[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 27, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S2709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. HUTCHISON:
  S. 3261. A bill to establish the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area 
in the State of Texas, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to 
designate the Buffalo Bayou as a National Heritage Area. This 
legislation will designate the 25-mile stretch of the Houston Ship 
Channel as the first National Heritage Area in Texas. This distinction 
will allow up to $1 million annually for 10 years to the area and 
provide the tourism benefits of Federal recognition without restriction 
on land or commerce.
  In 2002, Congressman Gene Green and I introduced the Buffalo Bayou 
National Heritage Study Act, which directed the U.S. Department of the 
Interior to conduct a study to determine if the Buffalo Bayou was 
eligible to receive National Heritage Area distinction. The Department 
of the Interior has concluded that the Buffalo Bayou has met the 
criteria needed for National Heritage Area distinction, and I support 
this distinction. I wish to recognize Congressman Green for 
spearheading the efforts to designate the Buffalo Bayou as a National 
Heritage Area.
  The Buffalo Bayou has played an important role in the development of 
Texas and our nation's commerce. The Buffalo Bayou has helped the City 
of Houston become the fourth largest city in the United States by 
supporting oil refining, petrochemical production and commercial trade.
  The history of the Buffalo Bayou begins on August 30, 1836, when 
Augustus Chapman Allen and his brother, John Kirby Allen, founded the 
City of Houston near the banks of the Buffalo Bayou. The city was 
incorporated on June 5, 1837, and named after the former General and 
President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston. One of the most 
significant battles in the history of Texas, the Battle of San Jacinto, 
was fought at the mouth of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. It 
paved the way for the Republic of Texas to become an independent 
country.
  If approved by Congress, the Buffalo Bayou's National Heritage Area 
status would enhance as well as promote the national significance of 
this historic waterway.
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