[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[S. 991 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 991
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to
undertake initiatives to address certain needs in the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region, and for other purposes.
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 991
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to
undertake initiatives to address certain needs in the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
That this Act may be referred to as the ``Lower Mississippi Delta
Initiatives Act of 1993''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Sec. 1. Short Title.
Sec. 2. Table of Contents.
Sec. 3. Findings.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
TITLE I--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Sec. 101. Definitions.
Sec. 102. Natural Resources and Environmental Educational Initiatives.
Sec. 103. Lower Mississippi Delta Region Heritage Study.
Sec. 104. Delta Region Heritage Corridors and Heritage and Cultural
Centers.
Sec. 105. Historic and Prehistoric Structures and Sites Survey.
Sec. 106. Delta Antiquities Survey.
Sec. 107. Historic and Archeological Resources Program.
Sec. 108. Authorization of Appropriations.
TITLE II--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Sec. 201. Definitions.
Sec. 202. Delta Energy Technology and Business Development Center.
Sec. 203. Institutional Conservation Program for the Delta Region.
Sec. 204. Energy Related Educational Initiatives.
Sec. 205. Integrated Biomass Energy Systems.
Sec. 206. Weatherization Assistance Program for the Delta Region.
Sec. 207. Renewable Energy Production Incentives.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
(a) The Congress finds that--
(1) in 1988, Congress enacted Public Law 100-460,
establishing the Lower Mississippi Delta Development
Commission, to assess the needs, problems, and opportunities of
people living in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region that
includes 219 counties and parishes within the States of
Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,
and Tennessee;
(2) the Commission conducted a thorough investigation to
assess these needs, problems, and opportunities, and held
several public hearings throughout the Delta Region;
(3) on the basis of these investigations, the Commission
issued the Delta Initiatives Report, which included
recommendations on natural resource protection, historic
preservation, and the enhancement of educational and other
opportunities in the areas of mathematics and science and
technology transfer for Delta residents;
(4) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended--
(A) the implementation of pre-college education
programs in mathematics and science as well as other
initiatives to enhance the educational and technical
capabilities of the Delta Region's workforce;
(B) that States and local school systems seek ways
to expand the pool of qualified educators in
mathematics and sciences;
(C) that institutions of higher education in the
Delta Region work with local school districts to
promote mathematics and science education;
(D) that Federal grant-making agencies target more
research and development monies in selected areas to
institutions of higher education in the Delta Region,
including Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
(E) that institutions of higher education establish
a regional consortium to provide technical assistance
and training to increase international trade between
businesses in the Delta Region and foreign countries;
(F) designating the Great River Road as a scenic
byway, and designating other hiking and motorized
trails throughout the Delta Region;
(G) that the Federal Government identify sites and
structures of historic and prehistoric importance
throughout the Delta Region;
(H) the further study of potential new units of the
National Park System within the Delta Region;
(I) that the Federal Government should create
economic incentives to encourage the location of value-
added facilities for processing agricultural products
within the Delta Region; and
(J) that Congress provide practical incentives to
encourage the construction of alternative fuel
production facilities in the Delta Region.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act, the term--
(1) ``Commission'' means the Lower Mississippi Delta
Development Commission established pursuant to Public Law 100-
460;
(2) ``Delta Initiatives Report'' means the May 14 1990
Final Report of the Commission entitled ``The Delta
Initiatives: Realizing the Dream . . . Fulfilling the
Potential'';
(3) ``Delta Region'' means the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region including the 219 counties and parishes within the
States of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined in the Delta Initiatives
Report, except that, for any State for which the Delta Region
was defined in such report comprises more than half of the
geographic area of such State, the entire State shall be
considered part of the Delta Region for purposes of this Act;
(4) ``Historically Black College or University'' means a
college or university that would be considered a ``part B
institution'' by section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)); and
(5) ``minority college or university'' means a Historically
Black College or University that would be considered a ``part B
institution'' by section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)) or a ``minority institution'' as that
term is defined in section 1046 of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1135d-5(3)).
TITLE I--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title, the term--
(1) ``Department'' means the United States Department of
the Interior, unless otherwise specifically stated; and
(2) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior,
unless otherwise specifically stated.
SEC. 102. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES.
(a) Office of Education.--(1) There shall be established within the
Department an Office of Education to encourage, support, and coordinate
education programs of the Department at the elementary, secondary,
college and university, and graduate levels.
(2) The goals of the Office of Education shall be to--
(A) enhance the quality of education in the areas of
natural resources, the environment, the sciences, cultural
resources management, historic preservation, archeology,
aquaculture, and related subjects;
(B) establish initiatives at minority colleges or
universities;
(C) encourage the consideration of careers in the areas of
natural resources, the environment, the sciences, cultural
resource management, historic preservation, archeology,
aquaculture, and related subjects;
(D) enhance teacher development and recruitment;
(E) increase research opportunities for teachers and
students;
(F) enhance curriculum development; and
(G) improve laboratory instrumentation and equipment
through purchase, loan, or other transfer mechanisms.
