[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11] [House] [Page 15558] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS ACT OF 2005 Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of turn. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection. Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to come to the floor tonight to express my strong support for S. 203, the National Heritage Areas Act of 2005. This legislation was debated earlier in this day, and amongst its many provisions the bill contains my legislation, H.R. 1820, the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Act Amendments of 2005. S. 203 reauthorizes the Illinois and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor to receive appropriations and transfers management entity status from the Federal I&M Commission to the not-for-profit Canal Corridor Association. I would like to commend Chairman Pombo and the House Committee on Resources for their hard work on this important piece of legislation which has previously passed the House twice before. The I&M Canal, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, changed the Nation in 1848 when it opened its first shipping route between New York and New Orleans, designating Chicago as the Nation's greatest inland port at that time. While the canal eventually fell into disuse due to new transportation methods and routes, in 1982, business and industry leaders founded the Canal Corridor Association to help revitalize the I&M Canal region, and in doing so created a national model for regional partnership, conservation, and renewal. I am proud to say that the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor was America's first charter national heritage area, being created by an act of Congress in 1984, thanks to the efforts of former Congressman Tom Corcoran and former Senator Chuck Percy. For 20 years now, the Federal I&M Commission has worked to carry out the mission of the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor. Its efforts have been particularly successful during the past 5 years that Phyllis Ellin has provided strong leadership as the executive director of the commission. Since 1984, the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor has increasingly become an engine of economic growth in communities up and down the length of the corridor, primarily through an increase in tourism, but also in the use of the corridor for recreational purposes. I decided to move forward with this legislation after consulting with local officials and those most interested and involved in preserving the heritage of the I&M Canal. This private sector approach contained within my legislation offers more advantages to handle the increased workload brought on by the recent success of the canal and interest in heritage tourism. As a result, S. 203 designates the Canal Corridor Association as the new management entity of the I&M Canal Heritage Corridor. The CCA seeks to enhance economic vitality by raising awareness of and expanding the parks, trails, landscapes and historic sites that make the I&M Canal region a special place. They have also successfully implemented educational programs and improved the cultural, environmental, historic, and tourism resources that the Canal Corridor offers. Under the leadership of the Canal Corridor Association, the I&M Canal Reauthorization will continue to successfully educate citizens of the nationally historical importance of the I&M Canal and to play a pivotal role in the continued economic development of our home region. Through the Canal Corridor Association's governance, we will now be able to better enlist private support for the Canal Corridor and promote tourism in our home region. Once again, I would like to thank Chairman Pombo and the entire Resources Committee for making sure this important legislation passes before we break for the August district work period. I particularly want to thank Speaker Hastert for his assistance and leadership in this issue as well as Chairman Craig Thomas in the Senate for moving forward with this critical legislation ____________________