[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 64 (Monday, May 16, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H3283-H3286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 938) to establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage
Area in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 938
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Upper Housatonic Valley
National Heritage Area Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The upper Housatonic Valley, encompassing 29 towns in
the hilly terrain of western Massachusetts and northwestern
Connecticut, is a singular geographical and cultural region
that has made significant national contributions through its
literary, artistic, musical, and architectural achievements,
its iron, paper, and electrical equipment industries, and its
scenic beautification and environmental conservation efforts.
(2) The upper Housatonic Valley has 139 properties and
historic districts listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, including--
(A) five National Historic Landmarks--
(i) Edith Wharton's home, The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts;
(ii) Herman Melville's home, Arrowhead, Pittsfield,
Massachusetts;
(iii) W.E.B. DuBois' Boyhood Homesite, Great Barrington,
Massachusetts;
(iv) Mission House, Stockbridge, Massachusetts; and
(v) Crane and Company Old Stone Mill Rag Room, Dalton,
Massachusetts; and
(B) four National Natural Landmarks--
(i) Bartholomew's Cobble, Sheffield, Massachusetts, and
Salisbury, Connecticut;
(ii) Beckley Bog, Norfolk, Connecticut;
(iii) Bingham Bog, Salisbury, Connecticut; and
(iv) Cathedral Pines, Cornwall, Connecticut.
(3) Writers, artists, musicians, and vacationers have
visited the region for more than 150 years to enjoy its
scenic wonders, making it one of the country's leading
cultural resorts.
(4) The upper Housatonic Valley has made significant
national cultural contributions through such writers as
Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edith Wharton, and
W.E.B. DuBois, artists Daniel Chester French and Norman
Rockwell, and the performing arts centers of Tanglewood,
Music Mountain, Norfolk (Connecticut) Chamber Music Festival,
Jacob's Pillow, and Shakespeare & Company.
(5) The upper Housatonic Valley is noted for its pioneering
achievements in the iron, paper, and electrical generation
industries and has cultural resources to interpret those
industries.
(6) The region became a national leader in scenic
beautification and environmental conservation efforts
following the era of industrialization and deforestation and
maintains a fabric of significant conservation areas
including the meandering Housatonic River.
(7) Important historical events related to the American
Revolution, Shays' Rebellion, and early civil rights took
place in the upper Housatonic Valley.
(8) The region had an American Indian presence going back
10,000 years and Mohicans had a formative role in contact
with Europeans during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries.
(9) The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area has
been proposed in order to heighten appreciation of the
region, preserve its natural and historical resources, and
improve the quality of life and economy of the area.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National
Heritage Area in the State of Connecticut and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
(2) To implement the national heritage area alternative as
described in the document entitled ``Upper Housatonic Valley
National Heritage Area Feasibility Study, 2003''.
(3) To provide a management framework to foster a close
working relationship with all levels of government, the
private sector, and the local communities in the upper
Housatonic Valley region to conserve the region's heritage
while continuing to pursue compatible economic opportunities.
(4) To assist communities, organizations, and citizens in
the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts in identifying, preserving, interpreting, and
developing the historical, cultural, scenic, and natural
resources of the region for the educational and inspirational
benefit of current and future generations.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Heritage area.--The term ``Heritage Area'' means the
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, established
in section 4.
(2) Management entity.--The term ``Management Entity''
means the management entity for the Heritage Area designated
by section 4(d).
(3) Management plan.--The term ``Management Plan'' means
the management plan for the Heritage Area specified in
section 6.
(4) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled
``Boundary Map Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage
Area'', numbered P17/80,000, and dated February 2003.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of
Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
SEC. 4. UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
(a) Establishment.--There is established the Upper
Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
(b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall be comprised of--
(1) part of the Housatonic River's watershed, which extends
60 miles from Lanesboro, Massachusetts to Kent, Connecticut;
(2) the towns of Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Kent,
Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, and Warren in
Connecticut; and
(3) the towns of Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great
Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox,
Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlboro, Pittsfield,
Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and
West Stockbridge in Massachusetts.