(b) Duties.--The duties of the Secretary, through the Office of
Education, shall be to--
(1) coordinate the educational programs within the
Department, including implementation of programs established
under this title, in order to ensure the goals of the Office of
Education are met; and
(2) inventory existing education programs within the
Department.
(c) The Secretary shall report to Congress, within one year after
the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, on an
inventory of existing education programs of the Department, the status
of such programs, and progress toward meeting the goals of the Office
of Education as established in this Act.
(d) Minority College and University Initiative.--(1) Within one
year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter,
the Secretary, through the Office of Education, shall submit to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate
and to the United States House of Representatives a report identifying
opportunities for minority colleges or universities to participate in
programs and activities carried out by the Department. The Secretary,
through the Office of Education, shall consult with representatives of
minority colleges or universities in preparing the report. Such report
shall--
(A) describe ongoing education and training programs
carried out by the Department with respect to, or in
conjunction with, minority colleges or universities in the
areas of natural resources, the environment, the sciences,
cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, aquaculture, and related subjects;
(B) describe ongoing research, development or demonstration
programs involving the Department and minority colleges or
universities;
(C) describe funding levels for the programs referred to in
subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(D) include specific proposals and recommendations for
providing assistance to minority colleges and universities to
enter into memoranda of understanding and other appropriate
forms of agreement with the Department in order to plan and
develop programs to foster greater involvement of these schools
in the contract, research, education, training, and recruitment
activities of the Department;
(E) address the need for, and potential role of, the
Department in providing minority colleges or universities with
the following--
(i) increased research opportunities for faculty
and students;
(ii) assistance in faculty department and
recruitment;
(iii) curriculum enhancement and development; and
(iv) improved laboratory instrumentation and
equipment, through purchase, loan, or other transfer
mechanisms;
(F) address the need for, and potential role of, the
Department in providing financial and technical assistance for
the development of infrastructure facilities, including
buildings and laboratory facilities, at minority colleges or
universities; and
(G) include specific proposals and recommendations,
together with estimates of necessary funding levels, for
initiatives to be carried out by the Department in order to
assist minority colleges or universities in providing education
and training in the areas of natural resources, the
environment, the sciences, cultural resource management,
historic preservation, archeology, aquaculture, and related
subjects.
(2) The Secretary, through the Office of Education, shall encourage
memoranda of understanding and other appropriate forms of agreement
between the Department and minority colleges or universities directed
at jointly planning and developing programs to foster greater
involvement of minority colleges or universities in the research,
education, training, and recruitment activities of the Department.
(e) Scholarship Program.--The Secretary, through the Office of
Education, shall establish a scholarship program for students pursuing
undergraduate or graduate degrees in natural resource and environmental
related fields including, but not limited to: biology, wildlife
biology, forestry, botany, horticulture, historic preservation,
cultural resource management, archeology, anthropology, aquaculture,
geology, engineering, the environment, the sciences, and ecology at
minority colleges and universities in the Delta Region. The scholarship
program shall include tuition assistance. Recipients of such
scholarships shall be students deemed by the Secretary to have
demonstrated (1) a need for such assistance; and (2) academic potential
in the particular area of study.
(f) Pre-College Education.--The Secretary, through the Office of
Education, shall undertake activities to encourage pre-college
education programs in subjects relating to natural resources, the
environment, the sciences, cultural resource management, historic
preservation, archeology, aquaculture, and related subjects, for
students in the Delta Region. Such activities shall include, but not be
limited to, the following:
(1) Cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region to
develop and carry out after school and summer education
programs for elementary, middle, and secondary school students.
(2) Cooperation with, and assistance to, institutions of
higher education in the Delta Region to develop and carry out
pre-college education programs for elementary, middle, and
secondary school students.
(3) Cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region in
the development and use of curriculum and educational
materials.
(4) The establishment of education programs for elementary,
middle, and secondary school teachers in the Delta Region at
research facilities of the Department.
(g) Volunteer Program.--The Secretary, through the Office of
Education, shall establish and carry out a program to encourage the
involvement on a voluntary basis of qualified employees of the
Department in educational enrichment programs relating to natural
resources, the environment, the sciences, cultural resource management,
historic preservation, archeology, aquaculture, and related subjects,
in cooperation with State departments of education and local school
districts in the Delta Region.
(h) Women and Minorities in the Sciences.--The Secretary, through
the Office of Education, shall establish a Center for Excellence in the
Sciences at Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, in cooperation with
Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the University of
Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and other minority colleges or
universities for purposes of encouraging women and minority students in
the Delta Region to study and pursue careers in the sciences. The
Center shall enter into cooperative agreements with Southern University
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the University of Arkansas at Pine
Bluff, Arkansas, and other minority colleges and universities in the
Delta Region, to carry out affiliated programs and coordinate programs
activities at such colleges and universities. The Secretary is
authorized to provide grants and other forms of financial assistance to
the Center.
(i) Center for Aquaculture Studies.--The Secretary, through the
Office of Education, shall establish a Center for Aquaculture Studies
at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in cooperation
with Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Alcorn State in
Lorman, Mississippi, and other minority colleges or universities for
purposes of encouraging women and minority students in the Delta Region
to study and pursue careers in the field of aquaculture. The Center
shall enter into cooperative agreements with Southern University in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, and
other minority colleges or universities in the Delta Region to carry
out affiliated programs and coordinate program activities at such
colleges or universities.
