[House Report 110-391]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
110th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 110-391
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HOPEWELL CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT
_______
October 22, 2007.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Rahall, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 2197]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 2197) to modify the boundary of the Hopewell Culture
National Historical Park in the State of Ohio, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon
without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of H.R. 2197 is to modify the boundary of the
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in the State of Ohio.
Background and Need for Legislation
The Hopewell Culture was a pre-European civilization now
best known for the numerous mounds and earthworks, often built
in geometric patterns, found throughout the Ohio Valley. This
mound-building culture flourished between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D.
at the center of a vast trade network that brought raw
materials from much of the continent to Ohio: copper from the
Great Lakes, mica from the southern Appalachian Mountains,
seashells from the Gulf of Mexico and volcanic obsidian from
the Rocky Mountains.
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, located in
south-central Ohio near Chillicothe, Ohio, grew out of the
former Mound City Group National Monument, which was created in
1923 by presidential proclamation. Congress expanded the
monument in 1980 (Public Law 96-607), adding a portion of the
nearby Hopeton Earthworks.
In 1992, Congress further expanded the park, expanding the
boundaries of the Hopeton Earthworks unit and adding the High
Bank Works, the Hopewell Mound Group and a portion of the Seip
Earthworks. That law (Public Law 102-294) also renamed the park
to reflect the name given to a culture formed by a broad
network of economic, political and religious connections among
different Native American groups.
The current park boundary encompasses 1,174 acres (947
acres are federally owned and the National Park Service has
another 8 acres under easement) in five sites scattered along
Paint Creek and the Scioto River.
H.R. 2197 would add two tracts, the 177-acre Spruce Hill
Works unit and a 180-acre addition to the existing Seip
Earthworks unit.
The Spruce Hill site was recently purchased by a coalition
of archaeologists and Native American groups who intend to
protect the site until it can be added to the park. The site
includes a stone rampart enclosing 140 acres on top of an
irregularly shaped hill; the fortress-like structure may have
been defensive or ceremonial. Finely crafted objects have been
found at the site, as have structures that may be ancient
smelting furnaces. The site was added to the National Register
of Historic Places on Feb. 23, 1972. The site also includes
natural areas including an Appalachian hardwood forest, open
fields that are home to rare Grasshopper and Henslow's
sparrows, and white oak wetlands that shelter salamanders, wood
frogs and wood ducks.
The Seip Earthworks consists of earthworks shaped in
squares and circles and three connected burial mounds. Objects
found during excavations of the largest mound in the early
1900s include a stone effigy pipe, a trumpeter swan effigy of
tortoise shell, copper objects, textiles, and flint tools. The
park currently owns 168 acres of the earthworks; and more of
the site is protected as part of the Seip Mound State Memorial.
The proposed addition includes a large elliptical mound and the
remains of workshops used to create ceremonial objects.
Of the 180 acres to be added to the Seip Earthworks unit,
69 acres are already owned by the National Park Service but lie
outside the congressionally established boundary of the park.
The bill would adjust the boundary to reflect that and include
39 acres owned by the Ohio Historical Society as well as two
parcels that may be acquired from willing sellers.
Committee Action
H.R. 2197 was introduced on May 7, 2007, by Representative
Zachary Space (D-OH). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee
on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. On June 14, 2007,
the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On October 10,
2007, the Subcommittee was discharged from further
consideration of the legislation and the Full Natural Resources
Committee met to consider the bill. The bill was ordered
favorably reported, without amendment, to the House of
Representatives by unanimous consent.
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.
Compliance With House Rule XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does
not authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not
apply.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
H.R. 2197--Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Boundary
Adjustment Act
H.R. 2197 would expand the boundaries of the Hopewell
Culture National Historical Park in Ohio by nearly 360 acres.
The National Park Service (NPS) could acquire that acreage (or
lesser property interests such as easements) by purchase,
donation, or exchange.
Based on information provided by the NPS, CBO estimates
that implementing H.R. 2197 would cost about $1 million over
the next five years, assuming the availability of appropriated
funds. We estimate that the NPS would spend about $700,000 of
this amount in the first year or two to purchase about 250
acres of private land, including nearly 180 acres at the Spruce
Hill Works site and about 70 acres at the Seip Earthworks site.
(We expect that 39 acres of land at the Seip Earthworks site
would be donated by the Ohio Historical Society; the remaining
70 acres at that site are already owned by the NPS.) We
estimate that the NPS would spend $300,000 over the following
few years to construct visitor facilities for the two sites,
including trails, parking lots, and wayside exhibits. Finally,
we estimate that costs to manage the newly added areas would be
minimal. Enacting H.R. 2197 would have no effect on direct
spending or revenues.
H.R. 2197 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no cost on 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.
Compliance With Public Law 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
Earmark Statement
H.R. 2197 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9(d), 9(e) or 9(f) of rule XXI.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
SECTION 2 OF THE ACT OF MAY 27, 1992
(Public Law 102-294)
AN ACT to rename and expand the boundaries of the Mound City Group
National Monument in Ohio.
SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF BOUNDARIES.
(a) In General.--The boundaries of the Hopewell Culture
National Historical Park (referred to as the ``park'') are
revised to include the lands within the areas marked for
inclusion in the monument as generally depicted on--
(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(3) the map entitled ``Hopewell Mound Group''
numbered 353-80029 and dated July 1987; [and]
(4) the map entitled ``Seip Earthworks'' numbered
353-80033 and dated July 1987[.]; and
(5) the map entitled ``Hopewell Culture National
Historical Park, Ohio Proposed Boundary Adjustment''
numbered 353/80,049 and dated June, 2006.
* * * * * * *
(d) Acquisition of Lands.--(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(3) The Secretary may acquire lands added by
subsection (a)(5) only from willing sellers.
* * * * * * *