This bill would add the Calumet National Heritage Area to the National Heritage Area System by amending the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The heritage area would cover parts of the Calumet region in Indiana and Illinois, with boundaries described in the bill and including Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties. The Calumet Heritage Partnership is named as the local coordinating entity. The local coordinating entity must submit a management plan to the Secretary of the Interior within 3 years of enactment. Federal assistance under the Act may be provided, but the Secretarys authority to provide assistance for this heritage area ends 15 years after enactment.
The bill includes findings that describe the regions cultural, historical, and natural resources (including industrial history, the steel industry, Pullman, and Indiana Dunes), its ecological value and restoration history, and local partnerships and organizations supporting designation.
No publicly available information on total costs or specific funding amounts is included in the bill. The bill references the Secretarys authority to provide assistance under section 6001 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Act but does not specify funding levels. The authority to provide assistance terminates 15 years after enactment.
The bills findings state that the Calumet region has nationally significant cultural, historical, and natural resources. Proponents argue designation would help conserve and restore those resources, teach about industrial and ecological history, support local partnerships, and promote the regions cultural and recreational assets. The findings list local organizations and institutions that have supported or worked on these efforts.
No publicly available information.