(j) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary,
through the Office of Education, shall ensure that the programs
authorized in this section are coordinated with, and complimentary to,
educational assistance programs administered by other Federal agencies.
These agencies include, but are not limited to, the Department of
Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the
Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
SEC. 103. LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION HERITAGE STUDY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the States of
the Delta Region, the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Center, and
other appropriate Delta Region institutions, is directed to prepare and
transmit to the Congress within three years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, a study of significant natural, recreational,
historical or prehistorical, and cultural lands, waters, sites, and
structures located within the Delta Region. This study shall take into
consideration the research and inventory of resources conducted by the
Mississippi River Heritage Corridor Study Commission.
(b) Transportation Routes.--(1) The study shall include
recommendations on appropriate designation and interpretation of
historically significant roads, trails, byways, waterways, or other
routes within the Delta Region.
(2) In order to provide for public appreciation, education,
understanding, interpretation, and enjoyment of the significant sites
identified pursuant to subsection (a), which are accessible by public
roads, the Secretary shall recommend in the study vehicular tour routes
along existing public roads linking such sites within the Delta Region.
(3) Such recommendations shall include an analysis of designating
the Great River Road (as depicted on the map entitled ``Proposed Delta
Transportation Network'' on pages 102-103 of the Delta Initiatives
Report) and other sections of the Great River Road between Baton Rouge
and New Orleans, Louisiana and an analysis of designating that portion
of the Old Antonio Road and the Louisiana Natchez Trace which extends
generally along Highway 84 from Vidalia, Louisiana, to Clarence,
Louisiana, and Louisiana Highway 6 from Clarence, Louisiana, to the
Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, as a National Scenic Byway, or as a
component of the National Trails System, or such other designation as
the Secretary deems appropriate.
(4) The Secretary shall also recommend in the study an appropriate
route along existing public roads to commemorate the importance of
timber production and trade to the economic development of the Delta
Region in the early twentieth century, and to highlight the continuing
importance of timber production and trade to the economic life of the
Delta Region. Recommendations shall include an analysis of designating
that portion of US 165 which extends from Alexandria, Louisiana, to
Monroe, Louisiana, as a National Scenic Byway, or as a component of the
National Trails System, or such other designation as the Secretary
deems appropriate.
(5) The study shall also include a comprehensive recreation,
interpretive, and visitor use plan for the routes described in the
above paragraphs, including bicycle and hiking paths, and make specific
recommendations for the acquisition and construction of related
interpretive and visitor information facilities at selected sites along
such routes.
(6) The Secretary is authorized to make grants to States for work
necessary to stabilize, maintain, and widen public roads to allow for
adequate access to the nationally significant sites and structures
identified by the study, to allow for proper use of the vehicular tour
route, trails, byways, including the routes defined in paragraphs (3)
and (4) or other public roads within the Delta Region and to implement
the comprehensive recreation, interpretive, and visitor use plan
required in paragraph (5).
(c) Listing.--On the basis of the study, and in consultation with
the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Secretary shall
inventory significant structures and sites in the Delta Region. The
Secretary shall further recommend and encourage cooperative
preservation and economic development efforts such as the establishment
of preservation districts linking groups of contiguous counties or
parishes, especially those that lie along the aforementioned designated
routes. The Secretary shall prepare a list of the sites and structures
for possible inclusion by the National Park Service as National
Historic Landmarks of such other designation as the Secretary deems
appropriate.
SEC. 104. DELTA REGION HERITAGE CORRIDORS AND HERITAGE AND CULTURAL
CENTERS.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) in 1990, the Congress authorized the Institute of
Museum Services to prepare a report assessing the needs of
small, emerging, minority, and rural museums in order to
identify the resources such museums needed to meet their
education mission, to identify the areas of museum operation in
which the needs were greatest, and to make recommendations on
how these needs could best be met;
(2) the Institute of Museum Services undertook a
comprehensive eighteen month study of such needs with the
assistance of two advisory groups, surveyed 524 museums from
throughout the Nation, held discussion groups in which
representatives of 25 museum groups participated, and conducted
case studies of 12 museum facilities around the Nation;
(3) on the basis of this assessment, the Institute of
Museum Services issued a report in September 1992, entitled,
``National Needs Assessment of Small, Emerging, Minority and
Rural Museums in the United States'' (hereinafter ``National
Needs Assessment'') which found that small, emerging, minority,
and rural museums provide valuable educational and cultural
resources for their communities and contain a reservoir of the
Nation's material, cultural and scientific heritage, but due to
inadequate resources are unable to meet their full potential or
the demands of the surrounding communities;
(4) the needs of these institutions are not being met
through existing Federal programs;
(5) fewer than half of the participants in the survey had
applied for Federal assistance in the past two years and that
many small, emerging, minority and rural museums believe
existing Federal programs do not meet their needs;
(6) based on the National Needs Assessment, that funding
agencies should increase support available to small, emerging,
minority, and rural museums and make specific recommendations
for increasing technical assistance in order to identify such
institutions and provide assistance to facilitate their
participation in Federal programs;
(7) the Delta Initiatives Report made specific
recommendations for the creation and development of centers for
the preservation of the cultural, historical, scientific and
literary heritage of the Delta Region, including
recommendations for the establishment of a Delta Region Native
American Heritage and Cultural Center and a Delta Region
African American Heritage and Cultural Center with additional
satellite centers or museums linked throughout the Delta
Region;
(8) the Delta Initiatives Report stated that new ways of
coordinating, preserving, and promoting the Delta Region's
literature, art, and music should be established including the
creation of a network to promote the Delta Region's literary,
artistic, and musical heritage; and
(9) wholesale destruction and attrition of archeological
sites and structures has eliminated a significant portion of
Native American heritage as well as the interpretive potential
of the Delta Region's parks and museums. Furthermore, site and
structure destruction is so severe that an ambitious program of
site and structure acquisition in the Delta Region is
necessary.