(c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and
available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of
the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
(d) Management Entity.--The Upper Housatonic Valley
National Heritage Area, Inc. shall be the management entity
for the Heritage Area.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITIES, PROHIBITIONS, AND DUTIES OF THE
MANAGEMENT ENTITY.
(a) Duties of the Management Entity.--To further the
purposes of the Heritage Area, the management entity shall--
(1) prepare and submit a management plan for the Heritage
Area to the Secretary in accordance with section 6;
(2) assist units of local government, regional planning
organizations, and nonprofit organizations in implementing
the approved management plan by--
(A) carrying out programs and projects that recognize,
protect and enhance important resource values within the
Heritage Area;
(B) establishing and maintaining interpretive exhibits and
programs within the Heritage Area;
(C) developing recreational and educational opportunities
in the Heritage Area;
(D) increasing public awareness of and appreciation for
natural, historical, scenic, and cultural resources of the
Heritage Area;
(E) protecting and restoring historic sites and buildings
in the Heritage Area that are consistent with heritage area
themes;
(F) ensuring that signs identifying points of public access
and sites of interest are posted throughout the Heritage
Area; and
(G) promoting a wide range of partnerships among
governments, organizations and individuals to further the
purposes of the Heritage Area;
(3) consider the interests of diverse units of government,
businesses, organizations and individuals in the Heritage
Area in the preparation and implementation of the management
plan;
(4) conduct meetings open to the public at least semi-
annually regarding the development and implementation of the
management plan;
(5) submit an annual report to the Secretary for any fiscal
year in which the management entity receives Federal funds
under this Act, setting forth its accomplishments, expenses,
and income, including grants to any other entities during the
year for which the report is made;
(6) make available for audit for any fiscal year in which
it receives Federal funds under this Act, all information
pertaining to the expenditure of such funds and any matching
funds, and require in all agreements authorizing expenditures
of Federal funds by other organizations, that the receiving
organizations make available for such audit all records and
other information pertaining to the expenditure of such
funds; and
(7) encourage by appropriate means economic development
that is consistent with the purposes of the Heritage Area.
(b) Authorities.--The management entity may, for the
purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan
for the Heritage Area, use Federal funds made available
through this Act to--
(1) make grants to the State of Connecticut and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, their political subdivisions,
nonprofit organizations and other persons;
(2) enter into cooperative agreements with or provide
technical assistance to the State of Connecticut and the
Commonwealth of
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Massachusetts, their subdivisions, nonprofit organizations,
and other interested parties;
(3) hire and compensate staff, which shall include
individuals with expertise in natural, cultural, and
historical resources protection, and heritage programming;
(4) obtain money or services from any source including any
that are provided under any other Federal law or program;
(5) contract for goods or services; and
(6) undertake to be a catalyst for any other activity that
furthers the purposes of the Heritage Area and is consistent
with the approved management plan.
(c) Prohibitions on the Acquisition of Real Property.--The
management entity may not use Federal funds received under
this Act to acquire real property, but may use any other
source of funding, including other Federal funding outside
this authority, intended for the acquisition of real
property.
SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) In General.--The management plan for the Heritage Area
shall--
(1) include comprehensive policies, strategies and
recommendations for conservation, funding, management and
development of the Heritage Area;
(2) take into consideration existing State, county, and
local plans in the development of the management plan and its
implementation;
(3) include a description of actions that governments,
private organizations, and individuals have agreed to take to
protect the natural, historical and cultural resources of the
Heritage Area;
(4) specify the existing and potential sources of funding
to protect, manage, and develop the Heritage Area in the
first 5 years of implementation;
(5) include an inventory of the natural, historical,
cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational resources of
the Heritage Area related to the themes of the Heritage Area
that should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or
maintained;
(6) describe a program of implementation for the management
plan including plans for resource protection, restoration,
construction, and specific commitments for implementation
that have been made by the management entity or any
government, organization, or individual for the first 5 years
of implementation; and
(7) include an interpretive plan for the Heritage Area.
(b) Deadline and Termination of Funding.--
(1) Deadline.--The management entity shall submit the
management plan to the Secretary for approval within 3 years
after funds are made available for this Act.
