[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          GREAT LAKES GATEWAYS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate and protect the largest 
system of freshwater on Earth: The Great Lakes. I will be introducing 
the bipartisan Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025, alongside my 
talented colleague,   David Joyce of Ohio.
  The Great Lakes have been declared a national treasure by executive 
order in 2004. The Great Lakes undergird America's industrial and 
agricultural heartland and encompass terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, 
including two globally important migratory bird flyways.
  We are home to 20 national wildlife refuges; 7 national parks; 
America's longest coast and lakeshores, monuments, and memorials; 6 
national forests; many State parks; wildlife management areas; and 
trail systems. These assets generate annually over $52 billion in 
economic activity.
  The Great Lakes Gateway Network Act of 2025 will help us conserve, 
restore, and interpret our precious history by catalyzing numerous 
public and private investments in the linked network of gateway sites.
  Mr. Speaker, it is long overdue for the northwest territory and our 
Great Lakes to shine a light on our region's magnificence and America's 
freshwater kingdom.

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