(b) General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the States of the
Delta Region, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, the
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Director of
the Smithsonian Institution, the Lower Mississippi Delta Development
Center, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other Delta
Regional educational institutions, and appropriate African American and
Native American organizations in the Delta Region, is further directed
to prepare and transmit to the Congress a plan outlining specific
recommendations, including recommendations for necessary funding, for
the establishment of a Delta Region Native American Heritage Corridor
and Heritage and Cultural Center with a network of satellite or
cooperative units.
(c) Delta Region Native American Heritage Corridor and Cultural
Center.--(1) The plan referred to in subsection (b) of this section
shall include recommendations for establishing a network of parks,
museums, and other centers to interpret Native American culture and
heritage in the Delta Region, including a ten year development strategy
for such a network.
(2) Such plan shall include specific proposals for the development
of a Native American Heritage Corridor and Heritage and Cultural Center
in the Delta Region, along with recommendations for the appropriate
Federal role in such a center including matching grants, technical and
interpretive assistance.
(3) Such plan shall be conducted in consultation with tribal
leaders in the Delta Region.
(4) Such plan shall also include specific proposals for educational
and training assistance for Delta Region Native Americans to carry out
the recommendations provided in the study.
(d) Delta Region African American Heritage Corridor and Heritage
and Cultural Center.--(1) The plan referred to in subsection (b) of
this section shall include recommendations for establishing a heritage
corridor or trail system, consisting of one or two major north-south
routes and several east-west-spur loops to preserve, interpret and
commemorate the African American heritage and culture in the Delta
Region during all significant historical periods.
(2) Such plan shall make specific recommendations for representing
all forms of expressive culture including the musical, folklore,
literary, artistic, scientific, historical, educational, and political
contributions and accomplishments of African Americans in the Delta
Region.
(3) Such plan shall make specific recommendations for implementing
the findings of the Delta Initiatives Report with respect to
establishing an African American Heritage Corridor and Heritage and
Cultural Center and related satellite museums in the Delta Region,
together with specific funding levels necessary to carry out these
recommendations and shall also include recommendations for improving
access of small, emerging, minority or rural museums to technical and
financial assistance.
(4) Such plan shall be conducted in consultation with institutions
of higher education in the Delta Region with expertise in African
American studies, Southern studies, archeology, anthropology, history
and other relevant fields.
(5) Such plan shall make specific recommendations for improving
educational programs offered by existing cultural facilities and
museums as well as establishing new outreach programs for elementary,
middle and secondary schools, including summer programs for youth in
the Delta Region.
(e)(1) In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the
Secretary is authorized to make planning grants to State Humanities
Councils in the Delta Region to assist small, emerging, minority and
rural museums selected on a financial needs basis in the development of
a comprehensive long term plan for these institutions. The Secretary is
also authorized to make implementation grants to State Humanities
Councils in the Delta Region who, in consultations with State Museum
Associations, shall make grants to small, emerging, minority or rural
museums for the purpose of carrying out an approved plan for training
personnel, improving exhibits or other steps necessary to assure the
integrity of collections in their facilities, for educational outreach
programs, or for other activities the Secretary deems appropriate
including the promotion of tourism in the region. Such institutions
shall be selected competitively and on the basis of demonstrated
financial need. The Secretary is also authorized to make grants to
State Humanities Councils to update, simplify and coordinate the
respective State Works Progress Administration guides and to develop a
single comprehensive guide for the Delta Region.
(2) The Secretary is authorized to provide grants and other
appropriate technical assistance to State Humanities Councils, State
Museum Associations, and State Arts Councils in the Delta Region for
the purpose of assessing the needs of such institutions. Such grants
may be used by these institutions to undertake such an assessment and
to provide other technical, administrative and planning assistance to
small, emerging, minority or rural institutions seeking to preserve the
Delta Region's literary, artistic, and musical heritage.
(f) Music Heritage Program.--(1) The plan referred to in subsection
(b) of this section shall include recommendations for establishing a
Music Heritage Program, with specific emphasis on the Mississippi Delta
Blues. The plan shall include specific recommendations for developing a
network of heritage sites, structures, small museums, and festivals in
the Delta Region.
