[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 13, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S734-S735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. 
        Ensign):
  S. 1939. A bill to establish the Great Basin National Heritage Area, 
Nevada and Utah; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today for myself, Senator Ensign, 
Senator Hatch, and Senator Bennett to introduce this bill, which will 
establish a National Heritage Area in eastern Nevada and western Utah.
  National Heritage Areas are regions in which residents, businesses, 
as well as local and tribal governments have joined together in 
partnership to conserve and celebrate cultural heritage and special 
landscapes. For Nevada, these include such nationally significant 
historic areas as the Pony Express and Overland Stage Route, Mormon and 
other pioneer settlements, historic mining camps and ghost towns, as 
well as Native American cultural resources such as the Fremont Culture 
archeological sites.
  The bill will also highlight some of Nevada's natural riches. The 
Great Basin contains great natural diversity, including forests of 
bristlecone pine, which are renowned for their ability to survive for 
thousands of years. The Great Basin National Heritage Area includes 
White Pine County and the Duckwater Reservation in Nevada and Millard 
County, UT. The Heritage Area will also ensure the preservation of key 
educational and inspirational opportunities in perpetuity without 
compromising traditional local control over--and use of--the landscape. 
Finally, the Great Basin National Heritage Area will provide a 
framework for celebrating Nevada's and Utah's rich historic, 
archeological, cultural, and natural resources for both visitors and 
residents.
  The bill will establish a board of directors to manage the area. 
Consisting of local officials from both counties and tribes, the board 
will have the authority to receive and spend federal funds and develop 
a management plan within five years of the bill's passage. The bill 
mandates the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a memorandum of 
understanding with the Board of Directors for the management of the 
resources of the heritage area. The bill also authorizes up to $10 
million to carry out the Act but limits Federal

[[Page S735]]

funding to no more than fifty percent of the project's costs. The bill 
allows the Secretary to provide assistance until September 20, 2020.
  This bill benefits not just Nevada and Utah, but citizens of all 
States. It highlights some areas of outstanding cultural and natural 
value and brings people together to celebrate values that they can be 
proud of.
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