S. 574

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2005

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II

109th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 574

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 9, 2005

Mr. Dodd (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Kennedy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to increase the authorization of appropriations and modify the date on which the authority of the Secretary of the Interior terminates under the Act.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2005.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that—

(1)

thousands of individuals, hundreds of nonprofit organizations, businesses, and local and regional organizations, 35 towns, and 2 States have worked to preserve and enhance the significant natural, historic, cultural, and scenic resources of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, an area which is commonly known as The Last Green Valley;

(2)

the Green Valley Institute, a partnership between the University of Connecticut and the cooperative extension system of the University of Massachusetts, has significantly improved the information base available to the primarily volunteer municipal officers that are responsible for making land use and natural resource conservation decisions with respect to The Last Green Valley;

(3)

during the 3 years preceding the date of enactment of this Act, the Green Valley Institute was recognized with a total of 8 State or national awards for public education;

(4)

significant historic structures have been identified and restored under the programs carried out in the Heritage Corridor;

(5)

museums, attractions, landscapes, and businesses in the Heritage Corridor have been assembled into cohesive interpretive projects that tell the stories of The Last Green Valley for residents and tourists;

(6)

as part of the vision to sustain the traditional land-based economy of the region, the Heritage Corridor has—

(A)

developed agritourism and continuing education programs for the region; and

(B)

collected and analyzed data relating to the vision;

(7)

recreational tourism has been enhanced by the many trails, greenways, river access, and interpretive projects in the Heritage Corridor;

(8)

8 of the 35 municipal governments within the Heritage Corridor have signed a voluntary and nonbinding community compact in which governments—

(A)

accept the goals and objectives of the management plan for the Heritage Corridor; and

(B)

formalize the commitment of the governments to balance conservation and growth and the collective vision of the governments for the watershed;

(9)

during the past 10 years the Heritage Corridor has consistently leveraged an average of $16 for every Federal dollar invested in the Heritage Corridor; and

(10)

reauthorizing the Heritage Corridor would leverage significant multiyear commitments towards self-sufficiency for the programs and projects that are fulfilling the mission of the Heritage Corridor.

3.

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor

(a)

Termination of authority

Section 106(b) of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 103–449) is amended by striking September 30, 2009 and inserting September 30, 2027.

(b)

Authorization of appropriations

Section 109(a) of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 103–449) is amended by striking $10,000,000 and inserting $20,000,000.