(2) The plan shall include an economic strategy for the promotion
of the Delta Region's music, through the participation of musicians,
festival developers, museum operators, universities, and other relevant
individuals and organizations.
(g) Completion Date.--The plan authorized in this section shall be
completed not later than three years after the date funds are made
available for such plan.
SEC. 105. HISTORIC AND PREHISTORIC STRUCTURES AND SITES SURVEY.
(a) Assistance.--The Secretary is authorized to provide technical
and financial assistance to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities to undertake a comprehensive survey of historic and
prehistoric structures and sites located on their campuses, including
recommendations as to the inclusion of appropriate structures and sites
on the National Register of Historic Places, designation as National
Historic Landmarks, or other appropriate designation as determined by
the Secretary. The Secretary shall also make specific proposals and
recommendations, together with estimates of necessary funding levels,
for a Comprehensive Plan to be carried out by the Department to assist
Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the preservation and
interpretation of such sites and structures.
(b) Grants.--In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the
Secretary is authorized to provide technical and financial assistance
to Historically Black Colleges and Universities for stabilization,
preservation and interpretation of such sites and structures.
SEC. 106. DELTA ANTIQUITIES SURVEY.
(a) General.--(1) The Secretary is directed to prepare and transmit
to the Congress, in cooperation with the States of the Delta Region,
State Archeological Surveys and Regional Archeological Centers, a study
of the feasibility of establishing a Delta Antiquities Trail or Delta
Antiquities Heritage Corridor in the Delta Region.
(2) Such study shall, to the extent practicable, use nonintrusive
methods of identifying, surveying, inventorying, and stabilizing
ancient archeological sites and structures.
(3) In undertaking this study, the Secretary is directed to enter
into cooperative agreements with the States of the Delta Region, the
State Archeological Surveys, and Regional Archeological Centers located
in Delta Region institutions of higher education for on-site activities
including surveys, inventories, and stabilization and other activities
which the Secretary deems appropriate.
(4) In addition to the over 100 known ancient archeological sites
located in the Delta Region including Watson's Brake, Frenchman's Bend,
Hedgepeth, Monte Sano, Banana Bayou, Hornsby, Parkin, Toltec, Menard-
Hodges, Eaker, Blytheville Mound, Nodena, Taylor Mounds, DeSoto Mound
and others, such study shall also employ every practical means
possible, including assistance from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Forest Service and Soil Conservation Service of the
Department of Agriculture, the Army Corps of Engineers of the
Department of Defense, and other appropriate Federal agencies, to
locate and confirm the existence of a site known as Balbansha in
southern Louisiana and a site known as Autiamque in Arkansas. The heads
of these Federal agencies shall cooperate with the Secretary as the
Secretary requires on a non-reimbursable basis.
(b) In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the Secretary
is authorized to provide technical assistance and grants to private
landowners for necessary stabilization activities of identified sites
and for preparing recommendations for designating such sites as
National Landmarks or other appropriate designations as the Secretary,
with the concurrence of the landowners, determines to be appropriate.
(c) The Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative
agreements with the States, State Archeological Surveys, and Regional
Archeological Centers of the Delta Region to develop a ten-year plan
for the stabilization, preservation and interpretation of those sites
and structures as may be identified by the Secretary.
SEC. 107. HISTORIC AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES PROGRAM.
(a) Program.--The Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive program
for the research, interpretation, and preservation of significant
historic and archeological resources in the Delta Region.
(b) Elements of the Program.--The program shall include, but not be
limited to--
(1) identification of research projects related to historic
and archeological resources in the Delta Region and a proposal
for the regular publication of related research materials and
publications;
(2) the development of a survey program to investigate,
inventory and further evaluate known historic and archeological
sites and structures and identify those sites and structures
that require additional study;
(3) identification of a core system of interpretive sites
and structures that would provide a comprehensive overview of
historic and archeological resources of the Delta Region;
(4) preparation of educational materials to interpret the
historical and archeological resources of the Delta Region;
(5) preparation of surveys and archeological and historical
investigations of sites, structures, and artifacts relating to
the Delta Region, including the preparation of reports, maps,
and other related activities.
(c) Grants and Technical Assistance.--(1) The Secretary is
authorized to award grants to qualified tribal, governmental and non-
governmental entities and individuals to assist the Secretary in
carrying out those elements of the program which the Secretary deems
appropriate.
(2) The Secretary is further authorized to award grants and provide
other types of technical and financial assistance to such entities and
individuals to conserve and protect historic and archeological sites
and structures in the Delta Region identified in the program prepared
pursuant to this section.
(d) The Secretary shall establish a national demonstration project
for the conservation and curation of the archeological records and
collections of Federal and State management agencies in the Delta
Region.
SEC. 108. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out the purposes of this title.
