I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4808

To establish the New York Canal Housing Heritage Corridor as an affiliated

unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 29, 2000

Mr. LAFALCE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Resources

A BILL

To establish the New York Canal Housing Heritage Corridor

as an affiliated unit of the National Park System, and

for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New York Canal Na5 tional Heritage Corridor Act of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:

8 (1) The 524 miles of working canal that com9 pose the New York canal system and the approxi10 mately 75 miles of the old Erie Canal alignment (in
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1 this Act referred to as the ‘‘New York Canal Cor2 ridor’’) comprise a resource and an opportunity from

3 a tourism, economic development, recreational, and

4 historical standpoint that is not currently rep5 resented in the National Park System.

6 (2) The influence of the Erie Canal system and

7 related waterways, especially during the 1826

8 through 1860 period, extends into themes as diverse

9 as literature, music, social reform, religious and po10 litical movements, and ethnic diversity.

11 (3) In their dimensions, construction, and oper12 ation, most American canals were modeled on the

13 New York canal system.

14 (4) Both the 19th and 20th century iterations

15 of the New York canal system were the largest pub16 lic works projects ever undertaken by a State.

17 (5) The Erie Canal came to symbolize canals

18 and the westward movement, figuring prominently in

19 popular music, art, and literature.

20 (6) The Champlain portion of the New York

21 canal system became, in effect, the canal of western

22 New England, especially Vermont.

23 (7) The Hudson Canal corridor helped make

24 New York City preeminent in the Nation’s finance
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1 and commerce, which in turn facilitated the rise of

2 the ‘‘Empire State’’.

3 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are the fol4 lowing:

5 (1) To establish and recognize the New York

6 Canal Corridor as an affiliated unit of the National

7 Park System.

8 (2) To provide encouragement to those villages,

9 towns, cities, and counties along the Canal Corridor

10 that seek to revitalize the Canal Corridor through

11 economic development, job creation, recreation, and

12 tourism.

13 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CANAL CORRIDOR.

14 There is established, as an affiliated unit of the Na15 tional Park System, the New York Canal National Herit16 age Corridor (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Heritage Cor17 ridor’’).

18 SEC. 4. HERITAGE CORRIDOR BOUNDARIES.

19 The boundaries of the Heritage Corridor shall include

20 the counties that are located along the New York Canal

21 Corridor and connecting waterways.

22 SEC. 5. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.

23 The Secretaries of the Departments of Interior,

24 Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Trans25 portation, and the heads of other appropriate Federal
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1 agencies may, upon the request of local governments with2 in the Heritage Corridor, use otherwise available amounts

3 to assist in the implementation of Heritage Corridor ac4 tivities through any program under which such local gov5 ernments may be assisted. Such assistance shall be an eli6 gible cost of such program.

7 SEC. 6. NO FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS ON LAND USE.

8 Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a restriction

9 on land use, development, or any other local or individual

10 action.

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