Committee Will Weigh Nine Public Lands Bills

The subcommittee will consider H.R. 1031, the Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park Establishment Act, sponsored by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), which would establish a National Historical Park at Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York, to preserve and interpret the history of the nearly 1,000 refugees from Europe who were housed there during and immediately after World War II.

H.R. 2323, the Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act, sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), would modify the boundary of Big Bend National Park in Texas.

H.R. 7495, sponsored by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), would authorize the establishment of memorials honoring Wisconsin infantry officers and enlisted men who fought in the Battle of Antietam and the Second Battle of Bull Run.

H.R. 8276, the Quindaro Townsite National Historic Landmark Act, sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Rep. Derek Schmidt (R-KS), would designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Historic Landmark.

H.R. 9104, the Rock Creek National Park Act, sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), would redesignate Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., as Rock Creek National Park.

H.R. 9148, the Scipio Jones House Assessment Act, sponsored by Rep. French Hill (R-AR), would direct the National Park Service to assess the Scipio A. Jones House in Little Rock, Arkansas, and evaluate options for preserving and interpreting the site.

H.R. 9999, the Mountain Pine Beetle Coordination Act, sponsored by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), would promote coordination among federal, state and local entities to address mountain pine beetle infestations.

The panel will also consider two Senate bills. S. 1051, the Historic Greenwood District—Black Wall Street National Monument Establishment Act, sponsored by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), would establish a national monument in Tulsa, Oklahoma, associated with the historic Greenwood District and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

S. 1377, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), would provide for the preservation and management of wild horses within Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Broader Context

The nine measures reflect the Federal Lands Subcommittee's jurisdiction over the National Park System, national historic sites and monuments, federal lands and related conservation issues.

Several of the bills focus on preserving sites connected to significant episodes in American history. The Fort Ontario legislation centers on the 982 refugees from World War II who were housed at the site from August 1944 through February 1946, while the Greenwood District legislation addresses the history of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Other measures focus on the management of existing federal lands. The Big Bend bill would adjust the national park's boundary, while the Mountain Pine Beetle Coordination Act would address forest-management challenges and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park legislation would establish protections for the park's wild horses.

The Bottom Line

The Sept. 16 hearing will give lawmakers an opportunity to evaluate nine proposals spanning park boundaries, historic preservation, forest management and wildlife protection before deciding whether to advance the measures through the Natural Resources Committee.

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