[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 171 (Saturday, November 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                H.R. 1964, THE HIGHLANDS STEWARDSHIP ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SUE W. KELLY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of H.R. 
1964, the Highlands Stewardship Act.
  The Highlands region is spread through parts of New York, New Jersey, 
Connecticut, and Pennsylvania and covers more than two million acres of 
pristine, undeveloped land. In studies in 1992 and 2002, the National 
Forest Service recognized the Highlands as ``nationally significant'' 
and estimated that 5,000 acres of land are lost to development just in 
the New York and New Jersey portions of the Highlands.
  The Highlands also serve as an ``oasis'' amid the urban centers of 
Philadelphia, Hartford, and New York. The region, with its networks of 
reservoirs and aquifers, supplies clean, safe drinking water for over 
11 million Americans. At the moment, only 23% of those watershed lands 
are protected, with almost 100,000 of those acres being immediately 
threatened. Without these water sources, the sprawling metropolises we 
know today and New York and Philadelphia would have never developed.
  The tourist value of this region cannot be overlooked. Every year, 
over 14 million people visit the Highlands. This total is higher than 
the number of people who visit Yellowstone National Park every year, 
and we don't even have a geyser.
  Twenty million people live within a two hour drive of the Highlands. 
With the ever-increasing rigors of city and suburban life, it is 
important to have a place for families to unwind and interact with the 
natural splendors that are too often missing from their lives. The 
Highlands provides that and so much more. This bill will ensure that 
these natural beauties survive so that future generations can enjoy 
them as we do now.

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