§410cccc–3 Golden Spike National Historical Park

Summary

The law renames the Golden Spike National Historic Site as the Golden Spike National Historical Park and tells the National Park Service to set up a program to remember and explain the Transcontinental Railroad. Key terms: "Park" means the Golden Spike National Historical Park; "Program" means the effort to commemorate and interpret the Transcontinental Railroad; "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior acting through the National Park Service Director; "Transcontinental Railroad" means the roughly 1,912-mile continuous railroad built from 1863 to 1869 between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and San Francisco, California. The Secretary must first study options for how to run the Program. The study must include a history of the railroad; a list of related federal lands, historic properties (including those that are or could be National Historic Landmarks or listed on the National Register), objects with research or teaching value, and related government and non‑government programs; and recommendations on how to use these resources and improve research, education, interpretation, and public awareness. A report of the study must go to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources no later than 3 years after funding for the study is provided. The Program cannot include places used now or expected to be used for active freight railroad operations. The Secretary must produce and share education materials (like handbooks, maps, guides, or electronic info), may make cooperative agreements and give technical help, and may create an official symbol for the Program and issue rules for its use. Within 180 days after March 12, 2019, the Secretary must try to make a programmatic agreement with the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer to allow certain low‑impact uses to get streamlined review under section 306108 of title 54; that agreement must follow the law and include consultation with nearby landowners, Indian Tribes, and others. The Secretary must consider applications covered by that agreement and approve them within 60 days if they follow the agreement and the law. The Secretary must also work with adjacent landowners on treating invasive species inside and next to the Park.