Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area designation.

This is a project that has been completely collaborative throughout the region. I think it is a great example of how to get things done. It was various government officials working with the private sector, all with the same goal, and that is to preserve open spaces in the Puget Sound area.

This is a very difficult thing to do. We are growing rapidly, businesses are popping up all over the place, and that is great. But the other thing about the Pacific Northwest that everybody loves is the ability to get outdoors and fish, hunt, hike, and basically enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. This group came together to make sure that we can preserve that, even in the face of such massive growth.

It wasn't done by government fiat. It was done by working together with private landowners, tribes, and all of the interested stakeholders to say: ``We have a mutual interest in preserving open spaces for the better enjoyment of all of us in our community,'' and that is how the Mountains to Sound Greenway was born.

This is an incredibly successful collaborative effort. I am pleased to have the Federal Government put its stamp on it as a national heritage area. It definitely deserves that. It will help the process moving forward as they continue to make sure that they preserve these open spaces for the enjoyment of all people in the Puget Sound region.

I also want to particularly thank Congressman Reichert for his leadership on this issue. He has been working on it for a number of years, and it has been a true bipartisan effort. People ask me all the time, basically: ``Don't you guys work together on anything?'' referring to Democrats and Republicans in general, not to Dave and me specifically.

I have been pleased to work with Dave for, I guess, 14 years now that he has been in Congress--I worked with him before when he was the King County sheriff--and it has been a great working relationship. Whenever people ask me that question, I am very pleased to know that, right next door, I have got Congressman Reichert. I say: Well, Dave and I work on a whole bunch of different things. We have over the years, and this is certainly one of the most important in his final year in Congress. I think it is very appropriate that we get this to the finish line, pass it into law, and get it signed by the President.

Again, this is a fine example of what we can do when we work together with all interested parties coming together for a mutual benefit. Maintaining open spaces in the Puget Sound region is incredibly important. It is not easy. This project is a reflection of how you can get that done, and I am pleased to support this legislation.

Again, I want to thank Congressman Reichert for his leadership and partnership. It was great working together with him on this and other issues in the interest of our community in the Puget Sound region.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source