[Senate Report 117-58] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] Calendar No. 255 117th Congress } { Report SENATE 2d Session } { 117-58 ====================================================================== AMACHE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE DESIGNATION _______ January 19 (legislative day, January 18), 2022.--Ordered to be printed _______ Mr. Manchin, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany 2497] The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was referred the bill (H.R. 2497), to establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of Colorado as a Unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. AMENDMENT The amendment is as follows: On page 6, strike lines 17 and 18 and insert the following: (1) Effect.--Nothing in this Act affects the authority of the town of Granada, Colorado, with respect to the operation and maintenance On page 7, strike line 1 and insert the following: (2) Determination.--The Secretary shall provide the town of On page 7, strike lines 6 through 20 and insert the following: (3) New Water Infrastructure.--The Secretary may permit the town of Granada, Colorado, to construct or install new water infrastructure, systems, or appurtenances-- (A) consistent with applicable laws; (B) limited to the areas determined to be necessary under paragraph (2); and (C) in a manner that ensures the preservation, protection, and proper management of the National Historic Site. (4) Acceptance of Donated Water Infrastructure.--The Secretary may accept, for addition to and administration as part of the National Historic Site, the donation of water infrastructure, systems, or appurtenances within the boundary of the National Historic Site, including associated water rights, if the water infrastructure, systems, or appurtenances are no longer used by the town of Granada, Colorado. PURPOSE The purpose of H.R. 2497 is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of Colorado as a unit of the National Park System. BACKGROUND AND NEED The Granada Relocation Center was located in southeastern Colorado, and was used to incarcerate civilians of Japanese ancestry during World War II in accordance with President Roosevelt's 1942 Executive Order. The relocation center--also known as Camp Amache--was one of 10 sites in the United States holding primarily U.S. citizens. Before its closure in 1945, more than 10,000 people had been incarcerated in Camp Amache. H.R. 2497 designates the Amache National Historic Site to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations resources associated with: (1) the incarceration of civilians of Japanese ancestry during World War II at Amache, also known as the ``Granada Relocation Center,'' and the military service of incarcerees at the Granada Relocation Center; (2) public reaction in the State to the incarceration of Japanese Americans; and (3) the transition of the incarcerees and their descendants following the closure of the Granada Relocation Center and their resettlement in the State and other States. In 2019, Congress enacted legislation directing the National Park Service to undertake a special resource study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Amache site as a unit of the National Park System. The study is underway, but has not yet been completed. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY Representatives Neguse and Buck introduced H.R. 2497 on April 14, 2021. The bill has 6 additional cosponsors. H.R. 2497 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 416 to 2 on July 29, 2021. A Senate companion measure, S. 1284, was introduced by Senators Bennett and Hickenlooper on April 21, 2021. The bill has 1 additional cosponsor. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on H.R. 2497 and S. 1284 on October 6, 2021. COMMITTEE AMENDMENT During its consideration of H.R. 2497, the Committee adopted a clarifying amendment that states nothing in the bill affects the town's ability to operate and maintain its water infrastructure and projects in the National Historic Site. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on November 18, 2021, by a majority voice vote of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 2497, as amended as described herein. Senator Lee asked to be recorded as voting no. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS Section 1. Short title Section 1 establishes the short title of the Act as ``Amache National Historic Site Act.'' Sec. 2. Definitions Section 2 provides definitions for the bill. Sec. 3. Amache National Historic Site Subsection (a) establishes the Amache National Historic Sites as a unit of the National Park System, subject to the requirements of subsection (c). Subsection (b) notes the purpose of the National Historic Site in preserving the history of the incarcerated civilians of Japanese ancestry during World War II at Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center. Subsection (c) provides that the National Historic Site shall not be established until the date on which the Secretary of the Interior determines that sufficient land within the exterior boundary of the National Historic Site has been acquired to constitute a management unit. Subsection (d) requires the Secretary, after making the determination in subsection (c), to publish in the Federal Register notice of the establishment of the National Historic Site. Subsection (e) requires a map to be available and on file for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. Subsection (f) permits the Secretary to acquire lands by donation or purchase with donated