Matt Cartwright: “I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for the opportunity to speak about this important bill, H.R. 6364, which would…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for the opportunity to speak about this important bill, H.R. 6364, which would extend the use of Federally owned portions of Highway 209 by certain commercial vehicles serving northeastern Pennsylvania small businesses. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area stretches across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, preserving 70,000 acres of land on both sides of the Delaware River. Highway 209, which runs through Pennsylvania northwards into New York, cuts directly through the middle of this national recreation area. Up until the 1980s, there was heavy truck traffic all along Route 209, a heavily trafficked truck route. In 1981, the National Park Service received jurisdiction over the section of Route 209 within that national recreation area. Then 2 years later, the 1983 Supplemental Appropriations Act closed this Federally owned segment of Highway 209 to all commercial traffic, with one exception: for light commercial vehicles serving businesses or people located in, or along, the boundaries of the national recreation area. Since then, this limited exemption for commercial vehicles has been reauthorized by Congress multiple times on a bipartisan basis. In fact, former Pennsylvania Republican Representative Tom Marino and I co-led this same bill in 2018, this commercial vehicle exemption, that passed this body by voice vote and was signed into law by former President Trump.…”