Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor Act - Establishes the Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor in Georgia. Designates the Ocmulgee Heritage L.L.C. as the local coordinating entity for the Heritage Corridor. Requires the Ocmulgee Heritage L.L.C. to prepare and submit a management plan for the Heritage Corridor.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 526 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 526
To establish the Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor in the State of
Georgia, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 14, 2009
Mr. Marshall introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor in the State of
Georgia, and for other purposes.
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 ``Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Ocmulgee Heritage Corridor is centered on the fall
line of the Ocmulgee River, a crossroads of history and
geography, which divides two geographic regions and creates two
distinct ecosystems, the Piedmont Plateau and the Eastern
Coastal Plain. The intersection of land and water
transportation routes has fostered a continuum of human
settlement that has endured more than 12,000 years.
(2) Macon, Georgia, has more acreage listed in the National
Register than any other city in Georgia, including fifty-four
individual properties, ten National Register historic districts
with more than 5,500 contributing properties, and two National
Historic Landmarks.
(3) The Ocmulgee National Monument protects the remains of
Native American settlements over a 12,000-year period and has
features and artifacts representing a long cultural continuum
from early hunter-gatherers through the Civil War.
(4) The Ocmulgee Old Fields, which consist of the Ocmulgee
National Monument, Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Central
City Park, and other private lands in the Ocmulgee floodplain
have been determined eligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property.
The Traditional Cultural Property determination is based on the
area's cultural and historical significance in Native American
heritage and its potential for yielding important information
about the history of the Macon Plateau and Ocmulgee River.
(5) The Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor has been
proposed in order to heighten appreciation of the region,
preserve its natural and historical resources, and improve the
quality of life and economy of the area.
(6) Macon, Georgia has been designated as one of Georgia's
Preserve America Communities and one of the National Trust's
Dozen Distinctive Destinations of 2004.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To establish the Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor in
the State of Georgia.
(2) To implement the national heritage corridor alternative
as described in the document entitled ``Ocmulgee National
Heritage Corridor Feasibility Study, September 2004''.
(3) To provide a management framework to foster a close
working relationship among all levels of government, the
private sector, and the local communities in the Ocmulgee
Heritage Corridor and to conserve the region's heritage while
continuing to pursue compatible economic opportunities.
(4) To assist communities, organizations, and citizens in
the State of Georgia in identifying, preserving, interpreting,
and developing the historical, cultural, scenic, and natural
resources of the region for the educational and inspirational
benefit of current and future generations.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Heritage corridor.--The term ``Heritage Corridor''
means the Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor, established in
section 4.
(2) Local coordinating entity.--The term ``Local
Coordinating Entity'' means the local coordinating entity for
the Heritage Corridor designated by section 4(d).
(3) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means
the management plan for the Heritage Corridor specified in
section 6.
(4) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map titled ``Boundary
Map Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor--Alternative B'' and
dated September 2004.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Georgia.
SEC. 4. OCMULGEE NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR.
(a) Establishment.--There is established the Ocmulgee National
Heritage Corridor.
(b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Corridor shall be comprised of the
land and water within the boundaries of the Heritage Corridor, as
depicted on the map, including--
(1) the City of Macon, Georgia;
(2) Ocmulgee National Monument; and
(3) the Ocmulgee River Corridor from Water Works to the
Bond Swamp.
(c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park
Service, Department of the Interior.
(d) Local Coordinating Entity.--The Ocmulgee Heritage L.L.C. shall
be the local coordinating entity for the Heritage Corridor.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.
