[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 138 (Saturday, October 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR ACT

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                               speech of

                            HON. JACK QUINN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2000

  Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, in 1995, Congressman James Walsh and Senator 
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, directed the National Parks Service to study 
the merits of the Erie Canal System's federal designation. In 1998, the 
study concluded that the system did in fact have great historical 
significance and recommended the canal for National Heritage Corridor 
status. Legislation was thus drafted and presented on the House floor 
on October 3, 2000. I support H.R. 5375 because I too, feel that the 
Erie Canal represents a key component of not only New York State's 
history, but the history of the United States, as well.
  The Erie Canal was originally built to provide a waterway that would 
link the Great Lakes with the eastern seaboard. Completed in 1825, the 
canal was the first of its kind and proved to be the working model used 
in future canal construction throughout the United States. This manmade 
waterway helped to transform the economy of the Northeast and Midwest 
states along the Great Lakes. The construction of the canalway helped 
to accelerate shipping and trade in these areas, which in turn helped 
to establish flourishing metropolitan areas such as New York City, 
Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, not to mention the 
development and growth witnessed in Mid-western shipping centers, such 
as Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago.
  Recently the residents of Buffalo and Western New York have realized 
that our city can once again generate economic investment from its 
position as the western terminus of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal as 
the centerpiece of the City's Inner Harbor development. A major focus 
of the Inner Harbor project is to once again center the region's 
transportation system at Buffalo's waterfront. I have worked to bring 
over $35 million in federal dollars to the Inner Harbor to fund 
transportation related infrastructure improvements. The designation of 
the Erie Canal is a National Heritage Corridor would further enhance 
the attraction of the Inner Harbor site both locally and nationally.
  The significant National Heritage Corridor designation would allow 
Congress to provide federal resources and technical assistance for 
canalside communities from Buffalo to Albany to establish projects 
involving interpretive centers, historic preservation and economic 
development.
  This is the perfect time to approve this legislation. The year 2000 
marks the 175th Anniversary of New York State's creation and 
stewardship of the Erie Canalway for commerce, transportation, and 
recreational purposes, establishing the network which made New York the 
``Empire State'' and the nation's premier commercial and financial 
center.

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