[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6624-H6625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EASTERN LEGACY EXTENSION ACT
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3045) to amend the National Trails System Act to extend the
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3045
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 ``Eastern Legacy Extension
Act''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.
(a) Extension.--Section 5(a)(6) of the National Trails
System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)(6)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``three thousand seven hundred'' and
inserting ``4,900'';
(2) by striking ``Wood River, Illinois,'' and inserting
``the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,''; and
(3) by striking ``maps identified as, `Vicinity Map, Lewis
and Clark Trail' study report dated April 1977.'' and
inserting ``the map entitled Lewis and Clark National
Historic Trail Authorized Trail Including Proposed Eastern
Legacy Extension, dated April 2018, and numbered 648/
143721.''
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms.
Bordallo) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3045, which comes to us by
Congressman Luke Messer of Indiana, would extend the Lewis and Clark
National Historic Trail.
Its purpose is to preserve and interpret for future generations the
Corps of Discovery's important preparations for its trailblazing
journey into the Western United States.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson charged Captains Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark with finding a water route to the Pacific Ocean
across the United States' newly purchased Louisiana Territory and with
seeking out and identifying wildlife, vegetation, and native
populations along the way.
[[Page H6625]]
The journey contributed greatly to the scientific knowledge and
helped to foster profound political, social, economic, cultural, and
environmental changes to the lands and the peoples of the North
American continent.
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail was established in 1978
and spans 3,700 miles following the route of the Lewis and Clark
expedition west of the Mississippi River from Wood River, Illinois, to
Astoria, Oregon.
H.R. 3045 would extend the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail by
1,200 miles, with a new eastern boundary at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
following the path of the Ohio River.
The Eastern Legacy Extension of the trail encompasses important
history and key moments for the expedition.
In February of 2018, at the direction of Congress, the National Park
Service completed a study on the proposed extension of this trail. The
study found the route proposed for inclusion in H.R. 3045 to be
nationally significant, suitable and feasible for inclusion in the
existing Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
The Eastern Legacy Extension provided by this legislation recognizes
the significance of the planning, preparation, and beginning
preparations for the expedition, and will provide new opportunities for
Americans to learn about the Corps of Discovery and the lands along the
Ohio River where Lewis and Clark refined the techniques that prepared
them for the hardships of the long trip west.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill extends the Lewis and Clark National Historic
Trail by 1,200 miles to include three new segments that correspond to
the preparation and return phases of the expedition.
Under the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2018, the study of
possible additional Eastern Legacy sites to add to the Lewis and Clark
Historic Trail identified three nationally significant trail segments.
The first trail identified is a segment of the Ohio River that
Meriwether Lewis used as a testing ground for supplies and weapons
prior to his epic journey.
Another trail, stretching from the falls of Ohio to the confluence of
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, recognizes where Lewis and Clark first
met.
The last trail that will be included under this bill begins at the
confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi River and stretches until the
Wood River in Illinois, which is the current starting point of the
National Historic Trail.
The Lewis and Clark story is an important part of our collective
history, and I hope that we can continue working together to discover
and preserve pieces of America's legacy.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill
sponsored by Representative Luke Messer.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer), the author of this measure.
Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from
California, Chairman McClintock, for his help on this bill; the
gentlewoman from Guam, my friend, Ms. Bordallo, for her support as
well; Chairman Bishop and all the members and staff of the Natural
Resources Committee for their important work and for bringing this
legislation to the House floor today.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize my son, Hudson, I guess named
after a river, for tagging along with me and being here as well.
Mr. Speaker, as most of us learned in high school history, in 1803,
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President
Jefferson to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean across the United
States.
This bill, the Eastern Legacy Extension Act, formally recognizes the
important role States like Indiana, my home State, played in the
expedition by extending the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to
the east.
Currently, the trail only marks the western portion of Lewis and
Clark's expedition. However, these explorers, as other speakers have
said, traveled nearly 1,000 miles along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
in States like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois before
arriving in present day Missouri.
In fact, the town of Clarksville, Indiana, is named after William
Clark after he famously stopped there to recruit members for the
expedition.
To properly recognize this historic expedition and preserve the
entire route Lewis and Clark took, Congress previously requested the
National Park Service to study extending the trail along the route they
took east of the Mississippi.
{time} 1715
In February 2018, the final study was released, recommending that
Congress designate the eastern leg of the expedition as part of the
trail. This bill makes that a reality, and by recognizing the eastern
portions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, we make the entire national
trail stronger.
This legislation will increase tourism opportunities for communities
in Indiana and the rest of the 4,900-mile route and promote historic
appreciation for the role Lewis and Clark played in making our country
what it is today.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage
Foundation for their work on this legislation and, again, thank the
committee and the chairmen for their work, too. I urge my colleagues to
support this bill.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was
literally one of the seminal events that produced this great Nation,
spanning from coast to coast, and the completion of this full trail is
an important step in recognizing the heroism and the vision of those
who came before us to build this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask for adoption of the legislation, and I yield
back the balance of my time
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3045, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________