(a) Duties of the Local Coordinating Entity.--To further the
purposes of the Heritage Corridor, the local coordinating entity
shall--
(1) prepare and submit a management plan for the Heritage
Corridor to the Secretary in accordance with section 6;
(2) assist units of local government, regional planning
organizations, and nonprofit organizations in implementing the
approved management plan by--
(A) carrying out programs and projects that
recognize, protect, and enhance important resource
values within the Heritage Corridor;
(B) establishing and maintaining interpretive
exhibits and programs within the Heritage Corridor;
(C) developing recreational and educational
opportunities in the Heritage Corridor;
(D) increasing public awareness of and appreciation
for natural, historical, scenic, and cultural resources
of the Heritage Corridor;
(E) protecting and restoring historic sites and
buildings in the Heritage Corridor that are consistent
with Heritage Corridor themes;
(F) ensuring that clear, consistent, and
appropriate signs identifying points of public access
and sites of interest are posted throughout the
Heritage Corridor; and
(G) promoting a wide range of partnerships among
governments, organizations, and individuals to further
the purposes of the Heritage Corridor;
(3) consider the interests of diverse units of government,
businesses, organizations, and individuals in the Heritage
Corridor in the preparation and implementation of the
management plan;
(4) conduct meetings open to the public at least
semiannually regarding the development and implementation of
the management plan;
(5) submit an annual report to the Secretary for any fiscal
year in which the local coordinating entity receives Federal
funds under this Act specifying--
(A) the specific performance goals and
accomplishments of the local coordinating entity;
(B) the expenses and income of the local
coordinating entity;
(C) the amounts and sources of matching funds;
(D) the amounts leveraged with Federal funds and
sources of the leveraging; and
(E) grants made to any other entities during the
fiscal year;
(6) make available for audit for any fiscal year in which
it receives Federal funds under this Act, all information
pertaining to the expenditure of such funds and any matching
funds, and require in all agreements authorizing expenditures
of Federal funds by other organizations, that the receiving
organizations make available for such audit all records and
other information pertaining to the expenditure of such funds;
and
(7) encourage by appropriate means economic viability that
is consistent with the purposes of the Heritage Corridor.
(b) Authorities.--The local coordinating entity may, for the
purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan for the
Heritage Corridor, use Federal funds made available through this Act
to--
(1) make grants to the State of Georgia, its political
subdivisions, nonprofit organizations, and other persons;
(2) enter into cooperative agreements with or provide
technical assistance to the State of Georgia, its political
jurisdictions, nonprofit organizations, Federal agencies, and
other interested parties;
(3) hire and compensate staff, which shall include
individuals with expertise in natural, cultural, and historical
resources protection, economic and community development, and
heritage planning;
(4) obtain funds or services from any source including any
that are provided under any other Federal law or program;
(5) contract for goods or services; and
(6) support activities of partners and any other activities
that further the purposes of the Heritage Corridor and is
consistent with the approved management plan.
(c) Prohibitions on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The local
coordinating entity may not use Federal funds received under this Act
to acquire real property, but may use any other source of funding,
including other Federal funding outside this authority, intended for
the acquisition of real property.
SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) In General.--The management plan for the Heritage Corridor
shall--
(1) include comprehensive policies, strategies, and
recommendations for conservation, funding, management, and
development of the Heritage Corridor;
(2) take into consideration existing State, county, and
local plans in the development of the management plan and its
implementation;
(3) include a description of actions that governments,
private organizations, and individuals have agreed to take to
protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the
Heritage Corridor;
(4) specify the existing and potential sources of funding
or economic development strategies to protect, manage, and
develop the Heritage Corridor;
(5) include an inventory of the natural, historical,
cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational resources of
the Heritage Corridor related to the themes of the Heritage
Corridor that should be preserved, restored, managed,
developed, or maintained;
(6) recommend policies and strategies for resource
management that consider and detail the application of
appropriate land and water management techniques including, but
not limited to, the development of intergovernmental and
interagency cooperative agreements to protect the Heritage
Corridor's natural, historical, cultural, educational, scenic,
and recreational resources;
(7) describe a program of implementation for the management
plan including performance goals, plans for resource
protection, restoration, interpretation, enhancement,
management, and development, and specific commitments for
implementation that have been made by the local coordinating
entity or any government, organization, or individual;
(8) include an analysis and recommendations for ways in
which local, State, and Federal programs, including the role of
the National Park Service in the Heritage Corridor, may best be
coordinated to further the purposes of this Act;
(9) include an interpretive plan for the Heritage Corridor;
and
(10) include a business plan that--
(A) describes the role, operation, financing, and
functions of the local coordinating entity and of each
of the major activities contained in the management
plan; and
(B) provides adequate assurances that the local
coordinating entity has the partnerships and financial
and other resources necessary to implement the
management plan for the Heritage Corridor.
(b) Deadline and Termination of Funding.--
(1) Deadline.--The local coordinating entity shall submit
the management plan to the Secretary for approval not later
than 3 years after funds are made available for this Act.
