H.R. 3036

STATEMENT OF DR. STEPHANIE TOOTHMAN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CULTURAL RESOURCES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND SCIENCE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS OF THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, CONCERNING H.R. 3036, A BILL TO DESIGNATE THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL LOCATED AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE IN NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, AS A NATIONAL MEMORIAL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

JUNE 15, 2016
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Thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on H.R. 3036, a bill to designate the National September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center site in New York City, New York, as a national memorial, and for other purposes.

The Department understands and appreciates the significance of the events of September 11, 2001, to the nation.  We support memorializing and providing educational opportunities to learn about that day and its effects on our country and on the world.  However, as H.R. 3036 provides no federal role in administering, interpreting, or preserving the resources of the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center, and is only intended to authorize federal funding for seven fiscal years to the organization managing the memorial, we strongly oppose this legislation.

H.R. 3036, as passed by the House, would designate the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center as a national memorial, but it specifically provides that this memorial would not be a unit of the National Park System.  The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish a competitive grant program to award a grant of an unspecified amount each fiscal year for seven years to a memorial to the victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, and to the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993.  Because of those specifications and others, the only organization that appears to be eligible to receive this funding would be the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, Inc. Foundation.

Thus, the objective of the bill is to have the NPS provide grants to the foundation for the memorial’s operation and maintenance without any federal involvement in the operation of the memorial.  There are no other circumstances where the National Park Service (NPS) provides annual operating funds to a site not managed by the NPS directly or under an agreement with the NPS, except possibly for some affiliated areas which receive relatively small amounts.  There are also no other competitive grant programs administered by the NPS where only one organization would appear to meet the eligibility criteria of that program.

In addition, if the grant comes out of the NPS budget, it would reduce the amount of operational funding available for the needs of our more than 400 designated units of the National Park System.  We do not believe it is appropriate to divert operational resources needed to fulfill our legislated responsibilities to a site for which the NPS has no role. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony.  I would be happy to answer any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have.