I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1776
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasi-
bility of establishing the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area in west
Houston, Texas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 9, 2001
Mr. GREEN of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suit-
ability and feasibility of establishing the Buffalo Bayou
National Heritage Area in west Houston, Texas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Buffalo Bayou Na-
tional Heritage Area Study Act’’.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING BUF-
FALO BAYOU, TEXAS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The area beginning at Shepherd Drive in
west Houston, Texas, and extending to the Turning
Basin, commonly referred to as the ‘‘Buffalo
Bayou’’, made a unique contribution to the cultural,
political, and industrial development of the United
States.
(2) The Buffalo Bayou is distinctive as the first
spine of modern industrial development in Texas and
one of the first along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
(3) The Buffalo Bayou played a significant role
in the struggle for Texas independence.
(4) The Buffalo Bayou developed a prosperous
and productive shipping industry that survives
today.
(5) The Buffalo Bayou led in the development
of Texas’ petrochemical industry that made Houston
the center of the early oil boom in America.
(6) The Buffalo Bayou developed a sophisti-
cated shipping system, leading to the formation of
the modern day Houston Ship Channel.
(7) The Buffalo Bayou developed a significant
industrial base, and served as the focal point for the
new city of Houston.
(8) There is a longstanding commitment by the
Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Inc., to complete the
Buffalo Bayou Trail along the 12-mile segment of
the Buffalo Bayou.
(9) There is a need for assistance for the pres-
ervation and promotion of the significance of the
Buffalo Bayou as a system for transportation, in-
dustry, commerce, and immigration.
(10) The Department of the Interior is respon-
sible for protecting the Nation’s cultural and histor-
ical resources. There are significant examples of
such resources within the Buffalo Bayou region to
merit the involvement of the Federal Government in
the development of programs and projects, in co-
operation with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Inc.,
the State of Texas, and other local and govern-
mental entities, to adequately conserve, protect, and
interpret this heritage for future generations, while
providing opportunities for education and revitaliza-
tion.
(b) STUDY.—The Secretary shall, in consultation
with the State of Texas, carry out a study regarding the
suitability and feasibility of establishing the Buffalo
Bayou National Heritage Area in Houston, Texas.
(c) STUDY PROCESS
AND COMPLETION.—Section
8(c) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5(c)) shall
apply to the conduct and completion of the study required
by this section.
(d) SUBMISSION
OF STUDY RESULTS.—The Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Resources of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the Senate a report describing
the results the study.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to imple-
ment this section $200,000 for fiscal year 2002.
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