[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 64 (Friday, April 20, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. 
        Kennedy):
  S. 1182. A bill to amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley 
National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to increase the authorization of 
appropriations and modify the date on which the authority of the 
Secretary of the Interior terminates under the Act; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today I join with my colleagues, Senators 
Lieberman, Kerry, and Kennedy, to introduce the Quinebaug and Shetucket 
Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007. 
Representatives Courtney and Neal have introduced a companion bill in 
the House.
  The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, 
or QSHC, was established in 1994 as the fifth National Heritage 
Corridor. National Heritage Areas are designated by Congress to 
preserve distinctive landscapes of historic, cultural, natural, and 
recreational resources. The QSHC is commonly known as ``The Last Green 
Valley,'' a rare rural landscape in the populous Northeast. In fact, 
the Valley stands out in night images from space for its absence of 
lights. It contains aboriginal and colonial archaeological sites, mills 
and mill villages that preserve the history of the early industrial 
revolution, and traditional farming communities. The QSHC non-profit 
management entity has restored architecturally and historically 
important buildings, developed interpretive projects, and developed 
conservation and open space plans. It has consistently leveraged an 
average of $19 for every $1 of appropriated Federal money.
  The QSHC has developed a plan to become a self-sustaining entity by 
2015, as laid out in ``The Trail to 2015: A Sustainability Plan for the 
Last Green Valley.'' The plan calls for replacing Federal funds with 
fees for services, private and corporate support, and income from a 
permanent fund. In the interim, Federal funds are necessary for 
capacity-building, awareness programs, and ongoing education of land-
use decision-makers.
  The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor 
has created a collaboration of 35 municipalities dedicated to 
preserving a unique slice of our American heritage. With an extension 
of its authorization, this preserve can exist in perpetuity. I urge my 
colleagues to support reauthorization of the QSHC.

                          ____________________