(2) Termination of funding.--If the management plan is not
submitted to the Secretary in accordance with this
subsection, the management entity shall not qualify for
Federal funding under this Act until such time as the
management plan is submitted to the Secretary.
SEC. 7. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF THE SECRETARY.
(a) Technical and Financial Assistance.--The Secretary may,
upon the request of the management entity, provide technical
assistance on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis and
financial assistance to the Heritage Area to develop and
implement the approved management plan. The Secretary is
authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with the
management entity and other public or private entities for
this purpose. In assisting the Heritage Area, the Secretary
shall give priority to actions that in general assist in--
(1) conserving the significant natural, historical,
cultural, and scenic resources of the Heritage Area; and
(2) providing educational, interpretive, and recreational
opportunities consistent with the purposes of the Heritage
Area.
(b) Approval and Disapproval of Management Plan.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall approve or disapprove
the management plan not later than 90 days after receiving
the management plan.
(2) Criteria for approval.--In determining the approval of
the management plan, the Secretary shall consider whether--
(A) the management entity is representative of the diverse
interests of the Heritage Area, including governments,
natural and historic resource protection organizations,
educational institutions, businesses, and recreational
organizations;
(B) the management entity has afforded adequate
opportunity, including public hearings, for public and
governmental involvement in the preparation of the management
plan;
(C) the resource protection and interpretation strategies
contained in the management plan, if implemented, would
adequately protect the natural, historical, and cultural
resources of the Heritage Area; and
(D) the management plan is supported by the appropriate
State and local officials whose cooperation is needed to
ensure the effective implementation of the State and local
aspects of the management plan.
(3) Action following disapproval.--If the Secretary
disapproves the management plan, the Secretary shall advise
the management entity in writing of the reasons therefore and
shall make recommendations for revisions to the management
plan. The Secretary shall approve or disapprove a proposed
revision within 60 days after the date it is submitted.
(4) Approval of amendments.--Substantial amendments to the
management plan shall be reviewed by the Secretary and
approved in the same manner as provided for the original
management plan. The management entity shall not use Federal
funds authorized by this Act to implement any amendments
until the Secretary has approved the amendments.
SEC. 8. DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
Any Federal agency conducting or supporting activities
directly affecting the Heritage Area shall--
(1) consult with the Secretary and the management entity
with respect to such activities;
(2) cooperate with the Secretary and the management entity
in carrying out their duties under this Act and, to the
maximum extent practicable, coordinate such activities with
the carrying out of such duties; and,
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, conduct or support
such activities in a manner which the management entity
determines will not have an adverse effect on the Heritage
Area.
SEC. 9. REQUIREMENTS FOR INCLUSION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY.
(a) Notification and Consent of Property Owners Required.--
No privately owned property shall be preserved, conserved, or
promoted by the management plan for the Heritage Area until
the owner of that private property has been notified in
writing by the management entity and has given written
consent for such preservation, conservation, or promotion to
the management entity.
(b) Landowner Withdraw.--Any owner of private property
included within the boundary of the Heritage Area shall have
their property immediately removed from the boundary by
submitting a written request to the management entity.
SEC. 10. PRIVATE PROPERTY PROTECTION.
(a) Access to Private Property.--Nothing in this Act shall
be construed to--
(1) require any private property owner to allow public
access (including Federal, State, or local government access)
to such private property; or
(2) modify any provision of Federal, State, or local law
with regard to public access to or use of private property.
(b) Liability.--Designation of the Heritage Area shall not
be considered to create any liability, or to have any effect
on any liability under any other law, of any private property
owner with respect to any persons injured on such private
property.
(c) Recognition of Authority to Control Land Use.--Nothing
in this Act shall be construed to modify the authority of
Federal, State, or local governments to regulate land use.
(d) Participation of Private Property Owners in Heritage
Area.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the
owner of any private property located within the boundaries
of the Heritage Area to participate in or be associated with
the Heritage Area.
(e) Effect of Establishment.--The boundaries designated for
the Heritage Area represent the area within which Federal
funds appropriated for the purpose of this Act may be
expended. The establishment of the Heritage Area and its
boundaries shall not be construed to provide any nonexisting
regulatory authority on land use within the Heritage Area or
its viewshed by the Secretary, the National Park Service, or
the management entity.
SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated for
the purposes of this Act not more than $1,000,000 for any
fiscal year. Not more than a total of $10,000,000 may be
appropriated for the Heritage Area under this Act.
(b) Matching Funds.--Federal funding provided under this
Act may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of any
assistance or grant provided or authorized under this Act.
SEC. 12. SUNSET.
The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance under
this Act shall terminate on the day occurring 15 years after
funds are first made available for this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Renzi) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi).
General Leave
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 938, the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 938, introduced by the gentlewoman from Connecticut
(Mrs. Johnson), and amended by the Committee on Resources, contains
four titles. However, all four titles passed this House in the 108th
Congress.
Title I would establish the Upper Housatonic National Heritage Area
in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It
would
[[Page H3285]]
preserve the area's contributions in literature, art, music,
architecture, iron and paper, and its electrical equipment industries.
Title II amends the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage
Corridor Act in order to transition their management authority from a
Federal commission to a nonprofit organization, which is in line with
more recent Heritage Area management.
Title III would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a
suitability and feasibility study of establishing the St. Croix
National Heritage Area in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Title IV would establish the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage
Area across three counties within the State of New Mexico to
commemorate the unique combination of cultures, languages, folk arts,
customs, and architecture associated with the Spanish colonization of
New Mexico, beginning as far back as 1598.
I urge adoption of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
(Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R.
938. The majority has explained the pieces of this package. As the
sponsor of the legislation comprising title IV, I would like to focus
my remarks on the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, which
will be designated in the State of New Mexico.
I introduced this legislation earlier this year. A companion bill in
the Senate, introduced by New Mexico's two Senators, currently awaits a
vote on the floor of that body. In the 107th Congress, identical
language passed the House unanimously. I am obviously pleased that
today we, once again, have the opportunity to move closer to making
this bill a law so New Mexicans can take additional steps to preserve
and learn from our rich history.
The establishment of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area
is a citizen-driven effort to protect the remaining significant
resources representative of the Spanish and Pueblo colonial era in
north-central New Mexico. The bill identifies the northern New Mexico
counties of Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos as a National Heritage Area,
an elite designation from Congress reserved for areas regarded as
significant resources.
Northern New Mexico boasts many sites of historic and cultural
significance. Our State is a blend of Pueblo and Hispanic cultures,
making it a very unique and special place in our country. This
legislation would identify many of the sites that tell northern New
Mexico's story, help preserve them and, in the process, allow them to
be more thoroughly enjoyed by New Mexicans and visitors to our State.
Preservation would directly lead to economic development of this area
through enhanced tourism.
Title IV creates a nonprofit corporation governed by a 25-member
board of trustees charged with developing a management plan for the
heritage area. The board will be comprised of representatives from the
State, affected counties, tribes, cities, and others. The corporation's
plan would include recommendations for identifying, conserving and
preserving cultural, historical and natural resources within the
heritage area, along with strategies to promote tourism of the region's
natural and cultural assets.
The city of Espanola, the city of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, Rio
Arriba County, Taos County, La Jicarita Enterprise Community, the
Chimayo Cultural Preservation Association, and the Eight Northern
Pueblos support the Northern Rio Grande Heritage Area.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).
Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico for
yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 938, but I will confine
my remarks to title I of the bill which would establish the Upper
Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in Connecticut and
Massachusetts.
Let me start by thanking the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs.
Johnson) for her persistence, her diligence, and her hard work on this
legislation. It has been a pleasure working with her.
During the 106th Congress, H.R. 4312 authorized the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a feasibility study of the Upper Housatonic as a
potential national heritage area. The study establishes that the Upper
Housatonic Valley meets the Interior Department's criteria for such a
designation.
The Park Service recognizes the valley as distinctive for having a
landscape that includes a blend of industrial innovations,
environmental conservation initiatives, and cultural achievements of
national significance.
The Upper Housatonic Valley includes 29 communities in western
Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut. I would like to highlight a
few of the many contributions this region of New England brings to our
national heritage.
Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edith Wharton, Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Norman Rockwell, Suzy Frelinghuesen are just a few of the
prominent artists and writers who have made the Housatonic Valley their
home and the subject of their work. Today, visitors can see these
artists' work on display in local museums before taking in a classical
music concert at Tanglewood or visiting the magnificently restored
Shaker Village in Hancock. The Upper Housatonic has a rich cultural
heritage and thriving artistic community to this day.
Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman is a person my colleagues may not be
familiar with today, but her role in our national history is rightfully
recognized in the newly reopened National Archives exhibit, Charters of
Freedom.
{time} 1515
A slave from Sheffield, Massachusetts, Mumbet sued in Massachusetts
court for her freedom, leading to the abolition of slavery in
Massachusetts in 1793. Many years later, the great civil rights leader,
W.E.B. Dubois, made his home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. His
papers are archived and open to the public today in the University of
Massachusetts in Amherst.
As I hoped to highlight for you today, the Upper Housatonic Valley is
an area rich in culture, history, and innovation against the backdrop
of scenic landscapes. Its designation as a National Heritage Area will
help preserve this treasure for years to come. I urge an ``aye'' vote
in support of this legislation.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 938, a bill to establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National
Heritage Area Act. The Upper Housatonic Valley, encompassing 29 towns
in the hilly terrain of western Massachusetts and northwestern
Connecticut, is a singular geographical and cultural region that has
made significant national contributions through its literacy, artistic,
musical, and architectural achievements, its iron, paper, and
electrical equipment industries and its scenic beautification and
environmental conservation efforts.
I would like to thank Chairman Pombo and the Resources Committee for
bringing this legislation forward and for recognizing that through this
broad, flexible and locally led initiative, the States of Connecticut
and Massachusetts will be able to make real progress in protecting the
river and its heritage. The heritage area has broad support throughout
the region, from historic and civic organizations, local businesses and
governments, and our State governments have expressed strong support
for the establishment of a National Heritage Area and are enthusiastic
about the potential for celebration and preservation of the heritage.
It also has inspired the development of a local organization that has
already begun hosting hiking events and historic visits.
Congress established criteria in our 2000 legislation that clarifies
that designation requires a cultural, natural and historical heritage
of national significance, must have broad public support and a
qualified entity to manage the Area. The Park Service agreed that the
Upper Housatonic Valley meets the Department's ten interim criteria for
designation of a national heritage area and cite us as the best example
of how to go about becoming a National Heritage Area.
The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area would extend from
Lanesboro, Massachusetts, 60 miles South to Kent, Connecticut. This
region of New England was
[[Page H3286]]
home to the Nation's first industrial iron sites from the 1730s to the
1920s. The first blast furnace was built in 1762 by Ethan Allen and
supplied the iron for the cannons that helped George Washington's army
to make other weapons for soldiers of the Revolutionary army. While
most of the furnaces, mine sites and charcoal pits have been lost to
development and time, the few that remain are in need of refurbishment.
The Beckley Furnace in Canaan, Connecticut, was designated an official
project by the Millennium Committee to Save America's Treasures and now
has been well restored.
The Valley's history as a cultural retreat from the Boston and New
York areas provides both past and current riches for the country. Since
the 1930s visitors from all over have come to hear the music at
Tanglewood, Music Mountain and Norfolk, see the paintings at the Norman
Rockwell Museum, watch serious theater at Stockbridge and musical
treats at Sharon. Today's local authors draw on a long tradition going
back to the 19th century, when Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne and
Edith Wharton lived and wrote here.
The Housatonic Valley is also rich with environmental and
recreational treasures. The Housatonic River, just below Falls Village,
Connecticut, is one of the prized fly-fishing centers in the Northeast
and is enjoyed by fisherman from not only Connecticut and Massachusetts
but the entire eastern seaboard. Olympic rowers have trained in this
river as children have learned to swim, boat and fish and value its
ecosystem. The Upper Housatonic Area, with its remoteness from, but
ties to large cities, occupy a special niche in our national culture
and I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 938, to
establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in
Connecticut and Massachusetts. I am particularly pleased that Title 2
of the bill includes legislation I sponsored in the last Congress and
again in this Congress to provide for a study of the suitability and
feasibility of establishing my home island of St. Croix as a National
Heritage Area was also included in this package.
