Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 940 (rh) To establish the Lackawanna Heritage Valley American Heritage Area. [Reported in House] ...H.R. 940 (rh) To establish the Lackawanna Heritage Valley American Heritage Area. [Reported in House] ...
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 940
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 14, 1999
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To designate the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lackawanna Valley National Heritage
Area Act of 1999''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) The industrial and cultural heritage of northeastern
Pennsylvania inclusive of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and
Susquehanna counties, related directly to anthracite and
anthracite-related industries, is nationally significant, as
documented in the United States Department of the Interior-
National Parks Service, National Register of Historic Places,
Multiple Property Documentation submittal of the Pennsylvania
Historic and Museum Commission (1996).
(2) These industries include anthracite mining, ironmaking,
textiles, and rail transportation.
(3) The industrial and cultural heritage of the anthracite
and related industries in this region includes the social
history and living cultural traditions of the people of the
region.
(4) The labor movement of the region played a significant
role in the development of the Nation including the formation
of many key unions such as the United Mine Workers of America,
and crucial struggles to improve wages and working conditions,
such as the 1900 and 1902 anthracite strikes.
(5) The Department of the Interior is responsible for
protecting the Nation's cultural and historic resources, and
there are significant examples of these resources within this
4-county region to merit the involvement of the Federal
Government to develop programs and projects, in cooperation
with the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, and other local and governmental bodies, to
adequately conserve, protect, and interpret this heritage for
future generations, while providing opportunities for education
and revitalization.
(6) The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority would be an
appropriate management entity for a Heritage Area established
in the region.
(b) Purpose.--The objectives of the Lackawanna Valley National
Heritage Area are as follows:
(1) To foster a close working relationship with all levels
of government, the private sector, and the local communities in
the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania and
empower the communities to conserve their heritage while
continuing to pursue economic opportunities.
(2) To conserve, interpret, and develop the historical,
cultural, natural, and recreational resources related to the
industrial and cultural heritage of the 4-county region of
northeastern Pennsylvania.
SEC. 3. LACKAWANNA VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the Lackawanna
Valley National Heritage Area (in this Act referred to as the
``Heritage Area'').
(b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall be comprised of all or
parts of the counties of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Susquehanna in
Pennsylvania, determined pursuant to the compact under section 4.
(c) Management Entity.--The management entity for the Heritage Area
shall be the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.
SEC. 4. COMPACT.
To carry out the purposes of this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall enter
into a compact with the management entity. The compact shall include
information relating to the objectives and management of the area,
including each of the following:
(1) A delineation of the boundaries of the Heritage Area.
(2) A discussion of the goals and objectives of the
Heritage Area, including an explanation of the proposed
approach to conservation and interpretation and a general
outline of the protection measures committed to by the
partners.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT ENTITY.
(a) Authorities of the Management Entity.--The management entity
may, for purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan
developed under subsection (b), use funds made available through this
Act for the following:
(1) To make grants to, and enter into cooperative
agreements with States and their political subdivisions,
private organizations, or any person.
(2) To hire and compensate staff.
(3) To enter into contracts for goods and services.
(b) Management Plan.--The management entity shall develop a
management plan for the Heritage Area that presents recommendations for
the Heritage Area's conservation, funding, management, and development.
Such plan shall take into consideration existing State, county, and
local plans and involve residents, public agencies, and private
organizations working in the Heritage Area. It shall include
recommendations for actions to be undertaken by units of government and
private organizations to protect the resources of the Heritage Area. It
shall specify the existing and potential sources of funding to protect,
manage, and develop the Heritage Area. Such plan shall include, as
appropriate, the following:
(1) An inventory of the resources contained in the Heritage
Area, including a list of any property in the Heritage Area
that is related to the themes of the Heritage Area and that
should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or
maintained because of its natural, cultural, historic,
recreational, or scenic significance.
(2) A recommendation of policies for resource management
which considers and details application of appropriate land and
water management techniques, including, but not limited to, the
development of intergovernmental cooperative agreements to
protect the Heritage Area's historical, cultural, recreational,
and natural resources in a manner consistent with supporting
appropriate and compatible economic viability.
(3) A program for implementation of the management plan by
the management entity, including plans for restoration and
construction, and specific commitments of the identified
partners for the first 5 years of operation.
(4) An analysis of ways in which local, State, and Federal
programs may best be coordinated to promote the purposes of
this Act.
(5) An interpretation plan for the Heritage Area.
The management entity shall submit the management plan to the Secretary
for approval within 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act. If
a management plan is not submitted to the Secretary as required within
the specified time, the Heritage Area shall no longer qualify for
Federal funding.