TITLE II--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title, the term--
(1) ``Center'' means the Delta Energy Technology and
Business Development Center established under section 202 of
this Act;
(2) ``Department'' means the United States Department of
Energy, unless otherwise specifically stated;
(3) ``departmental laboratory'' means a facility operated
by or on behalf of the Department of Energy that would be
considered a laboratory as that term is defined in section 12
of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15
U.S.C. 3710(d)(2)) or other laboratory or facility the
Secretary designates;
(4) ``persons in the Delta Region'' means an entity
primarily located in the Delta Region, the controlling interest
(as defined by the Secretary) of which is held by persons of
the United States, including--
(A) a for-profit entity;
(B) a private foundation or corporation exempt
under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
(C) a non-profit organization such as a public
trust;
(D) a trade or professional society;
(E) a tribal government;
(F) institutions of higher education; or
(G) a unit of State or local government; and
(5) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Energy, unless
otherwise specifically stated.
SEC. 202. DELTA ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall enter into an agreement
with Louisiana State University in partnership with Southern University
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to establish the Delta Energy Technology and
Business Development Center. The agreement shall provide for
cooperative agreements with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
Arkansas, and Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, and other
universities and institutions in the Delta Region, to carry out
affiliated programs and coordinate program activities at such
universities and institutions.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center shall be to--
(1) foster the creation and retention of energy resource
and manufacturing and related energy service jobs in the Delta
Region;
(2) encourage the export of energy resources and
technologies, including services related thereto, from the
Delta Region;
(3) develop markets for energy resources and technologies
manufactured in the Delta Region for use in meeting the energy
resource and technology needs for foreign countries;
(4) encourage the successful, long-term market penetration
of energy resources and technologies manufactured in the Delta
Region into foreign countries;
(5) encourage participation in energy-related projects in
foreign countries by persons in the Delta Region as well as the
utilization in such projects of energy resources and
technologies significantly developed, demonstrated, or
manufactured in the Delta Region; and
(6) assist in the establishment of technology transfer
programs in cooperation with Federal laboratories to create
businesses in energy resources and technology in the Delta
Region.
(c) General.--The Center, in cooperation with participating
universities and institutions in the Delta Region, shall--
(1) identify and foster the establishment of flexible
manufacturing networks in consultation with the States of the
Delta Region to promote the development of energy resources and
technologies that have the potential to expand technology
development and manufacturing in, and exports from, the Delta
Region;
(2) provide technical, business, training, marketing, and
other assistance to persons in the Delta Region;
(3) develop a comprehensive database and information
dissemination system, that will provide detailed information on
the specific energy resources and technologies of the Delta
Region itself, as well as domestic and international market
opportunities for businesses in the Delta Region, and
electronically link the Center with other institutions of
higher education in the Delta Region;
(4) establish a network of business and technology
incubators to promote the design, manufacture, and sale of
energy resources and technologies from the Delta Region;
(5) enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other
arrangements with the Federal Government, international
development agencies, or persons in the Delta Region to carry
out these objectives; and
(6) coordinate existing Department and other Federal
programs having comparable goals and purposes.
(d) Assistance From the Secretary.--The Secretary is authorized to
provide the Center assistance in obtaining such personnel, equipment,
and facilities as may be needed by the Center and affiliated
participating universities and institutions to carry out its activities
under this section.
(e) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to provide grants and
other forms of financial assistance to the Center for the Center and
participating universities and institutions to (1) support the creation
of flexible manufacturing networks as identified in subsection (c)(1);
and (2) develop the comprehensive database described in paragraph
(c)(3); and (3) support the training, marketing, and other related
activities of the Center.
(f) Acceptance of Grants and Transfers.--The Center may accept--
(A) grants and donations from private individuals, groups,
organizations, corporations, foundations, State and local
governments, and other entities; and
(B) transfers of funds from other Federal agencies.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the programs
under this section and for the establishment, operation, construction,
and maintenance of the Center and facilities of participating
universities and institutions.
SEC. 203. INSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR THE DELTA REGION.
Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C.
6371, et seq.) is amended by adding a new section 400K as follows:
``institutional conservation program for the delta region
``Sec. 400K. (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to
encourage the use of energy conservation measures in the schools and
hospitals of the Delta Region.
``(b) Grants for Establishment of Program.--Not later than 12
months after the date of the enactment of the Lower Mississippi Delta
Initiatives Act of 1993, the Secretary is authorized to provide grants
to schools or hospitals, or to consortiums consisting of a school or
hospital and one or more of the following: State or unit of local
government; local education agency; State hospital facilities agency;
or State school facilities agency. Such grants shall be for purposes of
conducting innovative energy conservation projects and providing
Federal financing for energy conservation projects at schools and
hospitals in the Delta Region.
``(c) Applications.--(1) Applications of schools or hospitals for
grants under this section shall be made not more than once for any
fiscal year. Such applications shall be submitted to the State energy
agency, in consultation with the Planning and Development Districts in
the Delta Region, and the State energy agency shall make a single
submittal to the Secretary containing all applications which comply
with subsection (e).
``(2) Applications for grants shall contain, or be accompanied by,
such information as the Secretary may reasonably require in accordance
with regulations governing institutional conservation programs under
this part; provided, however, that the Secretary shall encourage
flexible and innovative approaches consistent with this Act.
``(d) Selection of Applications.--(1) Not later than six months
after the receipt of applications under subsection (c), the Secretary
shall select at least seven, but not more than 21, proposals from
States to receive grants under subsection (b).