or appropriated funds. The Secretary may acquire personal property associated with the purposes of the National Historic Site only by donation. Subsection (g) provides that any lands or interests in land acquired under subsection (f) shall be included in the boundary. Subsection (h) requires the preparation of a general management plan not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made available, and to submit the plan to Congress upon completion. Subsection (i) permits the Secretary to establish facilities for administration, visitor services, and curation of personal property outside the exterior boundaries of, and in the vicinity of, the National Historic Site. Subsection (j) permits the Secretary to enter into agreements to establish and operate facilities outside the boundary and for purposes of carrying out the Act. Subsection (k) provides that nothing in the bill affects water rights, interstate water compacts, or State jurisdiction over any water law. Subsection (l) provides that nothing in this Act affects the town's ability to operate and maintain its water infrastructure and projects located within the boundary of the National Historic Site. COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS The Congressional Budget Office has not estimated the costs of H.R. 2497 as passed by the Senate. The Committee has requested, but has not yet received, the Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the cost of H.R. 2497 as ordered reported. When the Congressional Budget Office completes its cost estimate, it will be posted on the Internet at www.cbo.gov. 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 H.R. 2497. 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 H.R. 2497, as ordered reported. CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING H.R. 2497, 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 United States Department of the Interior at the October 6, 2021, hearing on H.R. 2497 follows: Statement of Joy Beasley, Associate Director for Cultural Resources, Partnerships and Science, Naional Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior (Department) on H.R. 2497 and S. 1284, bills to establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of Colorado as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. The Department recognizes the important contribution to America's story that is represented by the site known as Amache, where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Congress authorized the Amache Special Resource Study as part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (P.L. 116-9), enacted on March 12, 2019. The NPS completed civic engagement in May 2021 and the public comment period for the Special Resource Study closed on June 30, 2021. The NPS is working closely with both internal and external subject matter experts to ensure the study captures the complexities and nuances of the history of Japanese American WWII incarceration. After reviewing all comments, the NPS will draft its assessment of whether the site meets the congressionally established criteria for inclusion in the National Park System, and the Department will transmit the study and recommendations to Congress. H.R. 2497 and S. 1284 would establish the Amache National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System when the Secretary of the Interior acquires sufficient land within the boundary of the site to constitute a manageable unit. The boundaries of the unit would be determined by a map that would be developed after enactment of the bill. The NPS would be required to develop a management plan for the site that does not interfere with existing use of existing facilities at the site. The bill would also allow for the establishment of administrative, visitor service, and curatorial facilities outside the boundaries of the site and for entering into agreements with other public and private entities to establish those facilities and for other purposes. Originally known as the Granada Relocation Center, Amache was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to forcibly remove, illegally detain, and incarcerate U.S. citizens and legal residents of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast of the United States under the terms of Executive Order 9066. Amache was constructed on approximately 10,000 acres of land and held about 10,000 people of Japanese descent between 1942 and 1945. It is located approximately one mile from the Town of Granada in southeastern Colorado. Amache was designated by the Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark on February 10, 2006. The site is currently owned by the Town of Granada and maintained by the Amache Preservation Society. At the site, visitors can observe a historic cemetery, a monument, concrete building foundations, a road network, and other elements of the historic landscape that remain intact. Recent efforts to preserve Amache have led to the restoration of the original water tower, the reconstruction of a guard tower and residential barracks, and the current rehabilitation of a historic recreation hall. The NPS has provided technical and financial assistance for preservation and interpretation of the site through the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. We appreciate the changes the House made to H.R. 2497 after the bill's introduction. If the Committee decides to act on this legislation, we would like S.1284 to reflect the same amendments that were made to H.R. 2497. Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I would be happy 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]