[Senate Report 115-296] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] Calendar No. 510 115th Congress } { Report SENATE 2d Session } { 115-296 ====================================================================== PRESIDENT STREET STATION STUDY ACT _______ July 11, 2018.--Ordered to be printed _______ Ms. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany S. 1646] [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was referred the bill (S. 1646), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and an amendment to the title and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. AMENDMENT The amendment is as follows: Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes.''. PURPOSE The purpose of S. 1646 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland. BACKGROUND AND NEED President Street Station in downtown Baltimore is the oldest surviving big-city railroad terminal and one of a few remaining historical structures along Baltimore's Inner Harbor. In addition to being architecturally significant, President Street Station has been at the center of several historically significant events. The property is associated with the Baltimore riots of 1861, which saw the first blood shed in the Civil War when Massachusetts troops bound for Washington, D.C. were attacked by an angry mob of Southern sympathizers. President Street Station also played a role in the ``Baltimore Plot'' to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln as he was en route to his inauguration. In addition, President Street Station has ties to the Underground Railroad and helps tell the stories of the growth of the railroad industry in the 19th century and the immigrant influx of the early 20th century. The legislation would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to undertake a special resource study to examine the national significance of President Street Station, its suitability and feasibility for potential designation as a unit of the National Park System, and the potential need for NPS management of the site. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY S. 1646 was introduced on July 27, 2017, by Senators Cardin and Van Hollen. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the bill on February 14, 2018. In the 114th Congress, similar legislation, S. 521, was introduced by Senators Cardin and Mikulski on February 12, 2015. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on S. 521 on June 10, 2015. The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open business session on July 30, 2015 and ordered S. 521 favorably reported as amended (S. Rept. 114- 126). The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open business session on May 17, 2018 and ordered S. 1646 favorably reported as amended. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on May 17, 2018, by a majority voice vote of a quorum present recommends that the Senate pass S. 1646, if amended as described herein. Senator Lee asked to be recorded as voting no. COMMITTEE AMENDMENT During its consideration of S. 1646, the Committee adopted a technical amendment to the title. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS Section 1. Short title Section 1 contains the short title, the ``President Street Station Study Act.'' Section 2. Definitions Section 2 contains definitions. Section 3. Special resource study Section 3 directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of President Street Station. Subsection (b) requires the study to evaluate the national significance of the study area; determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System; consider alternatives for the preservation, protection, and interpretation of the study area; consult with interested government entities, private and non- profit organizations or other interested individuals; and identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation and maintenance associated with the alternatives. Subsection (c) requires the study be conducted in accordance with applicable law. Subsection (d) requires the Secretary to submit a report on the study's findings and conclusions, and provide any recommendations, to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources within three years after funds are made available to carry out the study. COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS The following estimate of the costs of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office: S. 1646 would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a special resource study of the President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland. As part of that study, the NPS would determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the National Park System. Based on the costs of similar studies, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1646 would cost less than $500,000; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting S. 1646 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1646 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. S. 1646 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out S. 1646. The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing Government-established standards or significant economic responsibilities on private individuals and businesses. No personal information would be collected in administering the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy. Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 1646, as ordered reported. CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING S. 1646, as ordered reported, does not contain any congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS The testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at the February 14, 2018, hearing on S. 1646 follows: Statement of P. Daniel Smith, Deputy Director, Exercising the Authority of the Director of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior Chairman Daines, Ranking Member King, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to provide the Department of the Interior's views on S. 1646, to conduct a special resource study of President Street Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and for other purposes. The Department recognizes that President Street Station would be an appropriate subject for a National Park special resource study. However, we do not support enactment of S. 1646 at this time. In order to focus resources on reducing the National Park Service's $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog and addressing other critical national park needs, no increase in funding is requested for special resource studies in the Administration's FY 2019 budget. Currently, the National Park Service is conducting 22 previously authorized studies to determine if areas have potential for inclusion in the National Park System as new units, national heritage areas, national trails, or wild and scenic rivers. Under these circumstances, we believe it would be unwise to authorize a new special resource study. The President Street Station was built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. Opened in 1850, it served as the company's passenger terminus with connections south to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad terminal via horse-drawn track through the City of Baltimore. Originally consisting of a headhouse, a 208-feet long barrel vaulted train shed, and a freight house, only the headhouse remains today. The property is associated with the Baltimore Riot of 1861, where members of the Massachusetts militia on their way to Washington were attacked by a mob as they transited the city, resulting in the deaths of four soldiers and twelve civilians. That event is considered the first act of the Civil War in which blood was shed. The station is also recognized by the National Park Service's Network to Freedom program for its use by the General Vigilance Committee Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia, as well as other groups and individuals, to escape or to aid others in escaping slavery. President Street Station is owned by the City of Baltimore. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is included in the Baltimore National Heritage Area. It houses the Baltimore Civil War Museum which is operated by a state- chartered organization, the Friends of President Street Station, and is open to the public. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the Subcommittee may have. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law are made by the bill as ordered reported. [all]