II
Calendar No. 357
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1182
[Report No. 110–159]
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 20, 2007
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
September 17, 2007
Reported by Mr. Bingaman, with an amendment
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic
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.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007
.
Findings
Congress finds that—
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
;
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;
during the 5 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;
significant historic structures have been identified and restored under the programs carried out in the Heritage Corridor;
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;
as part of the vision to sustain the traditional land-based economy of the region, the Heritage Corridor has—
developed agritourism and continuing education programs for the region; and
collected and analyzed data relating to the vision;
recreational tourism has been enhanced by the many trails, greenways, river access, and interpretive projects in the Heritage Corridor;
each of the 35 municipal governments within the Heritage Corridor has signed a voluntary and nonbinding community compact in which governments—
accept the goals and objectives of the management plan for the Heritage Corridor; and
formalize the commitment of the governments to balance conservation and growth and the collective vision of the governments for the watershed;
during the past 11 years the Heritage Corridor has consistently leveraged an average of $19 for every Federal dollar invested in the Heritage Corridor;
the Heritage Corridor has adopted, and is
implementing, a comprehensive plan, entitled The Trail to 2015, A
Sustainability Plan for The Last Green Valley
, to become
self-sufficient by the year 2015; and
reauthorizing the Heritage Corridor would leverage significant multiyear commitments and ensure self-sufficiency by 2015 for the programs and projects that are fulfilling the mission of the Heritage Corridor.
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor
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, 2015
.
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 $15,000,000
.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007
.
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor
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, 2015
.
Evaluation; report
Section 106 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 adding at the end the following:
Evaluation; report
In general
Not later than 3 years before the date on which authority for Federal funding terminates for the Corridor, the Secretary shall—
conduct an evaluation of the accomplishments of the Corridor; and
prepare a report in accordance with paragraph (3).
Evaluation
An evaluation conducted under paragraph (1)(A) shall—
assess the progress of the management entity with respect to—
accomplishing the purposes of this title for the Corridor; and
achieving the goals and objectives of the management plan for the Corridor;
analyze the Federal, State, local, and private investments in the Corridor to determine the leverage and impact of the investments; and
review the management structure, partnership relationships, and funding of the Corridor for purposes of identifying the critical components for sustainability of the Corridor.
Report
In general
Based on the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall prepare a report that includes recommendations for the future role of the National Park Service, if any, with respect to the Corridor.
Required analysis
If the report prepared under subparagraph (A) recommends that Federal funding for the Corridor be reauthorized, the report shall include an analysis of—
ways in which Federal funding for the Corridor may be reduced or eliminated; and
the appropriate time period necessary to achieve the recommended reduction or elimination.
Submission to congress
On completion of the report, the Secretary shall submit the report to—
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; and
the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.
.
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 $15,000,000
.
September 17, 2007
Reported with an amendment