``(2) The Secretary may select more than 21 applications under this
subsection, if the Secretary determines that the total amount of
available funds is not likely to be otherwise utilized.
``(3) No one State shall receive less than one, or more than four,
grants under subsection (b).
``(4) Such grants shall be in addition to such grants as would
otherwise be provided under Part G of this Act.
``(5) No one grant recipient under this section shall receive
Federal funds in excess of $2,000,000.
``(e) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall select recipients of
grants under this section on the basis of the following criteria--
``(1) the location of the grant recipient in the Delta
Region;
``(2) the demonstrated or potential resources available to
the grant applicant for carrying out the purposes of this
section;
``(3) the demonstrated or potential ability of the grant
applicant to improve energy conservation measures in the
designated school or hospital; and
``(4) such other criteria as the Secretary deems
appropriate for carrying out the purposes of this section.
``(f) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `Delta
Region' means the Lower Mississippi Delta Region including the 219
counties and parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined
in the May 14, 1990 Final Report of the Lower Mississippi Delta
Development Commission entitled `The Delta Initiatives: Realizing the
Dream . . . Fulfilling the Potential'.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this section, to remain
available until expended, not more than $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1995, and 1996, and 1997.''.
SEC. 204. ENERGY RELATED EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES.
(a) Minority Colleges or University Initiative.--(1) Within one
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the United States Senate and to the United States
House of Representatives a report identifying opportunities for
minority colleges and universities to participate in programs and
activities carried out by the Department or the departmental
laboratories. The Secretary shall consult with representatives of
minority colleges or universities in preparing the report. Such report
shall--
(A) describe ongoing education and training programs
carried out by the Department or the departmental laboratories
with respect to, or in conjunction with, minority colleges or
universities in the areas of mathematics, science, and
engineering;
(B) describe ongoing research, development, demonstration,
or commercial application activities involving the Department
or the departmental laboratories and minority colleges or
universities;
(C) describe funding levels for the programs referred to in
subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(D) identify ways for the Department or the departmental
laboratories to assist minority colleges or universities in
providing education and training in the fields of mathematics,
science, and engineering;
(E) identify ways for the Department or the departmental
laboratories to assist minority colleges and universities in
entering into partnerships;
(F) address the need for, and potential role of, the
Department or the departmental laboratories in providing
minority colleges or universities with the following--
(i) increased research opportunities for faculty
and students;
(ii) assistance in faculty development and
recruitment;
(iii) curriculum enhancement and development; and
(iv) improved laboratory instrumentation and
equipment, including computer equipment, through
purchase, loan, or other transfer mechanisms;
(G) address the need for, and potential role of, the
Department or departmental laboratories in providing financial
and technical assistance for the development of infrastructure
facilities; including buildings and laboratory facilities, at
minority colleges and universities; and
(H) make specific proposals and recommendations, together
with estimates of necessary funding levels, for initiatives to
be carried out by the Department or the departmental
laboratories in order to assist minority colleges or
universities in providing education and training in the areas
of mathematics, science, and engineering, and in entering into
partnerships with the Department or departmental laboratories.
(2) The Secretary shall encourage memoranda of understanding and
other appropriate forms of agreement between the Department and
minority colleges and universities directed at jointly planning and
developing programs to foster greater involvement of minority colleges
and universities in research, education, training, and recruitment
activities of the Department.
(b) Minority College and University Scholarship Programs for the
Delta Region.--The Secretary shall establish a scholarship program for
students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in energy-related
scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical disciplines at
minority colleges and universities in the Delta Region. The scholarship
program shall include tuition assistance. Recipients of such
scholarships shall be students deemed by the Secretary to have
demonstrated (1) a need for such assistance and (2) academic potential
in the particular area of study.
(c) Pre-College Education.--The Secretary shall undertake
activities to encourage pre-college education programs in energy-
related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical
disciplines for students in the Delta Region. Such activities shall
include, but not be limited to the following--
(1) cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region to
develop and carry out after school and summer education
programs for elementary, middle, and secondary school students
in energy-related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and
technical disciplines;
(2) cooperation with, and assistance to, institutions of
higher education in the Delta Region to develop and carry out
pre-college education programs in energy related scientific,
mathematical, engineering, and technical disciplines for middle
and secondary school students;
(3) cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the development and
use of curriculum and educational materials in energy-related
scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical
disciplines for middle and secondary students; and
(4) the establishment of education programs in subjects
relating to energy-related scientific, mathematical,
engineering, and technical disciplines for elementary, middle,
and secondary school teachers in the Delta Region.
(d) Volunteer Program.--The Secretary shall carry out a program to
encourage the involvement on a voluntary basis of qualified employees
of the Department in educational programs relating to energy-related
scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical disciplines, in
cooperation with State departments of education and local school
districts in the Delta Region.
(e) Women and Minorities in the Sciences.--The Secretary shall
establish a Center for Excellence in the Sciences at Alcorn State in
Lorman, Mississippi, in cooperation with Southern University in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,
Arkansas, and other minority colleges or universities for purposes of
encouraging women and minority students in the Delta Region to study
and pursue careers in the sciences, mathematics, engineering and
technical disciplines. The Center shall enter into cooperative
agreements with Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and other minority
colleges and universities in the Delta Region, to carry out affiliated
programs and coordinate programs activities at such colleges and
universities. The Secretary is authorized to provide grants and other
forms of financial assistance to the Center.
