Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

By Mr. BARRASSO (for himself and Mr. ENZI):

S. 2722. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of adding the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, in the State of Wyoming, as a unit of the National Park System; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I join Senator ENZI today to introduce the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Study Act. This legislation will authorize the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of the site of Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Powell, Wyoming. The site is an important part of our national history and of the history of our communities in western Wyoming.

This legislation is truly a credit to the individuals, local communities and grassroots organizations supporting recognition of the Heart Mountain site. Many of these individuals readily share their experience of the years between 1942 and 1945, when Japanese American families from the West Coast were forcibly moved to Park County, Wyoming and interned at the site near Heart Mountain. During those years, the Heart Mountain site was the third-largest community in Wyoming, housing nearly 11,000 Japanese Americans. The experience during those years shaped internees and local residents alike. It represents an important chapter in American history.

The legislation introduced today will authorize study of the Heart Mountain site and its significance to the mission of the National Park Service. The study will involve participation by the public and evaluate options for future management of the Heart Mountain site.

I want to thank the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, along with other supporting organizations, for championing this cause. It is because of their efforts that this important historical site has been preserved and presented to the public.

The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is a part of America's history. The special resource study of Heart Mountain Relocation Center will lay groundwork for protecting this history for future generations. I urge Senators to support the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Study Act.

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