CORINTH BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION ACT OF 1999
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
Senate bill (S. 1117) to establish the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National
Military Park, in the vicinity of the city of Corinth, Mississippi, and
in the State of Tennessee, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 1117
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 ``Corinth Battlefield
Preservation Act of 1999''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) in 1996, Congress authorized the establishment and
construction of a center--
(A) to facilitate the interpretation of the Siege and
Battle of Corinth and other Civil War actions in the area in
and around the city of Corinth, Mississippi; and
(B) to enhance public understanding of the significance of
the Corinth campaign and the Civil War relative to the
western theater of operations, in cooperation with--
(i) State or local governmental entities;
(ii) private organizations; and
(iii) individuals;
(2) the Corinth Battlefield was ranked as a priority 1
battlefield having critical need for
[[Page H7390]]
coordinated nationwide action by the year 2000 by the Civil
War Sites Advisory Commission in its report on Civil War
Battlefields of the United States;
(3) there is a national interest in protecting and
preserving sites of historic significance associated with the
Civil War; and
(4) the States of Mississippi and Tennessee and their
respective local units of government--
(A) have the authority to prevent or minimize adverse uses
of these historic resources; and
(B) can play a significant role in the protection of the
historic resources related to the Civil War battles fought in
the area in and around the city of Corinth.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to establish the Corinth Unit of the Shiloh National
Military Park--
(A) in the city of Corinth, Mississippi; and
(B) in the State of Tennessee;
(2) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to manage,
protect, and interpret the resources associated with the
Civil War Siege and the Battle of Corinth that occurred in
and around the city of Corinth, in cooperation with--
(A) the State of Mississippi;
(B) the State of Tennessee;
(C) the city of Corinth, Mississippi;
(D) other public entities; and
(E) the private sector; and
(3) to authorize a special resource study to identify other
Civil War sites area in and around the city of Corinth that--
(A) are consistent with the themes of the Siege and Battle
of Corinth;
(B) meet the criteria for designation as a unit of the
National Park System; and
(C) are considered appropriate for inclusion in the Unit.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled ``Park
Boundary-Corinth Unit'', numbered 304/80,007, and dated
October 1998.
(2) Park.--The term ``Park'' means the Shiloh National
Military Park.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(4) Unit.--The term ``Unit'' means the Corinth Unit of
Shiloh National Military Park established under section 4.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIT.
(a) In General.--There is established in the States of
Mississippi and Tennessee the Corinth Unit of the Shiloh
National Military Park.
(b) Composition of Unit.--The Unit shall be comprised of--
(1) the tract consisting of approximately 20 acres
generally depicted as ``Battery Robinett Boundary'' on the
Map; and
(2) any additional land that the Secretary determines to be
suitable for inclusion in the Unit that--
(A) is under the ownership of a public entity or nonprofit
organization; and
(B) has been identified by the Siege and Battle of Corinth
National Historic Landmark Study, dated January 8, 1991.
(c) Availability of Map.--The Map shall be on file and
available for public inspection in the office of the Director
of the National Park Service.
SEC. 5. LAND ACQUISITION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may acquire land and
interests in land within the boundary of the Park as depicted
on the Map, by--
(1) donation;
(2) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or
(3) exchange.
(b) Exception.--Land may be acquired only by donation
from--
(1) the State of Mississippi (including a political
subdivision of the State);
(2) the State of Tennessee (including a political
subdivision of the State); or
(3) the organization known as ``Friends of the Siege and
Battle of Corinth''.
SEC. 6. PARK MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall administer the Unit in
accordance with this Act and the laws generally applicable to
units of the National Park System, including--
(1) the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a National Park
Service, and for other purposes'', approved August 25, 1916
(16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and
(2) the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the
preservation of historic American sites, buildings, objects,
and antiquities of national significance, and for other
purposes'', approved August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.).
(b) Duties.--In accordance with section 602 of the Omnibus
Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C.
430f-5), the Secretary shall--
(1) commemorate and interpret, for the benefit of visitors
and the general public, the Siege and Battle of Corinth and
other Civil War actions in the area in and around the city of
Corinth within the larger context of the Civil War and
American history, including the significance of the Civil War
Siege and Battle of Corinth in 1862 in relation to other
operations in the western theater of the Civil War; and
(2) identify and preserve surviving features from the Civil
War era in the area in and around the city of Corinth,
including both military and civilian themes that include--
(A) the role of railroads in the Civil War;
(B) the story of the Corinth contraband camp; and
(C) the development of field fortifications as a tactic of
war.
(c) Cooperative Agreements.--
(1) In general.--To carry this Act, the Secretary may enter
into cooperative agreements with entities in the public and
private sectors, including--
(A) colleges and universities;
(B) historical societies;
(C) State and local agencies; and
(D) nonprofit organizations.
(2) Technical assistance.--To develop cooperative land use
strategies and conduct activities that facilitate the
conservation of the historic, cultural, natural, and scenic
resources of the Unit, the Secretary may provide technical
assistance, to the extent that a recipient of technical
assistance is engaged in the protection, interpretation, or
commemoration of historically significant Civil War resources
in the area in and around the city of Corinth, to--
(A) the State of Mississippi (including a political
subdivision of the State);
(B) the State of Tennessee (including a political
subdivision of the State);
(C) a governmental entity;
(D) a nonprofit organization; and
(E) a private property owner.
(d) Resources Outside the Unit.--Nothing in subsection
(c)(2) authorizes the Secretary to own or manage any resource
outside the Unit.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.
(a) In General.--To determine whether certain additional
properties are appropriate for inclusion in the Unit, the
Secretary shall conduct a special resource study of land in
and around the city of Corinth, Mississippi, and nearby areas
in the State of Tennessee that--
(1) have a relationship to the Civil War Siege and Battle
of Corinth in 1862; and
(2) are under the ownership of--
(A) the State of Mississippi (including a political
subdivision of the State);
(B) the State of Tennessee (including a political
subdivision of the State);
(C) a nonprofit organization; or
(D) a private person.
(b) Contents of Study.--The study shall--
(1) identify the full range of resources and historic
themes associated with the Civil War Siege and Battle of
Corinth in 1862, including the relationship of the campaign
to other operations in the western theater of the Civil War
that occurred in--
(A) the area in and around the city of Corinth; and
(B) the State of Tennessee;
(2) identify alternatives for preserving features from the
Civil War era in the area in and around the city of Corinth,
including both military and civilian themes involving--
(A) the role of the railroad in the Civil War;
(B) the story of the Corinth contraband camp; and
(C) the development of field fortifications as a tactic of
war;
(3) identify potential partners that might support efforts
by the Secretary to carry out this Act, including--
(A) State entities and their political subdivisions;
(B) historical societies and commissions;
(C) civic groups; and
(D) nonprofit organizations;
(4) identify alternatives to avoid land use conflicts; and
(5) include cost estimates for any necessary activity
associated with the alternatives identified under this
subsection, including--
(A) acquisition;
(B) development;
(C) interpretation;
(D) operation; and
(E) maintenance.
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year and 180 days after the
date on which funds are made available to carry out this
section, the Secretary shall submit a report describing the
findings of the study under subsection (a) to--
(1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Resources of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are
necessary to carry out this Act, including $3,000,000 for the
construction of an interpretive center under section 602(d)
of title VI of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management
Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 430f-5(d)).
