Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1154) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1154

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) Heritage area.--The term ``Heritage Area'' means the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area.

(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.

(3) States.--The term ``States'' means the States of Virginia and North Carolina.

(4) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means--

(A) the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk in the State of Virginia;

(B) Isle of Wight County in the State of Virginia;

(C) Camden, Currituck, Gates, and Pasquotank counties in the State of North Carolina; and

(D) any other areas in the States that--

(i) have heritage aspects that are similar to the areas described in subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C); and

(ii) are adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, those areas. SEC. 3. STUDY.

(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with State and local organizations and governmental agencies, Tribal governments, non-profit organizations, and other appropriate entities, shall conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a National Heritage Area, to be known as the ``Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area''.

(b) Requirements.--The study shall include analysis, documentation, and determinations on whether the study area--

(1) has an assemblage of natural, historic, and cultural resources that--

(A) represent distinctive aspects of the people and cultures of the United States;

(B) are worthy of recognition, conservation, interpretation, and continuing use; and

(C) would be best managed--

(i) through partnerships among public and private entities; and

(ii) by linking diverse and sometimes noncontiguous resources and active communities;

(2) reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and folklife that are a valuable part of the story of the United States;

(3) provides outstanding opportunities--

(A) to conserve natural, historic, cultural, or scenic features; and

(B) for recreation and education;

(4) contains resources that--

(A) are important to any identified themes of the study area; and

(B) retain a degree of integrity capable of supporting interpretation;

(5) includes residents, business interests, nonprofit organizations, and State, local, and Tribal governments, and other appropriate entities that--

(A) are involved in the planning of the Heritage Area;

(B) have developed a conceptual financial plan that outlines the roles of all participants in the Heritage Area, including the Federal Government; and

(C) have demonstrated support for the designation of the Heritage Area;

(6) has a potential management entity to work in partnership with the individuals and entities described in paragraph (5) to develop the Heritage Area while encouraging State and local economic activity; and

(7) has a conceptual boundary map that is supported by the public. SEC. 4. REPORT.

Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report that describes--

(1) the findings of the study under section 3; and

(2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1154, the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act, introduced by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. McEachin), my Natural Resources Committee colleague.

This bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study assessing the suitability and the feasibility of designating the Great Dismal Swamp in the States of Virginia and North Carolina as a national heritage area.

The Great Dismal Swamp is an area of great historical, cultural, and environmental importance, and has been home to indigenous people since time immemorial. The swamp includes the ancestral lands of the Nansemond Indian Nation and the historic lands of the Haliwa-Saponi and Meherrin tribes.

The swamp was also one of the only known water-based stops on the Underground Railroad and home to a thriving community descending from early colonial free people of color whose families resisted American slavery by finding refuge within the swamp.

In 1974 the swamp was designated as a national wildlife refuge due to its ecological significance, and today it holds the largest intact remnant of a vast forest that once covered more than a million acres.

Designating the Great Dismal Swamp as a national heritage area will help share the often untold stories of some of our Nation's underrepresented communities.

From the indigenous communities who first called the swamp home to the enslaved African Americans who endured the swamp's hardships in their fight for freedom, these are stories worth sharing with current and future generations.

I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Representative McEachin, for championing this important legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I am glad that my colleague's thoughts came through the swamp, and I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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