St. Croix National Heritage Area Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1424 To establish the St. Croix National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Ms. PLASKETT (for herself, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. SABLAN, and Mr. SAN NICOLAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To establish the St. Croix National Heritage Area, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘St. Croix National 4 Heritage Area Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.—The term 8 ‘‘National Heritage Area’’ means the St. Croix Na- 9 tional Heritage Area established by section 3(a). 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1424 IH (2) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 1 ‘‘local coordinating entity’’ means the local coordi- 2 nating entity for the National Heritage Area des- 3 ignated by section 3(d). 4 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage- 5 ment plan’’ means the management plan for the Na- 6 tional Heritage Area required under section 5. 7 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 8 the Secretary of the Interior. 9 (5) ST. CROIX.—The term ‘‘St. Croix’’ means 10 St. Croix, Virgin Islands of the United States. 11 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the Vir- 12 gin Islands of the United States. 13 SEC. 3. ST. CROIX NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 15 State the St. Croix National Heritage Area. 16 (b) CONCEPTUAL BOUNDARIES.—The National Her- 17 itage Area shall consist of the entire island of St. Croix. 18 (c) MAP.—A map of the National Heritage Area shall 19 be— 20 (1) included in the management plan; and 21 (2) on file and available for public inspection in 22 the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. 23 (d) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1424 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—The local coordinating entity 1 for the National Heritage Area shall be the Virgin 2 Islands State Historic Preservation Office. 3 (2) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—The Vir- 4 gin Islands State Historic Preservation Office shall 5 consult with a broad cross section of businesses, in- 6 dividuals, agencies, and organizations within the 7 conceptual boundaries of the National Heritage Area 8 described in subsection (b) that were involved in the 9 planning and development of the National Heritage 10 Area before the date of the enactment of this Act. 11 SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION. 12 (a) AUTHORITIES.—For purposes of carrying out the 13 management plan, the Secretary, acting through the local 14 coordinating entity, may use amounts made available 15 under this section to— 16 (1) make grants to the State or a political sub- 17 division of the State, Indian Tribes, nonprofit orga- 18 nizations, and other persons; 19 (2) enter into cooperative agreements with, or 20 provide technical assistance to, the State or a polit- 21 ical subdivision of the State, Indian Tribes, non- 22 profit organizations, and other interested parties; 23 (3) hire and compensate staff, which shall in- 24 clude individuals with expertise in natural, cultural, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1424 IH and historical resources protection, and heritage pro- 1 gramming; 2 (4) obtain money or services from any source 3 including any money or services that are provided 4 under any other Federal law or program; 5 (5) contract for goods or services; and 6 (6) undertake to be a catalyst for any other ac- 7 tivity that furthers the National Heritage Area and 8 is consistent with the approved management plan. 9 (b) DUTIES.—The local coordinating entity shall— 10 (1) in accordance with section 5, prepare and 11 submit a management plan for the National Herit- 12 age Area to the Secretary; 13 (2) assist Federal agencies, the State or a polit- 14 ical subdivision of the State, Indian Tribes, regional 15 planning organizations, nonprofit organizations, and 16 other interested parties in carrying out the approved 17 management plan by— 18 (A) carrying out programs and projects 19 that recognize, protect, and enhance important 20 resource values in the National Heritage Area; 21 (B) establishing and maintaining interpre- 22 tive exhibits and programs in the National Her- 23 itage Area; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1424 IH (C) developing recreational and educational 1 opportunities in the National Heritage Area; 2 (D) increasing public awareness of, and 3 appreciation for, natural, historical, scenic, and 4 cultural resources of the National Heritage 5 Area; 6 (E) protecting and restoring historic sites 7 and buildings in the National Heritage Area 8 that are consistent with National Heritage Area 9 themes; 10 (F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and ap- 11 propriate signs identifying points of public ac- 12 cess, and sites of interest are posted throughout 13 the National Heritage Area; and 14 (G) promoting a wide range of partner- 15 ships among governments, organizations, and 16 individuals to further the National Heritage 17 Area; 18 (3) consider the interests of diverse units of 19 government, businesses, organizations, and individ- 20 uals in the National Heritage Area in the prepara- 21 tion and implementation of the management plan; 22 (4) conduct meetings open to the public at least 23 semiannually regarding the development and imple- 24 mentation of the management plan; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1424 IH (5) for any year that Federal funds have been 1 received under this Act— 2 (A) submit an annual report to the Sec- 3 retary that describes the activities, expenses, 4 and income of the local coordinating entity (in- 5 cluding grants to any other entities during the 6 year that the report is made); 7 (B) make available to the Secretary for 8 audit all records relating to the expenditure of 9 the funds and any matching funds; and 10 (C) require, with respect to all agreements 11 authorizing expenditure of Federal funds by 12 other organizations, that the organizations re- 13 ceiving the funds make available to the Sec- 14 retary for audit all records concerning the ex- 15 penditure of the funds; and 16 (6) encourage by appropriate means economic 17 viability that is consistent with the National Herit- 18 age Area. 19 (c) PROHIBITION ON THE ACQUISITION OF REAL 20 PROPERTY.—The local coordinating entity shall not use 21 Federal funds made available under this Act to acquire 22 real property or any interest in real property. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1424 IH SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 2 date of enactment of this Act, the local coordinating entity 3 shall submit to the Secretary for approval a proposed 4 management plan for the National Heritage Area. 5 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The management plan shall— 6 (1) incorporate an integrated and cooperative 7 approach for the protection, enhancement, and inter- 8 pretation of the natural, cultural, historic, scenic, 9 and recreational resources of the National Heritage 10 Area; 11 (2) take into consideration Federal, State, and 12 Tribal plans and treaty rights; 13 (3) include— 14 (A) an inventory of— 15 (i) the resources located in the Na- 16 tional Heritage Area; and 17 (ii) any other property in the National 18 Heritage Area that— 19 (I) is related to the themes of the 20 National Heritage Area; and 21 (II) should be preserved, re- 22 stored, managed, or maintained be- 23 cause of the significance of the prop- 24 erty; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1424 IH (B) comprehensive policies, strategies and 1 recommendations for conservation, funding, 2 management, and development of the National 3 Heritage Area; 4 (C) a description of actions that govern- 5 ments, private organizations, and individuals 6 have agreed to take to protect the natural, his- 7 torical, cultural, scenic, and recreational re- 8 sources of the National Heritage Area; 9 (D) a program of implementation for the 10 management plan by the local coordinating en- 11 tity that includes a description of— 12 (i) actions to facilitate ongoing col- 13 laboration among partners to promote 14 plans for resource protection, restoration, 15 and construction; and 16 (ii) specific commitments for imple- 17 mentation that have been made by the 18 local coordinating entity or any govern- 19 ment, organization, or individual for the 20 first 5 years of operation; 21 (E) the identification of sources of funding 22 for carrying out the management plan; 23 (F) analysis and recommendations for 24 means by which Federal, State, and Tribal pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1424 IH grams, including the role of the National Park 1 Service in the National Heritage Area, may 2 best be coordinated to carry out this Act; and 3 (G) an interpretive plan for the National 4 Heritage Area; and 5 (4) recommend policies and strategies for re- 6 source management that consider and detail the ap- 7 plication of appropriate land and water management 8 techniques, including the development of intergov- 9 ernmental and interagency cooperative agreements 10 to protect the natural, historical, cultural, edu- 11 cational, scenic, and recreational resources of the 12 National Heritage Area. 13 (c) DEADLINE.—If a proposed management plan is 14 not submitted to the Secretary by the date that is 3 years 15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the local coordi- 16 nating entity shall be ineligible to receive additional fund- 17 ing under this Act until the date that the Secretary re- 18 ceives and approves the management plan. 19 (d) APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT 20 PLAN.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 22 after the date of receipt of the management plan 23 under subsection (a), the Secretary, in consultation 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1424 IH with the State, shall approve or disapprove the man- 1 agement plan. 2 (2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In determining 3 whether to approve the management plan, the Sec- 4 retary shall consider whether— 5 (A) the local coordinating entity is rep- 6 resentative of the diverse interests of the Na- 7 tional Heritage Area; 8 (B) the local coordinating entity has af- 9 forded adequate opportunity, including public 10 hearings, for public and governmental involve- 11 ment in the preparation of the management 12 plan; and 13 (C) the resource protection and interpreta- 14 tion strategies contained in the management 15 plan, if implemented, would adequately protect 16 the natural, historical, and cultural resources of 17 the National Heritage Area. 18 (3) ACTION FOLLOWING DISAPPROVAL.—If the 19 Secretary disapproves the management plan under 20 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 21 (A) advise the local coordinating entity in 22 writing of the reasons for the disapproval; 23 (B) make recommendations for revisions to 24 the management plan; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1424 IH (C) not later than 180 days after the re- 1 ceipt of any proposed revision of the manage- 2 ment plan from the local coordinating entity, 3 approve or disapprove the proposed revision. 4 (4) AMENDMENTS.— 5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ap- 6 prove or disapprove each amendment to the 7 management plan that the Secretary determines 8 make a substantial change to the management 9 plan. 10 (B) USE OF FUNDS.—The local coordi- 11 nating entity shall not use Federal funds au- 12 thorized by this Act to carry out any amend- 13 ments to the management plan until the Sec- 14 retary has approved the amendments. 15 SEC. 6. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act affects the au- 17 thority of a Federal agency to provide technical or finan- 18 cial assistance under any other law. 19 (b) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—The head 20 of any Federal agency planning to conduct activities that 21 may have an impact on the National Heritage Area is en- 22 couraged to consult and coordinate the activities with the 23 Secretary and the local coordinating entity to the max- 24 imum extent practicable. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1424 IH (c) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Nothing in this 1 Act— 2 (1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regu- 3 lation authorizing a Federal agency to manage Fed- 4 eral land under the jurisdiction of the Federal agen- 5 cy; 6 (2) limits the discretion of a Federal land man- 7 ager to implement an approved land use plan within 8 the boundaries of the National Heritage Area; or 9 (3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized 10 use of Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Fed- 11 eral agency. 12 SEC. 7. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTEC- 13 TIONS. 14 Nothing in this Act— 15 (1) abridges the rights of any property owner 16 (whether public or private), including the right to re- 17 frain from participating in any plan, project, pro- 18 gram, or activity conducted within the National Her- 19 itage Area; 20 (2) requires any property owner— 21 (A) to permit public access (including ac- 22 cess by Federal or State agencies) to the prop- 23 erty of the property owner; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:26 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1424.IH H1424 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 1424 IH (B) to modify public access or use of prop- 1 erty of the p [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]