[DOCID: f:sr351.110]
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Calendar No. 783
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-351
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HARRIET BEECHER STOWE HOUSE SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY ACT
_______
June 16, 2008.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 662]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 662) to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate
resources at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick,
Maine, to determine the suitability and feasibility of
establishing the site as a unit of the National Park System,
and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that the
bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu
thereof the following:
SECTLON 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Harriet Beecher Stowe House Special
Resource Study Act''.
SEC. 2. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE HOUSE SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall complete
a special resource study of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in
Brunswick, Maine, to evaluate--
(1) the national significance of the Harriet Beecher Stowe
House and surrounding land; and
(2) the suitability and feasibility of designating the
Harriet Beecher Stowe House and surrounding land as a unit of
the National Park System.
(b) Study Guidelines.--In conducting the study authorized under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall use the criteria for the study of
areas for potential inclusion in the National Park System contained in
section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
SEC. 3. REPORT.
On completion of the study required under section 3, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives a report containing the findings, conclusions, and
recommendations of the study.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary
to carry out this Act.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 662 is to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the
suitability and feasibility of establishing the Harriet Beecher
Stowe House in Brunswick, Maine, as a unit of the National Park
System.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin
while living at 63 Federal Street in Brunswick, Maine, from
1850-1852. Her literary success established her as an important
author, humanitarian, and abolitionist during the 19th century.
Her famous novel introduced many American citizens to the
horrors of slavery. The influence of that novel proved to be so
great that it prompted President Lincoln, when meeting her, to
remark ``So you're the little lady who wrote the book that
started this Great War''. Uncle Tom's Cabin has been translated
into 23 languages and is still considered by many to be the
most famous example of antislavery literature. The Harriet
Beecher Stowe House was designated as a National Historic
Landmark in 1963.
S. 662 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct
a special resource study to evaluate the national significance
of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and surrounding land, and
the suitability and feasibility of designating the site as a
unit of the National Park System.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 662 was introduced by Senator Snowe on February 16,
2007. Senator Collins is a cosponsor. The Subcommittee on
National Parks held a hearing on the bill on April 23, 2008.
At its business meeting on May 7, 2008, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 662 favorably reported,
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on May 7, 2008, by a voice vote of a quorum
present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 662, if amended as
described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
During the consideration of S. 662, the Committee adopted
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment
removes the findings section and makes other clarifying and
conforming amendments. The amendment is explained in detail in
the section-by-section analysis, below.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 contains the short title, the ``Harriet Beecher
Stowe House Resource Study Act''.
Section 2(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior to
complete a special resource study of the Harriet Beecher Stowe
House to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating
the site for inclusion in the National Park System. The study
is to be completed within 3 years after the date on which funds
are made available to carry out this Act.
Subsection (b) directs the Secretary to use the criteria
for new area studies described in section 8(c) of Public Law
91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)).
Section 3 requires the Secretary to submit the results of
the study to Congress, including any findings, conclusions, and
recommendations of the Secretary.
Section 4 authorizes the appropriation of such sums as are
necessary to carry out this Act.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
S. 662--Harriet Beecher Stowe House Special Resource Study Act
S. 662 would require the National Park Service (NPS) to
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of
establishing the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Maine as a unit
of the National Park System. Based on information provided by
the NPS and assuming the availability of appropriated funds,
CBO estimates that carrying out the proposed study would cost
about $200,000 over the 2009-2012 period. Enacting the
legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues.
S. 662 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
This estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 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. 662. 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. 662, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 662, as reported, does not contain any congressionally
directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited
tariff benefits as defined by rule XLIV of the Standing Rules
of the Senate.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the
April 23, 2008 hearing on S. 662 follows:
Statement of Daniel N. Wenk, Deputy Director, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear
before your committee to present the views of the Department of
the Interior on S. 662, a bill to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct a study to evaluate resources at the
Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick, Maine.
The Department supports the enactment of this bill.
However, the Department feels that priority should be given to
the 29 previously authorized studies for potential units of the
National Park System, potential new National Heritage Areas,
and potential additions to the National Trails System and
National Wild and Scenic River System that have not yet been
transmitted to the Congress.
If enacted, the bill would direct the Secretary to conduct
a special resource study to evaluate the national significance
of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and surrounding land, and to
assess the suitability and feasibility of including the site as
a unit of the National Park System. The study, which is to be
completed within three years after funds are made available for
it, will follow the criteria for potential new areas contained
in section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c)) which
require such studies to address four areas: significance,
suitability, feasibility, and management options.
The Harriet Beecher Stowe House, located at 63 Federal
Street, Brunswick, Maine, is a National Historic Landmark whose
oldest portion, a 2-story wood frame house, dates from 1807. It
was the residence from 1850 to 1852 of Harriet Beecher Stowe,
author of the influential indictment of slavery, Uncle Tom's
Cabin, which was written here. It was designated as a National
Historic Landmark in 1962, and is listed by the National Park
Service in its Underground Railroad travel guides as a site of
interest.
Harriet Elizabeth Beecher (1811-1896) was born in
Connecticut and moved with her family to Cincinnati, Ohio in
1832 at the age of 21. There she was a teacher and author, and
traveled to Kentucky where she interviewed fugitive slaves and
witnessed the brutality of slavery firsthand. In 1836 she
married Calvin Ellis Stowe, who later became a professor at
Bowdoin College, prompting her move to Brunswick, Maine. She
used her personal experiences to develop Uncle Tom's Cabin,
published as a serial in 1851 in an antislavery newspaper, and
in book form the following year. An enormous popular success,
its antislavery message provoked strong reactions throughout
the South. In response to criticism, she wrote A Key to Uncle
Tom's Cabin, (1853), a collection of factual material on
slavery intended to justify the charges implied in the novel.
She continued to lead the life of an active writer, publishing
a second anti-slavery novel, poetry, and numerous essays and
fictional works about New England social life.
The property at 63 Federal Street was operated as an inn
for many years, and was expanded several times to include an
attached barn, several ells, and a 54-unit motel. The complex
was purchased several years ago by Bowdoin College, which
rehabilitated the motel for use as a student dormitory. The
main house is not currently in use or open to the public. The
college has recently undertaken a study of the historic
structure, to identify remaining elements that would have been
present during Stowe's era, and to explore various options for
preserving it. The college is committed to preserving the
building, but is reluctant to undertake the financial burdens
of restoring and operating it as a house museum.
The property is one of three former Stowe homes listed on
the National Register of Historic Places. The others are houses
at 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio and 73 Forest Street,
Hartford, Connecticut, both of which are open to the public as
sites honoring Harriet Beecher Stowe. The special resource
study would allow National Park Service professionals to build
upon the historic structure reports recently prepared for the
Bowdoin College house through a grant from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development, and to assist in the
preparation of options for long-term preservation of the
National Historic Landmark Harriet Beecher Stowe House.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to comment.
This concludes my prepared remarks and I will be happy to
answer any questions you or other committee members might 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, S. 662, as
ordered reported.
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