(c) Duties of Management Entity.--The management entity shall--
(1) give priority to implementing actions set forth in the
compact and management plan, including steps to assist units of
government, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit
organizations in preserving the Heritage Area;
(2) assist units of government, regional planning
organizations, and nonprofit organizations in establishing and
maintaining interpretive exhibits in the Heritage Area; assist
units of government, regional planning organizations, and
nonprofit organizations in developing recreational resources in
the Heritage Area;
(3) assist units of government, regional planning
organizations, and nonprofit organizations in increasing public
awareness of and appreciation for the natural, historical, and
architectural resources and sites in the Heritage Area; assist units of
government, regional planning organizations and nonprofit organizations
in the restoration of any historic building relating to the themes of
the Heritage Area;
(4) encourage economic viability in the Heritage Area
consistent with the goals of the plan; encourage local
governments to adopt land use policies consistent with the
management of the Heritage Area and the goals of the plan;
(5) assist units of government, regional planning
organizations, and nonprofit organizations to ensure that
clear, consistent, and environmentally appropriate signs
identifying access points and sites of interest are put in
place throughout the Heritage Area;
(6) consider the interests of diverse governmental,
business, and nonprofit groups within the Heritage Area;
(7) conduct public meetings at least quarterly regarding
the implementation of the management plan; and
(8) for any year in which Federal funds have been received
under this Act, make available for audit all records pertaining
to the expenditure of such funds and any matching funds, and
require, for all agreements authorizing expenditure of Federal
funds by other organizations, that the receiving organizations
make available for audit all records pertaining to the
expenditure of such funds.
(d) Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The
management entity may not use Federal funds received under this Act to
acquire real property or an interest in real property. Nothing in this
Act shall preclude any management entity from using Federal funds from
other sources for their permitted purposes.
(e) Spending for Non-Federally Owned Property.--The management
entity may spend Federal funds directly on non-federally owned property
to further the purposes of this Act, especially in assisting units of
government in appropriate treatment of districts, sites, buildings,
structures, and objects listed or eligible for listing on the National
Register of Historic Places.
SEC. 6. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.
(a) Technical and Financial Assistance.--The Secretary may, upon
request of the management entity, provide technical and financial
assistance to the management entity to develop and implement the
management plan. In assisting the management entity, the Secretary
shall give priority to actions that in general assist in--
(1) conserving the significant natural, historic, and
cultural resources which support its themes; and
(2) providing educational, interpretive, and recreational
opportunities consistent with its resources and associated
values.
(b) Approval and Disapproval of Management Plans.--The Secretary,
in consultation with the Governor of Pennsylvania, shall approve or
disapprove a management plan submitted under this Act not later than 90
days after receiving such management plan.
(c) Action Following Disapproval.--If the Secretary disapproves a
submitted management plan, the Secretary shall advise the management
entity in writing of the reasons therefore and shall make
recommendations for revisions in the plan. The Secretary shall approve
or disapprove a proposed revision within 90 days after the date it is
submitted.
(d) Approving Amendments.--The Secretary shall review substantial
amendments to the management plan for the Heritage Area. Funds
appropriated pursuant to this Act may not be expended to implement the
changes made by such amendments until the Secretary approves the
amendments.
SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL ANTHRACITE COAL REGION DESIGNATION.
(a) Designation.--Upon publication by the Secretary in the Federal
Register of notice that the Secretary has signed a compact (as provided
for in subsection (b)) there is hereby designated the Schuylkill River
National Heritage Area.
(b) Compact.--The compact submitted under this section with respect
to the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area shall consist of an
agreement between the Secretary and the Schuylkill River Greenway
Association (who shall serve as the management entity for the area).
Such agreement shall define the area (including a delineation of the
boundaries), describe anticipated programs for the area, and include
information relating to the objectives and management of the area. Such
information shall include, but not be limited to, an explanation of the
proposed approach to the conservation and interpretation of the area
and a general outline of the protection measures committed to by the
partners.
(c) Authorities and Duties.--The authorities and duties of the
management entity and other Federal agencies for the Schuylkill River
National Heritage Area shall be the same as provided for by sections 5
and 6 of this Act, except that for such purposes any reference in such
sections to the ``Heritage Area'' shall be deemed to be a reference to
the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area and any reference to the
``management entity'' shall be deemed a reference to the Schuylkill
River Greenway Association.
SEC. 8. CULTURE AND HERITAGE OF ANTHRACITE COAL REGION.
All authorized existing and future heritage area management
entities in the Anthracite Coal Region in Pennsylvania are authorized
and directed to coordinate with one another in the management of such
areas. Each such management entity is authorized to use funds
appropriated for such heritage areas for the purposes of this section.
SEC. 9. SUNSET.
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any assistance
under this Act after September 30, 2012.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated under this
Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year for each heritage area
designated by this Act. Not more than a total of $10,000,000 may be
appropriated for each heritage area under this Act.
(b) 50 Percent Match.--Federal funding provided under this Act,
after the designation of each heritage area, may not exceed 50 percent
of the total cost of any assistance or grant provided or authorized
under this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives September 13, 1999.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.
Pages: 1 Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
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