(f) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary shall
ensure that the programs authorized in this section are coordinated
with, and complimentary to, education assistance programs administered
by the Department and by other Federal agencies in the Delta Region.
These agencies include, but are not limited to, the Department of the
Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Department of Education,
the National Science Foundation, and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby authorized to
be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes
of this section.
SEC. 205. INTEGRATED BIOMASS ENERGY SYSTEMS
(a) Program Direction.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture, shall conduct a research, development and
demonstration program to determine the economic viability of integrated
biomass energy systems within the Delta Region.
(b) Program Plan.--Not later than six months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the
Congress a program plan to guide the activities under this section.
(c) Solicitation of Proposals.--Not later than one year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall solicit proposals
for conducting activities consistent with the program plan. Such
activities shall include at least three demonstrations of integrated
biomass energy systems that--
(1) involve the production of dedicated energy crops of not
less than 25,000 acres per demonstration;
(2) include predominantly herbaceous energy crops;
(3) include predominantly short-rotation woody crops;
(4) demonstrate cost-effective methods for growing,
harvesting, storing, transporting, and preparing energy crops
for conversion to electricity or transportation fuel; and
(5) result in the conversion of such crops to electricity
or transportation fuel by a non-Federal energy producer or the
Tennessee Valley Authority.
(d) Cost Sharing.--(1) For research and development programs
carried out under this section, the Secretary shall require a
commitment from non-Federal sources of at least 20 percent of the cost
of the project.
(2) The Secretary shall require at least 50 percent of the costs
directly and specifically related to any demonstration or commercial
application project under this section to be provided from non-Federal
sources. The Secretary may reduce the non-Federal requirement under
this section if the Secretary determines that the reduction is
necessary and appropriate considering the technological risks involved
in the project and is necessary to meet the objectives of this section.
(3) In calculating the amount of the non-Federal commitment under
paragraph (1) or (2), the Secretary shall include cash, personnel,
services, equipment, and other resources.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this section, to remain
available until expended, not more than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1995, 1996, and 1997.
SEC. 206. WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR THE DELTA REGION
Title IV of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C.
6851, 6861-6846) is further amended by adding a new section 423 as
follows:
``weatherization assistance program for the delta region
``Sec. 423. (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to
encourage the weatherization of low-income dwelling units in the Delta
Region.
``(b) Grants for Establishment of Program.--Not later than 12
months after the date of the enactment of the Lower Mississippi Delta
Initiatives Act of 1993, the Secretary shall make grants to (1) States,
and (2) in accordance with the provisions of subsection (413)(d), to
Indian tribal organizations to serve Native Americans in the Delta
Region. Such grants shall be made for the purposes of providing
financial assistance for the weatherization of low-income dwelling
units.
``(c) Applications.--(1) Applications of States or Indian tribal
organizations for grants under this section shall be made not more than
once for any fiscal year. Such applications shall be submitted to the
State weatherization agency, in consultation with Community Action
Agencies and Planning and Development Districts in the Delta Region,
and the State weatherization agency shall make a single submittal to
the Secretary containing all applications which comply with subsection
(e).
``(2) Applications for grants for energy conservation projects
shall contain, or be accompanied by, such information as the Secretary
may reasonably require in accordance with regulations governing
weatherization assistance programs under this Part.
``(d) Selection of Applications.--(1) The Secretary shall select
applications from States to receive grants under subsection (b).
``(2) Such grants shall be in addition to such grants as would
otherwise be provided under section 414 of this Act.
``(3) No one grant recipient under this section shall receive
Federal funds in excess of $2,000,000,
``(e) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall select recipients of
grants under this section in accordance with the requirements of
sections 414(b) and 415 of this Act, and on the basis of the following
criteria--
``(1) the location of the grant applicant in the Delta
Region;
``(2) the demonstrated or potential resources available to
the grant applicant for carrying out the purposes of this
section; and
``(3) the demonstrated or potential ability of the grant
applicant to improve energy efficiency in low-income dwelling
units.
``(f) Coordination With Other Weatherization Assistance Programs.--
The Secretary shall ensure that the programs authorized in this section
are coordinated with, and complimentary to, Department weatherization
assistance programs under sections 413, 414A and 414B of this Act.
``(g) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `Delta
Region' means the Lower Mississippi Delta Region including the 219
counties and parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined
in the May 14, 1990 Final Report of the Lower Mississippi Delta
Development Commission entitled `The Delta Initiatives: Realizing the
Dream . . . Fulfilling the Potential'.
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this section, to remain
available until expended, not more than $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1995, 1996, and 1997.''.
SEC. 207. RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES.
Section 1212 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13317) is
amended by inserting immediately after ``foregoing,'' the following:
``by the Tennessee Valley Authority,''.
Passed the Senate November 20 (legislative day, November
2), 1993.
Attest:
Secretary.
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