[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 30 (Monday, March 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S2648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SPECTER:
  S. 613. A bill to establish the Steel Industry National Historic Site 
in the State of Pennsylvania; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to introduce 
legislation that will honor the importance of the steel industry in the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Nation by creating the ``Steel 
Industry National Historic Site'' to be operated by the National Park 
Service in southwestern Pennsylvania.
  The importance of steel to the industrial development of the United 
States cannot be overstated. A national historic site devoted to the 
history of the steel industry will afford all Americans the opportunity 
to celebrate this rich heritage, which is symbolic of the work ethic 
endemic to this great Nation. The National Park Service recently 
reported that Congress should make remnants of the U.S. Steel Homestead 
Works an affiliate of the national park system, rather than a full 
national park, an option which had been considered in prior years, and 
which I proposed in legislation during the 107th Congress. Due to the 
backlog of maintenance projects at national parks, the legislation 
offered today instead creates a national historic site that would be 
affiliated with the National Park Service. There is no better place for 
such a site than in southwestern Pennsylvania, which played a 
significant role in early industrial America and continues to today.
  I have long supported efforts to preserve and enhance this historical 
steel-related heritage through the Rivers of Steel Heritage Area, which 
includes the City of Pittsburgh, and seven southwestern Pennsylvania 
counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Washington and 
Westmoreland. I have sought and been very pleased with congressional 
support for the important work within the Rivers of Steel Heritage Area 
expressed through appropriations levels of roughly $1 million annually 
since fiscal year 1998. I am hopeful that this support will continue. 
However, more than just resources are necessary to ensure the 
historical recognition needed for this important heritage. That is why 
I am introducing this legislation today.
  It is important to note why southwestern Pennsylvania should be the 
home to the national site that my legislation authorizes. The 
combination of a strong workforce, valuable natural resources, and 
Pennsylvania's strategic location in the heavily populated northeastern 
United States allowed the steel industry to thrive. Today, the 
remaining buildings and sites devoted to steel production are 
threatened with further deterioration. Many of these sites are 
nationally significant and perfectly suited for the study and 
interpretation of this crucial period in our Nation's development. Some 
of these sites include the Carrie Furnace complex, the Hot Metal 
Bridge, and the Unites States Steel Homestead Works, which would all 
become a part of the Steel Industry National Historic Site under my 
legislation.
  Highlights of such a national historic site would commemorate a wide 
range of accomplishments and topics for historical preservation and 
interpretation from industrial process advancements to labor-management 
relations. It is important to note that the site I seek to become a 
national site under this bill includes the location of the Battle of 
Homestead, waged in 1892 between steelworkers and Pinkerton guards. The 
Battle of Homestead marked a crucial period in our Nation's workers' 
rights movement. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, individuals, and 
public and private entities have attempted to protect and preserve 
resources such as the Homestead battleground and the Hot Metal Bridge. 
For the benefit and inspiration of present and future generations, it 
is time for the federal government to join this effort to recognize 
their importance with the additional protection I provide in this bill.
  I would like to commend my colleague, Representative Mike Doyle, who 
has been a longstanding leader in this preservation effort and who has 
consistently sponsored identical legislation in the U.S. House of 
Representatives. I look forward to working with southwestern 
Pennsylvania officials and Mr. August Carlino, President and Chief 
Executive Officer of the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, in order 
to bring this national historic site to fruition. We came very close to 
passing this bill in the 108th Congress with its passage in various 
forms in the House and Senate. However, Congress adjourned prior to 
final passage of the same bill in both chambers. Therefore, today I 
reintroduce this legislation and urge its swift passage.
                                 ______