(2) Termination of funding.--If the management plan is not
submitted to the Secretary in accordance with this subsection,
the local coordinating entity shall not qualify for Federal
funding under this Act until such time as the management plan
is submitted to and approved by the Secretary.
SEC. 7. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF THE SECRETARY.
(a) Technical and Financial Assistance.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may, upon the request of the
local coordinating entity, provide technical and financial
assistance on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis (as
determined by the Secretary) to the Heritage Corridor to
develop and implement the approved management plan. The
Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements
with the local coordinating entity and other public or private
entities for this purpose.
(2) Priority actions.--In assisting the Heritage Corridor,
the Secretary shall give priority to actions that in general
assist in--
(A) conserving the significant natural, historical,
cultural, and scenic resources of the Heritage
Corridor; and
(B) providing educational, interpretive, and
recreational opportunities consistent with the purposes
of the Heritage Corridor.
(b) Approval and Disapproval of Management Plan.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall approve or disapprove
the management plan not later than 180 days after receiving the
management plan.
(2) Criteria for approval.--In determining the approval of
the management plan, the Secretary shall consider whether--
(A) the local coordinating entity is representative
of the diverse interests of the Heritage Corridor
including governments, natural and historic resource
protection organizations, educational institutions,
businesses, and recreational organizations;
(B) the local coordinating entity has afforded
adequate opportunity, including public hearings, for
public and governmental involvement in the preparation
of the management plan;
(C) the resource protection and interpretation
strategies contained in the management plan, if
implemented, would adequately protect the natural,
historical, and cultural resources of the Heritage
Corridor;
(D) the Secretary has received adequate assurances
from the appropriate State and local officials whose
support is needed to ensure the effective
implementation of the State and local aspects of the
management plan; and
(E) the local coordinating entity has demonstrated
the financial capability, in partnership with others,
to carry out the plan.
(3) Action following disapproval.--If the Secretary
disapproves the management plan, the Secretary shall advise the
local coordinating entity in writing of the reasons that the
management plan was disapproved and shall make recommendations
for revisions to the management plan. The Secretary shall
approve or disapprove a proposed revision within 180 days after
the date it is submitted.
(4) Approval of amendments.--Substantial amendments to the
management plan shall be reviewed by the Secretary and approved
in the same manner as provided for the original management
plan. The local coordinating entity shall not use Federal funds
authorized by this Act to implement any amendments until the
Secretary has approved the amendments.
SEC. 8. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--Nothing in this Act affects the authority of a
Federal agency to provide technical or financial assistance under any
other law.
(b) Consultation and Coordination.--The head of any Federal agency
planning to conduct activities that may have an impact on the Heritage
Corridor is encouraged to consult and coordinate the activities with
the Secretary and the local coordinating entity to the maximum extent
practicable.
(c) Other Federal Agencies.--Nothing in this Act--
(1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regulation
authorizing a Federal agency to manage Federal land under the
jurisdiction of the Federal agency;
(2) limits the discretion of a Federal land manager to
implement an approved land use plan within the boundaries of
the Heritage Corridor; or
(3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized use of
Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency.
SEC. 9. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTECTIONS.
Nothing in this Act--
(1) abridges the rights of any property owner (whether
public or private), including the right to refrain from
participating in any plan, project, program, or activity
conducted within the Heritage Corridor;
(2) requires any property owner to permit public access
(including access by Federal, State, or local agencies) to the
property of the property owner, or to modify public access or
use of property of the property owner under any other Federal,
State, or local law;
(3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, approved
land use plan, or other regulatory authority of any Federal,
State, or local agency, or conveys any land use or other
regulatory authority to any local coordinating entity;
(4) authorizes or implies the reservation or appropriation
of water or water rights;
(5) diminishes the authority of the State to manage fish
and wildlife, including the regulation of fishing and hunting
within the Heritage Corridor; or
(6) creates any liability, or affects any liability under
any other law, or any private property owner with respect to
any person injured on the private property.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated for the
purposes of this Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not
more than a total of $10,000,000 may be appropriated for the Heritage
Corridor under this Act.
(b) Matching Funds.--Federal funding provided under this Act may
not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of any assistance or grant
provided or authorized under this Act.
SEC. 11. SUNSET.
The authority of the Secretary to provide financial assistance
under this Act shall terminate on the day occurring 15 years after the
date of the enactment of the Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
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