added to the Act as follows: 
"SEC. 22. In exercising his authority to acquire property under this 
Act, the Secretary shall give prompt and careful consideration to any 
offer made by an individual owning property within the lakeshore to 
sell such property, if such individual notifies the Secretary in writing 
that the continued ownership of such property is causing, or would 
result in, undue hardship.". 
(13) A new section 23 is added to the Act as follows: 
"SEC. 23. (a) The Secretary may acquire only such interest in that 
portion of area VII-A which is described in subsection (b) as the 
Secretary determines is necessary to assure public access over said 
portion of area VII-A. 
Public access, 
study. 
16 u s e 460U-21. 
Clearinghouse 
resources and 
facilities. 
42 u s e 4231. 
Submittal to 
eongress. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
Land 
acquisition, 
owner's 
hardship. 
16 u s e 460U-22. 
Public access. 
16 u s e 460U-23. 
94 STAT. 3578 
PUBLIC LAW 96-612—DEC. 28, 1980 
"(b) The portion of area VII-A, as designated on the map referred 
to in section 1, to which subsection (a) applies is a parcel of land 
bounded— 
"(1) on the east by a line three hundred feet east of the 
electrical transmission line crossing area VII-A on January 1, 
1979; 
"(2) on the west by a line fifty feet west of such electrical 
transmission line; and 
"(3) on the north and south by the northern and southern 
boundaries, respectively, of area VII-A. 
"(c) Area VII-A includes the bed of the railroad tracks forming the 
northern and northwestern boundaries of this area and extends to 
the northern edge of the bed of the railroad tracks forming the 
southern boundaries of this area. 
"(d) Area I-D includes the bed of the railroad tracks along the 
northern boundary of this area. 
"(e) The area designated as area VII-C on the map referred to in 
section 1 does not include approximately 1.3 acres of land on which 
the Linde Air Products plant is situated, nor does it include approxi-
mately 1 acre of land on which the Old Union Station building and 
the adjacent REA building are situated. Except as provided in the 
foregoing sentence, area VII-C extends to, but does not include, the 
beds of the railroad tracks forming the northern and southern 
boundaries of such area.". 
Wfj^^^^^r^^^' 
S^^- 2- Authorizations of moneys to be appropriated under this Act 
.^TTco Ana.. 
shall be effective on October 1, 1981. Notwithstanding any other 
provision of this Act, authority to enter into contracts, to incur 
obligations, or to make payments under this Act shall be effective 
only to the extent, and in such amounts, as are provided in advance in 
appropriation Acts. 
Approved December 28, 1980. 
16 u s e 460u 
note 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
SENATE REPORT No. 96-1005 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 126 (1980): 
Sept. 30, considered and passed Senate. 
Dec. 11, considered and passed House, amended. 
Dec. 12, Senate agreed to House amendments.