Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act, an important bill to promote and preserve the sunken treasures of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes have an amazing naval history which is unknown and unseen by too many Americans. Steamboats on the Great Lakes provided a route west for immigrants as they settled what was then called the Northwest Territory. As cities grew, Great Lakes ships and barges carried the timber, coal, and ore that fueled America's industrial might.

As commerce increased, so too did the number of ships which succumbed to the unpredictable and sometimes foreboding weather on the Lakes. Today, thousands of shipwrecks are scattered across the floor of the Great Lakes, including the remains of one of America's first great naval victories, the Battle of Lake Erie.

Despite this amazing heritage, only one marine sanctuary exists in the Great Lakes. The Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary, located in Lake Huron off the coast of Alpena, Michigan, has been a major economic driver for the area, spurring tourism, research, and educational opportunities.

This bill builds on the success of Thunder Bay by setting the stage to establish additional sanctuaries across the Great Lakes. It directs the Administrator of NOAA to identify underwater areas throughout the Lakes that possess significant historical and archaeological resources and recommend whether they should be designated as National Marine Sanctuaries.

Preserving the cultural legacy of our region is an important component of caring for our Great Lakes. Marine sanctuaries will protect this history while providing the additional benefits of driving economic development and providing jobs to our region. I look forward to working with my colleagues to achieve these goals.

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