Political Quotes

“I thank my good friend from Arkansas for his leadership on this bill. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1942, the National Heritage Area Act. National Heritage Areas provide countless economic benefits to the communities that they serve, while preserving important cultural, historical, and nationally significant areas across the country. In my district, I am proud to represent the Oil Region National Heritage Area, which is home to the birth of the petroleum industry located in Venango County, Pennsylvania. The Oil Region National Heritage Area includes oil artifacts, scenic communities, farmlands, woodlands, and industrial landscapes, which provide valuable information and insight into the world's first successful commercial oil well, the Drake Well, and the legacy of the petroleum industry. This successful public-private partnership has maximized Federal dollars, increased economic investment, and preserved places of local and national significance throughout northwest Pennsylvania. This legislation before us will provide increased certainty to the Oil Region National Heritage Area and all National Heritage Areas by creating a National Heritage Area System to extend technical and financial assistance to the entities that support the maintenance and operation of existing heritage areas. This bill will also provide a clear set of criteria for establishing new National Heritage Areas, and this bipartisan legislation is long overdue.…”