II
Calendar No. 984
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2535
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 22 (legislative day, January 3), 2008
Mr. Reid (for Mrs. Clinton) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
September 16, 2008
Reported by Mr. Bingaman, with amendments
Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic
A BILL
To revise the boundary of the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Martin Van Buren National Historic
Site Boundary Revision Act
.
Definitions
As used in this Act:
Historic site
The term historic site means the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in the State of New York established by Public Law 93–486 (16 U.S.C. 461 note) on October 26, 1974.
Map
The
term map means the map entitled Boundary Map, Martin Van
Buren National Historic Site
, numbered 460/80801
, and
dated January 2005.
Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
Findings and purposes
Findings
Congress finds that—
the historic site
was established to preserve and interpret the landscape, structures, and
collections of the house known as Lindenwald
in Kinderhook, New
York, which was owned by Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United
States from 1839 to his death in 1862;
the current boundary of the historic site, encompassing about 39 acres of land, does not adequately protect natural and cultural resources that contribute to the significance of the historic site;
the conservation easements acquired to preserve the key agricultural views of the historic site no longer offer adequate protection for the views;
development of administrative buildings and facilities required for future operations of the historic site within the current boundaries of the historic site may not be suitable due to the impacts of those buildings and facilities on historic or scenic resources; and
a boundary study prepared by the National Park Service in 2003 identifies about 331 acres of land that, if acquired, would—
help protect the agricultural character and the quality of the setting of the historic site; and
increase opportunities for interpretation and education at the historic site.
Purposes
The purposes of this Act are—
to protect the remaining contributing resources significant to the historic site;
to preserve a more accurate portrayal of Lindenwald by reuniting remaining agricultural land associated with the house through the acquisition of the agricultural land from willing sellers;
to enhance the interpretation of the broader political and agrarian beliefs of President Van Buren by—
enabling public access to key agricultural resources; and
protecting the scenic values associated with the historic site; and
to enable the National Park Service to establish administrative facilities that do not intrude on the resources or scenic values of the historic site.
Boundary adjustments to the historic site
Boundary adjustments to the historic site
Boundary adjustment
The boundary of the historic site is adjusted to
include approximately 261 acres of land identified as the PROPOSED PARK
BOUNDARY
, as generally depicted on the map.
Acquisition authority
The Secretary may acquire the land and any interests in the land described in subsection (a) from willing sellers by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.
Availability of map
The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
Administration
Land acquired for the historic site under this section shall be administered as part of the historic site in accordance with applicable law (including regulations).
Authorization of appropriations
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
September 16, 2008
Reported with amendments