I want to begin by thanking Chairman Richard Pombo and Ranking Member
Nick Rahall for their support in including my bill in H.R. 938.
Mr. Speaker, I can think of no more fitting place that should be
studied for possible designation as a national Heritage Area than my
home island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The island of St. Croix
has a long, distinguished, and varied history, including being the site
where Christopher Columbus first stepped onto what is now American
soil. There is significant interest in preserving and enhancing the
natural, historical and cultural resources of the island on a
cooperative basis and such a study would provide guidance on how we can
best achieve those purposes.
Even though each one of the four major islands of the U.S. Islands
Virgin Islands can make a good case for designation as a National
Heritage Area, the island of St. Croix with its two historic towns--
Christiansted built in 1734 and Frederiksted built in 1752--is richly
blessed with all of the attributes that would justify this designation.
The towns historic architecture matured over a 100-year period. The
town of Christiansted is one of the finest examples of Danish
architectural designs in this hemisphere. Its history can be traced
back some 4,000 years to 2500 B.C. It is also the place where one of
our founding fathers and first Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton,
lived and worked during his formative years.
In 1493, Columbus arrived at what is now the Salt River National
Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, making it the only site under
the American flag where his men went ashore, as well as the first
recorded hostile encounter between Europeans and Native Americans.
Frederiksted has the distinction of having been the first
jurisdiction to have raised its flag in salute of the new Republic of
the U.S.A., and indeed the first designed flag was done by a resident
of that Island.
Mr. Speaker, I can go on and on about the many unique and significant
features of the island of St. Croix, but in the interest of time I
would say that this is the third time that we would have passed this
bill in the House and sent it to the other body and I hope that the
third time will be the charm. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 938.
Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R.
938. Among its provisions, H.R. 938 incorporates bill language from
H.R. 1820 which reauthorizes the Illinois and Michigan, I & M, Canal
National Heritage Corridor to receive appropriations and transfers
management entity status from the now defunct federal, I & M Commission
to the non-profit Canal Corridor Association. I would like to commend
Chairman Pombo and the House Committee on Resources for their hard work
on this important piece of legislation.
The I & M Canal changed the Nation in 1848 when it opened the first
shipping route between New York and New Orleans, designating Chicago as
the Nation's greatest inland port. While the canal eventually fell into
disuse due to new transportation methods and routes, in 1982 business
and industry leaders founded the Canal Corridor Association to help
revitalize the I & M Canal region, and in doing so, created a national
model for regional partnership, conservation and renewal. I am proud to
say that the I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor was America's
charter National Heritage area, being created by an act of Congress in
1984. For 20 years, the Federal I & M Commission has worked to carry
out the mission of the I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor. Its
efforts have been particularly successful during the past 5 years that
Phyllis Ellin has provided strong leadership as the Executive Director
of the Commission.
Since 1984, the I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor has
increasingly become an engine of economic growth in communities up and
down the length of the Corridor; primarily through an increase in
tourism but also in the use of the Corridor for recreational purposes.
After consulting with local officials and those most interested and
involved in the I & M Canal, it seems that the private sector approach
offers more advantages to handle the increased work load brought on by
the recent success of the canal and interest in heritage tourism.
As a result, H.R. 938 designates the Canal Corridor Association, CCA,
as the new management entity of the I & M Canal National Heritage
Corridor. The CCA seeks to enhance economic vitality by raising
awareness of and expanding the parks, trails, landscapes, and historic
sites that make the I & M Canal region a special place. They have also
successfully implemented education programs and improved the cultural,
environmental, historic and tourism resources that the canal offers.
Under the leadership of Ana Koval I am firmly convinced that the CCA,
through their governance of the I & M Canal, will continue to
successfully educated citizens of the nationally historical importance
of the I & M Canal and to play a pivotal role in the continued economic
redevelopment of the region.
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, having no additional requests
for time, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California). The
question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Renzi) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 938, as
amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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