[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Coons, Mr. Carper, 
        and Mr. Warner):
  S. 519. A bill to amend the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 to 
permanently reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails 
Network; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, authorized under P.L. 105-312 in 1998 and 
reauthorized by P.L. 107-308 in 2002, the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and 
Watertrails Network helps several million visitors and residents 
discover, enjoy, and learn about the special places and stories of the 
Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Today, I am introducing legislation 
to permanently authorize this successful 17-year-old program.
  For visitors and residents, the Gateways are the ``Chesapeake 
connection.'' The network members provide an experience of such high 
quality that visitors indeed connect to the Chesapeake emotionally as 
well as intellectually, and thus to the Bay's conservation. Through 
more than 160 of these sites, the Gateways Network partner sites and 
water trails enable visitors to experience the authentic Chesapeake.
  The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure. The Chesapeake ranks as 
the largest of America's 130 estuaries and one of the Nation's largest 
and longest fresh water and estuarine systems. The Atlantic Ocean 
delivers half the bay's 18 trillion gallons of water and the other half 
flows through over 150 major rivers and streams draining 64,000 square 
miles within 6 states and the District of Columbia. The Chesapeake 
watershed is among the most significant cultural, natural and 
historical assets of our Nation.
  The Chesapeake is enormously vast and diverse--to the extent that it 
is impossible to experience all the culture, history and natural beauty 
in any one place. That is why the gateways program is designed to 
connect and use the scores of existing public resources to collaborate 
on presenting the many chapters and tales of the bay's story. Visitors 
and residents go to more places for more experiences, all through a 
coordinated Gateways Network.
  Beyond simply coordinating the network, publishing a map and guides, 
and providing standard exhibits at all Gateways, the National Park 
Service has helped gateways with matching grants and expertise for 
several hundred high-quality projects, developing sites to provide 
fishing, boating, and viewing access to the bay and its major 
tributaries. This is a great deal for the bay--it helps network members 
tell the Chesapeake story better and inspires people to care for this 
National Treasure, in addition to supporting local, State, and national 
water trails--and it's a good deal for the Park Service. It serves all 
170+ gateways and their 10 million visitors. No other National Park can 
provide such a dramatic ratio of public dollars spent to number of 
visitors served.
  With the National Park Service's expertise and support, gateways have 
made significant progress in their mission to tell the Bay's stories to 
their millions of members and visitors, extend access to the Bay and 
its watershed, and develop a conservation awareness and ethic. It is 
time to not only reauthorize the Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails 
program, but make the annual $3 million reauthorization for this 
program permanent. It is my hope that the Congress will act quickly to 
adopt this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 519

       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 ``Chesapeake Bay Gateways and 
     Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act''.

     SEC. 2. PERMANENT REAUTHORIZATION.

       Section 502(c) of the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 
     (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 105-312) is amended by 
     striking ``for'' and all that follows through the period at 
     the end and inserting ``for each fiscal year.''.
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